Lonicera henryi ‘Copper Beauty’

Lonicera henryi ‘Copper Beauty’ is a superb, vigorous twining climber that we’ve come to rely on for its exceptional performance in UK gardens. Unlike many other honeysuckles, this cultivar is evergreen, providing a consistent green backdrop throughout the year. Its most striking feature is the new foliage, which emerges in a brilliant coppery-bronze, gradually maturing to a glossy deep green. This ever-changing display of leaf colour, coupled with its reliable growth, makes it a real standout in the nursery and a firm favourite for our customers.

To help ‘Copper Beauty’ thrive, we recommend planting it in fertile, humus-rich, moist but well-drained soil. It’s quite adaptable and will tolerate a range of soil types, including chalk, clay, loam, and sand, as long as it’s not waterlogged. This honeysuckle performs beautifully in full sun to partial shade, though we’ve observed that sunnier spots tend to encourage a more prolific floral display. It is fully hardy across most of the UK, withstanding temperatures down to -15°C, but a sheltered position can offer extra protection in severe winters.

Pruning is generally light for this Group 11 climber; we advise a tidy-up immediately after flowering to maintain its shape and manage its vigorous growth, removing any oldest or congested stems. In spring, newly planted honeysuckles benefit from being cut back by up to two-thirds to encourage strong new shoots for training. From early summer, ‘Copper Beauty’ is adorned with clusters of fragrant, tubular yellow flowers, often tinged with orange or red, which are a magnet for pollinators. These are followed by attractive purple-black berries in autumn, providing a welcome food source for birds. Its robust nature and year-round interest make it perfect for screening unsightly areas, adding vertical interest to walls, fences, or pergolas, and integrating into wildlife-friendly garden designs.