How Long Does It Take Cape Honeysuckle to Grow After Propagating?

Rooted Cuttings

• Cape honeysuckle gets its name from it native area, in the region of the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa. Rooting softwood cutting is a good way to propagate the plant. Take cuttings from young, healthy but slightly woody shoots that grew during the current season. You can minimize the time needed for rooting by taking vigorous cuttings in spring, when growth is fresh. Use a sharp knife or pruner to cut 4- to 6-inch shoots and dip each cut end in rooting hormone, available from garden centers, to stimulate rooting. Push cuttings into pre-moistened sand or sterile potting soil and keep them at about 70 degrees Fahrenheit, covering them lightly with plastic or an inverted, vented plastic flower pot. New growth usually appears in two or three weeks, which indicates cuttings have rooted.

Suckers and Runners

• Cape honeysuckle is prone to producing suckers from its underground roots and also naturally spreads by layering, which occurs when a vine touches the soil and roots spontaneously. By examining a garden plant at the soil line, you can easily identify these already rooted stems, because they're located a bit away from the plant's base and solidly attached to the ground. Use a pruner or knife to cut the part of the rooted vine that's attached to the plant and, for suckers, pull up gently to visualize its roots, detaching these from the parent plant. This method produces new plants quickly, because you can pot these up or transplant them to a new spot right away, but keep the transplants well watered for best success.

Seeds With Wings

• Cape honeysuckle can also be propagated from seeds if you allow spent flowers to remain on the vines, because these eventually produce seedpods that open to release winged seeds. Harvest dry pods before they open and remove seeds, which you can plant in moist sand, potting mix or soil-less mixture. Cover seeds lightly with mix and keep the mix moist but not wet. Providing bottom heat to about 75 degrees F helps speed germination, which generally occurs in one or two weeks. Keep planting mix lightly moist and place seedlings in bright, indirect light until two sets of leaves appear. Harden seedlings in a shady spot outdoors once weather stays above about 65 degrees F, then transplant the new plants into a sunny garden spot, where they'll produce flowers in their second year.

Warm and Sunny

• Cape honeysuckle can tolerate a light, brief frost and grows in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 9 through 11. In colder parts of its range, a site near a warm, west- or south-facing building wall, or on a hillside where cold air drains to lower parts of the slope can help protect it from winter chill. It thrives in full sun, where it produces its best flower display, but can tolerate partial shade for a few afternoon hours, especially in areas with hot summer months. A rapid grower, Cape honeysuckle attracts hummingbirds and orioles, which feed on its nectar. It comes in two cultivars, "Apricot," which is a bit smaller than the native plant, and "Aurea," with yellow flowers.