Gardening with Wilson

The honeysuckles (Lonicera japonica) in my community garden were covered with blooms for the past week. Because they are grown near the front part of the garden, anyone who steps into the garden will be greeted by the honeysuckle’s captivating fragrance. I wondered was it the cool, rainy weather that triggered the plants to bloom.

Honeysuckle flowers are interesting, when they first open, they are white in colour and gradually turn into a orange brown colour, which somewhat resemble gold. This has earned it the Chinese name called “Gold Silver Flower”.

Luckily, there was not much of a theft this time around and the fragrance of the flowers was only noticeable with the profusion of blooms that were left untouched . The flowers of the honeysuckle are believed to have medicinal properties and in past occasions, passers-by to the garden tend to help themselves to the flowers.