Archive for honeysuckle

Lonicera japonica

Posted in Biographical, Maynooth with tags , , on June 27, 2026 by telescoper

The spell of hot weather seems to have moderated somewhat: the temperature has fallen to a more civilised level in the low twenties and we’ve even had a little rain today. Last night, however, was very sultry. After dinner I stepped outside into the garden to get a bit of fresh air and was bathed in the wonderful scent of honeysuckle carried by a very gentle breeze from the far end of the garden.

The photograph was taken about 10pm, just after sunset. It reminded me of Tennyson’s “..the woodbine spices are wafted abroad”, though woodbine is technically Lonicera periclymenum (usually called European honeysuckle) while the flowers in my garden are of Lonicera japonica (Japanese honeysuckle). Going by previous experience, it will probably carry on flowering until late August.

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And the woodbine spices are wafted abroad…

Posted in Maynooth, Poetry with tags , on June 14, 2023 by telescoper
Lonicera Japonica

Following the recent spell of very warm weather in Maynooth, and perhaps encouraged by heavy overnight rain, the Japanese Honeysuckle (Lonicera Japonica) in my garden has now started to bloom. Each flower only lasts a few days – starting white, turning yellow, then gold, then dying – but new ones keep coming, so for a while you can see all the different stages of evolution. In among the white and yellow tones there are many buds that are yet to open. The colours of the flowers are not the best part of a honeysuckle, though: that’s the richly perfumed aroma they give off, especially in the evening. As Tennyson put it “the woodbine* spices are wafted abroad…”. The weather isn’t always warm enough to sit out in the garden when mine flowers, but it is now and it’s very lovely.

*woodbine is another name for honeysuckle, in case you didn’t know…

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Garden Flowers

Posted in Biographical, Maynooth with tags , , , , on July 25, 2021 by telescoper

It seems the weather is about to turn cooler and we may even have some rain this evening. I won’t be sorry at either of those eventualities as I’m not really cut out for the heat, and my garden could do with a bit of water on it.

This honeysuckle is looking the worse for wear but has actually been flowering for several weeks already while still keeping its lovely fragrance. The bees like it too!

While I was out these started to flower. There’s a couple of different types of Montbretia in there:

I remember they were in flower last summer when I visited the house with a view to buying it. Was that really a year ago?

This Hydrangea also flowered while I was away. I don’t think it will last much longer so I almost missed it.

The dryness has probably made it difficult for the birds as well as the plants. A few weeks ago I found a dead blackbird on my garden table. It was just a youngster; there wasn’t a mark on it. I’m not sure why it died but it’s tough being a blackbird. They are born in several broods each year and only live a couple of weeks in the nest before being turfed out to fend for themselves. They like damp conditions and feed on worms and the like, so it’s difficult for them when it’s very dry. I guess sometimes they just don’t adapt quickly enough.

There is no shortage of live birds in the garden; there are plenty of bugs, berries and other things to eat. The dawn chorus is still rather loud but I think they tend to stay in the shade during the day. The one bird that seems to be out and about all the time is the robin.

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