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Botanical surprises on the beach dunes

2010 November 11

PHOTO BY KEN MOORE. Coral honeysuckle flower buds poised to open in winter’s sun.

Ken Moore
Flora Columnist

Thankfully, when my surf fishing is not successful, I can fall back on the pleasures of taking a closer look at the variety of plants holding the sandy dunes in place. Though late in the season, I was surprised to find – hunkered down with the dune-stabilizing wax myrtles, yaupon hollies and coastal red cedars – lingering flowers of members of the composite plant family: asters, seaside goldenrods, gaillardias and dune camphorweeds.

The biggest surprise, however, was native coral honeysuckle, Lonicera sempervirens, with red flowers and red berries sprawling over mats of dune-clinging evergreen catbriers. I usually see it in forests and along woodland edges, where it flowers sparingly when not in full sunlight. I stopped mid-stride and simply stood there gawking in wonderment, my thoughts reflecting on the coral honeysuckle still in flower on my trellis back home in Carrboro. I remembered with nostalgia the story of how I came to have that special long-flowering coral honeysuckle growing on the edge of my deck.

Back in the late 1980s, keen Raleigh gardeners Pat and Charles Wheeler were driving along Salter Path Road on Emerald Isle. Charles was surprised when Pat came to an abrupt stop and turned the car around to take a closer look at a high sand dune construction site where she, being the wildflower nut she still is, had spied a mound of red flowers.

The time was May and the plant was a giant mound of coral honeysuckle flowers very much in harm’s way. Pat, with Charles’ assistance, succeeded in rescuing that specimen to flourish in their Raleigh garden, where it surprised her with continuous flowering even into the cold Christmas holidays.

During that period, Charles was president of the Botanical Garden Foundation, and on one of her frequent visits to the N.C. Botanical Garden, Pat shared some cuttings of her special red honeysuckle with garden staff, who in turn were mightily impressed and shared it with Niche Gardens. Under the guidance of UNC Herbarium curator Jimmy Massey (of Holly Hill Daylily fame), Niche Gardens and the Botanical Garden jointly introduced Lonicera sempervirens “Major Wheeler” to the gardening public.

In this manner, Pat was pleased to honor her husband, who was not only an avid gardener but, as a vice president of the UNC General Administration, had assisted the Botanical Garden with grant writing, as he provided assistance in so many ways to deserving organizations and populations throughout the state.

Plants with stories are a treasured part of one’s garden. Everyone needs a “Major Wheeler” coral honeysuckle to festoon their gardens with mounds of hummingbird-attracting flowers throughout the growing season and, especially, to provide cheer during the winter months. The Botanical Garden sold out during their big fall sale, but they’ll have more in the spring. But now’s a great time to plant, and I know that Niche Gardens has some. I realize now that my single specimen is not enough!

Email Ken Moore at flora@carrborocitizen.com.

PHOTO BY KEN MOORE. Coral honeysuckle, flowers and berries, mingle with catbriers on sand dunes.

PHOTO BY KEN MOORE. Dense mat of coral honeysuckle and catbrier secure coastal dunes.

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