Cape honeysuckle is a sprawling plant that can easily be grown as either a shrub or a vine. Here’s everything you need to know about planting and caring for this versatile desert landscape plant.
Cape honeysuckle (Tecoma capensis) is a stunning South African native that has naturalized around the world and can now be found growing wild in southwestern Mexico, Central America, and numerous Caribbean islands.
This plant is not quite a vine and not quite a shrub. In fact, depending on how you trim it, you can grow it as a vine, shrub, small tree, or ground cover.
Its showy clusters of red-orange flowers and glossy dark green leaves give this plant a tropical vibe.
It thrives in full sun and almost any soil, and needs little water once established.
In mild winters, cape honeysuckle is evergreen and can bloom literally all year round, providing much-needed nectar to butterflies, bees, and other pollinators during the winter months. Hummingbirds especially are attracted to the brilliant tubular flowers.
Why I Like This Plant
- Vivid red-orange flowers & shiny dark green leaves
- Looks stunning all year
- Low maintenance
- Hummingbird magnet
- No thorns, low litter, not toxic
Things to Watch Out For
Cape honeysuckle, if left unattended, can grow up to 50 feet or more! 😮 While it’s not hard to keep in bounds, you must be prepared to prune it occasionally so it doesn’t take over.
Optimal Growing Conditions
If you’re thinking of adding a cape honeysuckle to your garden, you need to find a suitable place that will keep it healthy and looking good… while minimizing maintenance for you.
Here are the key factors to keep in mind.
Temperature
Cape honeysuckle should be grown in USDA Hardiness Zones 9 – 11. It will survive temperatures as low as 18℉ but may show frost damage if the temperature dips below 25℉.
It does not like the extreme heat of the lower desert and struggles in the hottest places where temperatures frequently exceed 105℉ (such as Phoenix).
Sun Exposure
Cape honeysuckle can be grown in full sun to part shade, but it blooms most profusely in full sun. However, it’s best not to plant it along a west-facing wall – the hottest spot in the garden — unless it gets some shade.
Size and Growth Rate
It’s a fast grower that can grow 2 to 3 feet per year. Its size is extremely variable depending on how you prune and water it, but it’s typically grown as a shrubby vine 4 to 8 feet wide and tall.
Pro Tip!
If your cape honeysuckle is getting too vigorous,
cut back on water to control rampant growth.
Soil
Cape honeysuckle is not particular about soil. It grows well in any soil, from sandy to clay, provided it’s well-draining.
Other Location Considerations
Since its growth habit is vine-like, an ideal spot is along a wall where it will get some support.
Because it has no thorns, is non-toxic and nearly litter-free, it’s a plant you use near a pool, sidewalk, or anywhere it might come in contact with pets and people.
Cape Honeysuckle:
The Essentials
| Common Names | Cape honeysuckle |
| Scientific Name | Tecoma capensis |
| Origin | South Africa |
| Plant Type | Evergreen shrub/vine |
| USDA Zones | Zones 9 – 11 |
| Cold Hardiness | To 18℉ |
| Flower Color | Orange-red |
| Flower Season | All year |
| Mature Size | 4-8’ high x 4-8’ wide |
| Growth Rate | Fast |
| Sun Tolerance | Full, part sun |
| Water Needs | Moderate |
| Pests & Diseases | None |
| Garden Friendly | No thorns, low litter, non-toxic |
| Wildlife | Attracts birds, bees, butterflies Deer resistant |
How to Plant
The rule of thumb when planting any shrub or tree in the desert is to dig a hole three times as wide as the root ball but no deeper. Amending the soil is not recommended. Counterintuitively, backfilling with the same native soil you just dug up helps your plant develop a stronger root system.
When to Plant
The best time to plant cape honeysuckle is in the fall. This gives your plant three seasons to grow roots and get established before the following summer.
The second best time is in spring, the earlier the better. This still gives your plant time to get established before the intense heat of June arrives.
Should You Grow It on a Trellis?
If you plan to keep your cape honeysuckle as a shrub or grow it along a garden wall, it won’t need a trellis. But if you plan to let it grow larger than about eight feet, it will eventually need some support.
How to Care for Cape Honeysuckle
Whether you’ve recently planted a cape honeysuckle or have an existing plant in your yard, here’s how to take care of it to keep it healthy and looking its best.
How to Water New Plants
Once you’ve got your cape honeysuckle in the ground, watering is your most immediate concern. Here is the recommended watering schedule for new shrubs planted in the spring or fall.
| Weeks 1 & 2 | Every 3 – 4 days |
| Weeks 3 & 4 | Every 5 – 7 days |
| Weeks 5 & 6 | Every 7 – 10 days |
| Weeks 7 & 8 | Every 10 – 14 days |
After week 8, gradually revise your watering schedule, depending on the season.
How to Water Established Plants
Here’s a recommended watering schedule for subsequent years.
| Spring & Fall | Every 10 – 14 days |
| Summer | Every 7 – 10 days |
| Winter | Every 14 – 21 days |
Cape honeysuckle prefers consistently moist soil but is somewhat drought tolerant once established.
Should You Fertilize?
Since cape honeysuckle did not evolve to grow in our desert southwest soil and is a prolific bloomer, it benefits from an application of fertilizer in the spring.
Cape honeysuckle not flowering?
Excess water and fertilizer encourage
leaf growth at the expense of flowers.
How to Prune
This extremely versatile plant can be pruned into just about any shape you want.
On one extreme, it can be trained to grow as a tree, hedge, or espalier. Conversely, you can let it go wild as a vine or ground cover, but be aware that if left unattended, it can grow to 50 feet or more!
Most homeowners keep it pruned as a moderate-size shrub, typically around 6′ x 6′, or as a small vine that grows alongside a garden wall with or without a trellis.
You can keep its size and shape in check by pruning it in early spring. Remove cold damage or dead, woody branches.
Cape honeysuckle is one of the many desert landscape plants that benefits from hard pruning, i.e., cutting it back to one foot in early spring every 5 years or so.
Don’t Confuse Cape Honeysuckle With…
There are quite a few desert landscape plants called honeysuckle. Some are shrubs and some are vines, some are southwest natives while some are not. Here are a few of them:
- Arizona honeysuckle (Lonicera arizonica) – vine, native to Arizona
- Desert honeysuckle (Anisacanthus thurberi) – shrub, native to Arizona
- Flame honeysuckle (Anisacanthus quadrifidus) – shrub, native to Texas and Mexico
- Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica) – vine, native to eastern Asia
- Mexican honeysuckle (Justicia spicigera) – shrub, native to Mexico
Cape honeysuckle is not a true honeysuckle. (Only the two Loniceras on this list are true honeysuckles.) But as a member of the Tecoma genus, it’s closely related to the very popular desert shrub yellow bells (Tecoma stans) and its many hybrids.
Plant Lover Facts
Cape honeysuckle (Tecoma capensis) is in the same genus as another popular desert landscape plant, yellow bells (Tecoma stans). Unlike cape honeysuckle, yellow bells are native to the Sonoran and Chihuahuan Deserts.
Cape honeysuckle is originally from the southern half of Africa, but has now naturalized in parts of every continent except Antarctica.
Traditionally, cape honeysuckle has many medicinal uses. It is used to treat insomnia, bronchitis, fevers, diarrhea, gastroenteritis, and gum disease.
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Author Bio
Deane Alban is the creator of Southwest Gardener. She is a science writer with a bachelor’s degree in botany from the University of South Florida. Gardening is her lifelong passion. She’s been gardening in Tucson for 15 years.
Photo Credits
Vengolis, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons