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Tecoma Capensis (Cape Honeysuckle)

Regular price €7,00 EUR
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Size
Family:  Bignoniaceae

Origin: Southern Africa

The Size: 3-10 ft. tall as a shrub, 25-30 ft. long as a vine

Temperature & Humidity: Cape honeysuckle is a tropical plant that thrives in USDA cold hardiness zones 9–11. It is heat and drought tolerant, but its branches and leaves tend to die back at temperatures under 25 degrees Fahrenheit.

Lightning: Cape honeysuckle is a tropical plant that grows well in full sun or partial shade. In its native habitat, Cape honeysuckle is often found growing in dappled light in the forest understory. In extremely hot climates, it might actually do better in partial shade locations. The denser the shade, however, the less vigorous the blooming.

The Soil: This plant does well in almost any soil type provided it is kept moist and the soil is well-drained. Don't fret about the pH of your soil too much, as this plant can handle both acidic and alkaline soils. It also grows well in salty locations like coastal regions.

Watering: Water your cape honeysuckle weekly (about one inch) if you are growing it in full sun, or just once or twice a month if it is grown in shade. After a year of regular watering, the roots should be established enough to provide drought tolerance.

Fertilizer: If you've tested the soil and determined it is lacking in nutrients, go ahead and feed it annually with a balanced fertilizer. In most cases, though, feeding is not needed for this vigorous grower.

Reproduction: Because Cape honeysuckle produces suckers, the plant will naturally propagate itself for you. You can also propagate the plant with softwood cuttings.
To propagate with suckers:
You can simply wait until a sucker has rooted and produced new growth, then you can clip the stem connecting it to the main plant, dig it up, and move to where you would like it.
Help the process along if you wish by burying the off-shoot stems in the spring. Then in the fall, once the new growth is established, simply cut the stem connecting it to the main plant, dig it up and place it where you want it.

Features of Care: This plant is fairly problem-free, however, if you are gardening in an area that receives frost, the frost can damage its leaves and branches. The plant could encounter problems with too little or too many nutrients, which is usually most apparent in weak or sparse foliage. There might be other environmental problems like leaf scorch. Overall, though, this shrub should stay happy and healthy over its lifetime with little maintenance.

Difficulties: Because coral honeysuckle plants are cold tolerant and can withstand hard frost, there is not much required to overwinter these plants. Planting them near structures such as fences or trellises will help shelter them from cold winds. Additionally, adding mulch in the fall will help to insulate the root system from excessively cold temperatures. If growing in a container that is not winterproof, bring the plant inside to grow as a houseplant during the winter.