7 Powdery Mildew-Resistant Honeysuckle Varieties

Honeysuckle has succulent trumpet flowers in vibrant colors that attract hummingbirds and other pollinators. The Lonicera genus holds 180 species, some native to North America and others invasive exotics.

Choosing the right honeysuckle for the right garden location delivers a vigorous, well-behaved vine full of color and fragrance. Vining types brim with vertical interest while upright shrub varieties suit different garden sizes. Both offer nectar for pollinators, seeds for birds (though poisonous to people), and shelter for wildlife.

With summer heat and humidity comes the propensity for fungal problems, including powdery mildew. To stave off the disease, the best growing conditions for Lonicera include:

• Full sun to partial shade, with protection from intense afternoon sun in hot climates
• Well-draining, loamy soils
• Good air circulation around stems and leaves
• Mulch to insulate roots and retain moisture
• Sturdy supports for twining varieties, whether in the ground or pots

Opt for powdery mildew-resistant honeysuckle for a strong foundation. They let us enjoy bright color, sweet fragrance, pollinator visits, and powdery-mildew-free vigor.

‘Scentsation’ Honeysuckle Vine

The ‘Scentsation’ Honeysuckle Vine is a versatile addition to any garden. It climbs gracefully along trellises, fences, or arbors, adding vertical interest and a lush, green backdrop. Plus, it’s powdery mildew resistant.

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‘Major Wheeler’

	botanical name Lonicera sempervirens ‘Major Wheeler’
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 6-10’
	hardiness zones 4-8

This cultivar of the North American coral honeysuckle species is a top performer with vibrant blooms, quick growth, and an extended flowering season. ‘Major Wheeler’ bears glowing scarlet and orange trumpets from summer until frost. Stems emerge purple-red and transition to green-brown as they age.

‘Major Wheeler’ is a fast-growing, powdery mildew-resistant honeysuckle suitable for humid and coastal areas. Use it as a twining focal point on vertical supports like a porch pillar, obelisk, along a slope, or spilling over a wall. It also makes a showy groundcover with sprawling stems without supports.

‘Gold Flame’

	botanical name Lonicera x heckrottii ‘Gold Flame’
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 15’
	hardiness zones 5-9

This Royal Horticultural Society Award of Garden Merit recipient reaches great lengths on arbors and trellises. Clusters of long, deep rose and purple buds open to pink and gold blossoms.

‘Gold Flame’ is sweetly fragrant. Grow it near a seating area or entrance to enjoy the gentle perfume throughout the summer and into fall.

Deciduous in colder climates, vines remain semi-evergreen in the upper end of their hardiness zones. Plan for tall supports, or let them cover a fence or run along a wall. Robust powdery mildew-resistant honeysuckles make good natural screens to buffer unsightly features. For a bushier habit, trim the long stems to four to six feet as a free-standing shrub.

‘Gold Flame’ shows a profusion of blooms all summer (June through August), with sporadic free-flowering on new wood into fall. In zone 5, grow ‘Gold Flame’ in a sheltered location, out of winter winds. Add mulch for extra insulation against temperature extremes.

‘Peaches and Cream’

	botanical name Lonicera periclymenum ‘Inov86’
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 4-6’
	hardiness zones 4-9

‘Peaches and Cream’ is a honeysuckle that not only resists powdery mildew, but it also performs well in heat, humidity, and dry spells compared to others. It’s fragrant, compact, and twines with minimal support. The elegant flowers feature deep rose-pink buds with creamy pink petals.

The refined appearance of ‘Peaches and Cream’ belies its durable nature, as it also tolerates urban sites with good resistance to pollution. Feature the prolific bloomer on an obelisk or the porch rail to savor the show.

‘Scentsation’

	botanical name Lonicera periclymenum ‘Scentsation’
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 8-10’
	hardiness zones 4-9

‘Scentsation’ appeals to the senses with a delightful fragrance from crisp white and yellow trumpets from mid-spring to late summer. The profusion of blooms and pleasing scent attracts bees and other beneficial insects and leads to red berries for the birds post-bloom.

‘Scentsation’ is versatile across garden styles with its light blooms and attractive foliage. While honeysuckle is always a fit for cottage, pollinator, and woodland gardens, ‘Scentsation’ refines the look for a go-anywhere appeal.

L. periclymenum is a species native to Europe, Southwest Asia, and Northern Africa. While not invasive in most of the United States, it has escaped cultivation in parts of the Pacific Northwest and New England.

‘Firefly® Bush’

	botanical name Diervilla sessilifolia ‘Firefly®’
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 3’
	hardiness zones 3-8

‘Firefly®’ is a dwarf bush honeysuckle and a different genus (Diervilla) than the Lonicera on our list. In the same family, Caprifoliaceae, bush honeysuckle has a shrubby form with small tubular bloom clusters.

D. sessilifolia is a species native to the southern Appalachian Mountains. While it shares its common name with the invasive Lonicera japonica, we include it here as a showy native stand-in for more aggressive shrubs.

‘Firefly®’ is a powdery mildew-resistant honeysuckle with multi-season appeal. Bright green foliage with mellow bronze new growth is softly mounding and compact. Small, yellow, fragrant flowers emerge in spring through summer to draw bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. 

The glowy, dense form of ‘Firefly®’ makes it ideal as a container feature or to light up the border. Easy to grow, the perennial is drought and heat-tolerant.

‘Serotina’

	botanical name Lonicera periclymenum ‘Serotina’
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 10-20’
	hardiness zones 5-9

‘Serotina’ combines beauty and fragrance on long vines. Deep cerise-purple buds open to creamy yellow interiors with a honey scent to match. ‘Serotina’ boasts Award of Garden Merit status for its landscape performance and large, two-inch tubular blossoms.

Stems are rich purple-red and hold slender, blue-green leaves. After the profusion of blooms, abundant berries emerge in translucent red. Also known as late Dutch or woodbine honeysuckle, this powdery mildew-resistant honeysuckle is prime for screening and twining up a trellis or fence.

‘Kintzley’s Ghost®’

	botanical name Lonicera reticulata ‘Kintzley’s Ghost®’
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 6-12’
	hardiness zones 4-8

Grape honeysuckle, or L. reticulata, is native to the Midwest and Eastern U.S. and grows naturally in woodland thickets and along streambanks. Yellow two-lipped blooms measure up to one inch long and mature to orangey-red. The leaf pair just below the bloom joins at the base to form a rounded cup, highlighting the flower and fruit against the foliage.