Jul
2
Great Ghostly Vine for Western Gardening
A few years ago I picked up a ‘Kintzley’s Ghost’ honeysuckle at the Plant Select annual meeting and planted it next to an arbor in my sunny backyard and practically forgot about it.
This spring, the hardy perennial vine reminded me why I was attracted to it in the first place. Without any care from me over the winter, it sprung to life late last month.
It’s now one of the loveliest, most reliable plants in my garden.
Scott Skogerboe, a plant propagator with Fort Collins Wholesale Nursery, discovered the vine while driving around the city one day. He liked the looks of this honeysuckle, especially its round, silver-dollar size bracts with small yellow flowers. The bracts resemble eucalyptus and turn from green to silver-white and remain on the plant throughout the summer.
The history of this honeysuckle is that it’s an heirloom passed down through the family of an Iowa horticulturist by the name of Dr. William Kintzley of Iowa State University.
The vine gets its ‘Ghost’ tag because they say the honeysuckle was found growing on William Kintzley’s grave and brought by his family to Colorado in the 1960s.
There’s nothing scary about this plant, in fact, Kintzley’s Ghost has become another one of my favorite Plant Select plants. It’s extremely easy to grow, it’s very hardy through cold, wet winters and it surprises me every spring.
Do you have a favorite Plant Select plant in your garden? If so, I’d love to hear about it!
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