Vines & Woodies

Looking for beautiful blooms to twine through your perennial program? Our outstanding native vines have you covered all season long! The gorgeous, golden flowers of Gelsemium ‘Margarita’ brighten gardens in spring—while our Lonicera collection is covered late spring through summer in shades of orange, coral, and crimson. These long lasting and prolific blooms attract hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees, while the fruits appeal to goldfinches, hermit thrushes, purple finches, and American robins. And new to our collection, Clematis virginiana features graceful, soft white blooms that provide late season nectar for hummingbirds and bees.

North Creek’s woodies collection features two bold, reliable Caryopteris from both ends of our perennial offering spectrum—a legacy plant and newer introduction! A North Creek legacy plant, ‘Dark Knight’ has been a standby since our beginnings with striking, deep purple-blue flowers that have stood the test of time. Blue Empire™, an excellent selection we started growing in 2019, continues to impress us with large, clear blue flowers held on long-lasting wands. These outstanding selections feature fine, aromatic foliage deterrent to deer and provide valuable mid to late summer nectar for pollinators, as well as stunning late season impact in the landscape.

Clematis virginiana—NEW! (1)

old man’s beard op 12-20’ | Z 3-8 | 50

Blooming in late summer to early fall, this vigorous native vine is covered in showy, sweetly scented white flowers that are 1” across. A fine addition to fences, on trellises, or trained up trees, the blooms provide nectar to bees and hummingbirds, while the foliage provides cover for birds. Commonly found in moist, woodland edge areas east of the Mississippi, Clematis virginiana is a sound alternative to the invasive sweet autumn clematis.

Gelsemium sempervirens

‘Margarita’ (2)

Carolina jessamine veg 8-12’ | Z 6-9 | 50

Profuse display of fragrant, bright yellow, funnel-shaped blooms in early to mid-spring. Evergreen foliage takes on purple tones with reddish-brown stems through winter. Selected for exceptional cold hardiness. Best used to climb trellises, arbors, and fences. A Gold Medal Award winner from the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society.

Lonicera sempervirens (3)

trumpet honeysuckle

Showy, two-toned, crimson to redorange 2” trumpet-shaped flowers each have a yellow throat. Reliably blooms from spring into autumn; the floral display is succeeded by ornamental berries attractive to birds. Larval host for the Spring Azure and Snowberry Clearwing Moth. Blooms on previous year’s growth and new growth—trim it back, or leave it be! Locally sourced in Chester County, PA.

Lonicera sempervirens

‘Magnifica’ (4) veg

A garden-worthy selection shared with us by PA plantsman and dear friend, Charles Cresson, ‘Magnifica’ lives up to its name! Coated with fragrant flowers ranging from coral to vibrant orange, each bloom features a golden inner accent. This vigorous vine blooms from May through June and is happy twining along fences or up trellises.

4-7’ | Z 4-9 | 50

Lonicera sempervirens

‘Major Wheeler’ veg

Found along the Carolina coast by Charles Wheeler—former president of the NC Botanical Garden Foundation— ‘Major Wheeler’ is the most intense and prolific redflowering selection available. Dark green foliage is completely covered with blooms from late spring through autumn. If you’re searching for a showstopper, your search ends with ‘Major Wheeler’. The hummingbirds will thank you.

3-8’ | Z 4-9 | 50

Caryopteris × clandonensis

Blue Empire™ PP30494 blue mist shrub veg

According to our friends at Plantipp, the motto of this stunning Caryopteris is big, blue, and beautiful! We found that to be 100% true in our own trial gardens. Long wands of extra-large, deepblue blooms last for weeks on end with powdery green-gray foliage. Superior low growing habit, excellent landscape and cut flower appeal.

30-40” | Z 5-9 | LP32

Caryopteris × clandonensis

‘Dark Knight’ veg

‘Dark Knight’ is shrouded in a cloud of blooms from late summer into early fall—a reliable performer with a profusion of deep, purple-blue flowers and an upright growth habit with soft, gray-green foliage. Fragrant and incredibly attractive to pollinators, providing a late season nectar source for bees and butterflies.

2-3’ | Z 5-9 | LP32