File:Honeysuckle Gate, Alert Bay (3753822096).jpg

Honeysuckle was one of the delights of every seafront community we visited during our cruise to British Columbia this summer. There's nothing like being enveloped in the sweet scent of honeysuckl vines as you walk along the roadside. Then, of course, there's the delicate colorful beauty of honeysuckle flowers, individually and in masses when the vine is in full bloom.

There's something about the marine waterfront that brings out the best in honeysuckle and makes it thrive. That's abundantly apparent in this photo of a honeysuckle arch over a gate in the town of Alert Bay.

I attempted to grow honeysuckle several times when I lived in Portland, Oregon, but the poor vines weren't at all happy there. Mildew. Ants. Need I say more?

I think the constant sea breezes must be one factor that makes honeysuckle thrive on the coast. I bet the plant also prefers the cooler climate at the shore to the sometimes warm and humid conditions in Portland.

I have to chuckle when I write this, because the Pacific Northwest is generally cool and dry compared with the hot and/or humid conditions farther inland and east of the Mississippi.