Culture
Best grown in evenly moist, well-draining soils in full sun to part shade. Best flowering in full sun in cool summer climates, but may appreciate some afternoon shade in hot. Hardy in Zones 4-8.
Noteworthy Characteristics
Lonicera reticulata, commonly called grape honeysuckle, is a deciduous, perennial, twining or sprawling vine with stems that can reach up to 15' long. The stems tend to be sparsely branched and are lined with oppositely arranged, ovate or obovate shaped leaves reaching up to 4" long and 3" across. The last 1-2 pairs of leaves at the ends of the stems are strongly perfoliate, joined at their bases around the stem with a broadly elliptic or nearly circular outline. These perfoliate leaves tend to have a greyish cast and form a cup around the terminal, sessile whorls of blooms. The 0.75-1" long, trumpet-shaped, pale yellow to orange flowers bloom in late spring to early summer and are attractive to butterflies, bees and other insect pollinators as well as hummingbirds. The flowers are followed by red fruits that are occasionally eaten by songbirds.
Genus name honors Adam Lonitzer (1528-1586), German botanist, the author of an herbal (Kreuterbuch) many times reprinted between 1557 and 1783.
'P015S' is a deciduous vine that typically climbs to 8-12’ tall spreading to 3-5’ wide. It is noted for having slightly fragrant yellow flowers in late spring (May-June), each flower being surrounded by a showy, circular, perfoliate leaves with ghostly silver-blue color. Red berries in late summer are cupped by the persistent perfoliate leaves.
This vine was originally propagated by William Kintzley at Iowa State University in the 1880s. He passed it along to family members thereafter, but it was never formally introduced into commerce. The vine disappeared at one point but was eventually rediscovered growing in the yard of a Kintzley relative in Fort Collins, Colorado.
Parentage is unclear. This vine may be a hybrid of L. reticulata and L. prolifera. Commonly sold under the name KINTZLEY'S GHOST.
Problems
No major pest or disease problems of note.
Uses
Good vine for trellis or arbor. Single plants form an interesting vertical accent. Several plants will form an excellent screen. Also effective cascading down from the top of a wall, scrambling through nearby shrubbery, or sprawling along the ground.