June has a second favorite signature flower and its Honeysuckle. The honeysuckle, with its tubular flowers, are magnets for hummingbirds and represents happiness and positive energy.
How to grow Lonicera common name Honeysuckle
Honeysuckle is a much-loved garden plant grown for its sweetly scented flowers. It is both a climbing plant and a shrub and comes from a genus of around 120 evergreen and deciduous shrubs and twining climbers. Honeysuckle is easy to grow, but only in the right spot because it is particular about being planted in the right place.
The old common name for Honeysuckle was Woodbine, referring particularly to the European Honeysuckle which is Lonicera periclymenum. This tells us the plants origins are as a woodland plant, which means the right planting spot needs to replicate woodlands where its roots would be in a cool shady area and it would grow towards the light flowering more at the top of the plant. This means to thrive Honeysuckle needs a degree of shade, principally around its roots.
For Honeysuckle the right place is with its roots in the shade and head and flowers in the sun. This is not easy to achieve and Honeysuckle definitely grows best if planted away from the hottest part of garden. It is very tempting to put Honeysuckle in a sunny spot, perhaps by a fence or covering a wall where, stressed by too much sun and heat it will almost certainly develop mildew.
Honeysuckle Tea :
Honeysuckle Iced Tea is a sweet, floral, and refreshing drink made from honeysuckle blossoms ~ it's the perfect thing to sip on a warm summer day!
Direction:
- The tea is made by pouring scalding water over the blossoms, and letting it cool at room temperature.
- Then you can chill your infusion in the refrigerator.
- I left mine overnight before straining it through a coffee filter.
- 2 cups honeysuckle blossoms, more or less
- GARNISH
- fresh mint sprigs
- a few honeysuckle blossoms
- Pluck the blossoms from the honeysuckle vine. Discard any leaves or green parts. Try to take the freshly opened flowers, and even the buds that are about to open. Put them in a pitcher or mason jar.
- Cover with about 2 1/2 cups water that has been heated to just boiling. Give it a good stir and let steep at room temperature for several hours. Then refrigerate overnight.
- Strain the tea through a fine mesh strainer, cheesecloth, or a coffee filter. The coffee filter will yield a crystal clear tea. Serve cold over ice with a mint sprig and a few blossoms for garnish
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