Lonicera similis var. delavayi - A Fragrant Favourite for UK Gardens

Delavay’s Honeysuckle

Delavay’s honeysuckle (Lonicera delavayi) is a superb choice for gardeners seeking a climber that delivers exceptional scent, visual impact, and structural elegance across multiple seasons. This vigorous honeysuckle adds vertical beauty and wildlife value to various garden settings with its softly scented, long-lasting flowers, attractive semi-evergreen foliage, and reliable growth. This guide gives expert advice on planting, growing, pruning, and designing with this outstanding variety.

Delavay’s honeysuckle is renowned for its graceful, elongated white flowers that gradually mature to soft yellow, creating a gentle two-tone effect. The blooms are intensely fragrant, especially during the evening and early morning, when their sweet perfume becomes more pronounced. These nectar-rich flowers attract pollinators, including bees, butterflies, and moths, making them valuable to wildlife-friendly garden designs.

A key feature of this variety is its distinctive, dark green foliage. The leaves are slightly downy underneath and silvery-white, providing texture and contrast from spring through autumn. Much of the foliage remains in mild winters, offering greenery when other climbers have died back.

Choose a planting site that receives full sun or partial shade. While it will tolerate a range of conditions, a position with at least some direct sunlight encourages stronger flowering and more vigorous growth. This honeysuckle prefers moist but well-drained soil, enriched with organic matter such as compost or well-rotted manure.

Before you start, install a strong support system such as a trellis, arch, or obelisk. This twining climber relies on support to grow vertically and develop its natural shape. Dig a generous planting hole, position the plant at the top of the rootball level with the soil surface, and backfill it with a compost-rich mix. Water thoroughly and apply a layer of mulch to retain moisture and suppress weeds.

This highly adaptable honeysuckle will thrive in most soil types, providing good drainage. It prefers fertile conditions and benefits from an annual mulch of organic matter in early spring to improve soil structure and maintain consistent moisture levels.

During the establishment phase, especially in its first year, keep the soil evenly moist and avoid letting the roots dry out completely. Watering can be reduced in more mature specimens, although a good soak will keep flowering at its best during extended dry periods.

Expect a long flowering season from early to late summer, often continuing into early autumn in favourable conditions. The tubular blooms open white and transition to soft lemon yellow with age, creating a dynamic colour display over time.

As summer fades, small black berries often follow the flowers, providing additional seasonal interest and a food source for birds. This post-flowering phase adds further value to an already multi-season performer.

Pruning is essential to maintain shape and promote healthier flowering. Carry out your main prune in late winter or early spring, cutting back to a third of the older flowering stems. Remove any dead, damaged, or weak growth to improve airflow and prevent congestion at the base.

Delavay’s honeysuckle can grow vigorously once established, so light summer pruning may also be needed to keep it from outgrowing its space. Regular maintenance encourages more blooms and helps preserve the plant’s elegant form.

This honeysuckle is a superb companion for other climbers and flowering perennials. Try pairing it with Clematis viticella or Clematis montana for complementary colour and extended seasonal interest. Combine it with lavender, catmint (Nepeta), or hardy geraniums at the base for added texture and pollinator appeal in a cottage-style planting scheme.

Its dense foliage provides an attractive green backdrop that highlights the colours of nearby plants. The climbing habit is ideal for growing through trellised roses or over arched walkways.

As a semi-evergreen climber, Lonicera similis var. delavayi may hold onto its foliage throughout mild UK winters, especially in sheltered positions. It may shed more leaves in harsher climates or exposed locations, but it will recover vigorously in spring.

Apply generous mulch in late autumn to help protect roots during winter. Shielding young plants from cold winds using windbreak fabric or positioning them near walls or fences can also help preserve foliage and flower buds.

Few climbers are as versatile as Delavay’s honeysuckle. It works equally well in formal, contemporary, or informal settings, bringing vertical interest to even the smallest gardens. Use it to soften fencing, wrap around pergolas, or climb over arched gateways for a classic English garden feel.

When grown as a freestanding shrub with minimal support, it can form a loose, arching mound—ideal for filling larger spaces or informal hedging. The contrast between the creamy flowers and dark foliage adds sophistication and visual depth to any design scheme.

This fast-growing honeysuckle can quickly reach heights of 5–7 metres (16–23 feet) with a spread of up to 2.5 metres (8 feet), especially when planted in rich soil. It responds well to regular feeding and mulching, which supports steady upward growth and an abundance of flowers.

With suitable support and occasional pruning, you can guide this climber to fill a trellis or arch within a few seasons, creating a lush, living structure that’s both beautiful and functional.

Delavay’s honeysuckle is one of those plants I recommend time and again, for good reason. It’s become a reliable favourite in my own garden, scrambling up an old archway where its evening fragrance hangs in the air like a gentle reminder to pause and enjoy the moment. The way the flowers shift from white to soft yellow adds a quiet charm, and even in winter, the foliage holds on just enough to keep things interesting. It’s not fussy, copes well with our unpredictable weather, and gives so much back—from the pollinators it attracts in summer to the black berries that birds love in autumn. If you’re after a climber who works hard across the seasons without demanding much in return, this one’s a winner.

• Plant in well-drained soil
• Provide a strong support structure
• Flowers white, ageing to yellow
• Semi-evergreen nature
• Strongly scented blooms
• Regular pruning required
• Suitable for sun or partial shade
• Black berries in autumn
• Vigorous growth habit
• Resistant to mildew
  
  

Whether you want to add structure, fragrance, or seasonal beauty to your garden, Lonicera similis var. delavayi is an advantageous choice. Its fast growth, extended flowering season, and semi-evergreen foliage make it stand out in formal and informal settings. With the right care, this honeysuckle will reward you year after year with cascading blooms, evening scent, and vibrant wildlife activity. From fences and arches to mixed borders and pergolas, Delavay’s honeysuckle brings elegance, impact, and enduring charm to every garden corner.

Check out the RHS article here.

Explore our full collection of planting guides for expert advice on climbers and wall shrubs.

Want to learn about other climbers? Read about Lonicera x heckrottii Gold Flame here.

Q: What is Lonicera similis var. delavayi?

A: Lonicera delavayi, commonly known as delavayi honeysuckle, is a semi-evergreen climber that adds stunning flowers to your garden.

Q: How do I care for my Lonicera similis var. delavayi?

A: Caring for your delavayi honeysuckle is quite simple! Ensure it receives enough sunlight and water it regularly. Pruning is also essential, so trim it after flowering to keep it healthy.

Q: Is Lonicera similis var. delavayi suitable for my garden?

A: Absolutely! This shrub is perfect for climbing on trellises, fences, or walls. It adds a lovely touch to any garden with beautiful flowers that turn yellow, followed by black berries.

Q: Where can I buy Lonicera similis var. delavayi?

A: You can find the delavayi honeysuckle climber at various garden centres, including family-run and independent ones and online at Swift Plants.

Q: Will my Lonicera similis var. delavayi have flowers every year?

A: Yes! The honeysuckle climber will bloom each year, offering lovely flowers followed by black berries, adding beauty to your garden.

Q: Can I grow Lonicera similis var. delavayi in a container?

A: Definitely! The delavayi honeysuckle can grow in a container, but ensure it’s large enough to accommodate the roots and provides good drainage.

Q: What makes Lonicera similis var. delavayi different from other honeysuckles?

A: The main difference is that this climber is semi-evergreen, meaning it retains some leaves during winter, unlike others that may lose all their leaves. Additionally, its unique flowers are a standout feature!