Potted Cape Honeysuckle Patio Tree
Question from Laurie:
I just bought a cape honeysuckle patio tree about three weeks ago, when can I expect it to flower or at least show buds? Up until now I check it daily to make sure it doesn’t dry out and it is in full sun from about 1 pm to sundown.
Answer from Pat:
Cape honeysuckle (Tecoma capensis, Tecomaria capensis) is a flowering shrub, sometimes a climber, native to South Africa. It needs full sun and grows best in places like Florida or California where it is often rampant and invasive but beloved for ease of growth, pest and disease resistance, drought resistance, and for its bright orange or yellow flowers that bring hummingbirds. It blooms mainly in fall and winter. Thus Cape honeysuckle is not likely to brighten your patio with bloom this summer. Most likely it won’t set buds or bloom until late summer or fall. Prune after bloom, not before. Cape honeysuckle can survive in Boston Massachusetts in a greenhouse, but it is not adapted to living outdoors through a Boston winter. If I were you I’d go back to the nursery or store where you purchased this plant and ask them politely to explain why they are selling Cape honeysuckle as a patio tree for summer bloom when it won’t bloom until fall and is not adapted to living outdoors year-round in Boston.
A cape honeysuckle is so low maintenance that is a really good plant to maintain within your garden. That’s why it’s so good for well-kept gardens and patios. That said, I do agree with Pat’s comments though, it does need protecting from the elements and can’t really be left outdoors for the whole year round.
Thanks for your comment. Cape honeysuckle (Tecoma capensis) is native to Cape Town and the Cape of Good Hope of South Africa. It is a fine garden plant for any Mediterranean climate with a mild-winter climate. It is not adapted to growing outdoors year-round in cold-winter climates.
I live in South Florida, Boca Raton, and my Cape Honeysuckle is presently in bloom and has more buds that are about ready to open. Although it does not bloom as profusely in the summer as it does in the fall and winter, mine does bloom year round. It’s a GEM!
I live in Fort Lauderdale and just got my Cape Honeysuckle patio tree today. I’m very excited to hear that yours blooms throughout the year. Did yours start blooming soon after you got it or did you have it for a while first?
In Southern California where I live, Cape honeysuckle (Tecoma capensis) may bloom in waves year-round, but mainly from fall to spring. In Hawaii because of a combination of day-length and temperature, it blooms almost year-round. For the same reasons—ie: day-lengths and temperatures in south Florida, Cape honeysuckle may bloom sporadically year-round in waves of bloom but with most blooms will be from fall to spring. In most cases nurseries sell these plants when they are already in bloom. If your plant is not yet blooming, it should do so in fall. Notice the specimens that are growing in your locality and you should be able to judge when your plant should begin flowering also.