Novice question: Cape Honeysuckle/Los Angeles area

[Ravi]

I live in Redondo Beach, California about two miles inland from the ocean and in the Los Angeles area. About three or four weeks ago, I planted Cape Honeysuckle along with some fuschsia and hibiscus to attract hummingbirds. The strategy worked and I see them coming by the plants and the window feeder.

The honeysuckle is shedding the batch of flowers that were present when I got it from the nursery. The orange flower bodies fall off, leaving the inner portion of the plant. Instead of new flowers coming up, though, I see pods much like green beans. I assume that these are the seeds through which the plant will propagate. New leaves appear to be coming out; these are light green whereas the established leaves are dark green, slightly glossy, and healthy-looking.

The question: Is the blooming season for this plant over already or can I expect some more flowers over the summer? The hummingbirds prefer the honeysuckle to the fuchsia and the hibiscus is only now showing signs of flowering.

I water every two to three days, about 1/2 gallon into the berm around the plant. The soil is moist; neither sopping nor dry. There are slow-release fertilizer pellets around the base of the plant, as well.

My online research shows that plant care depends a lot on location, hence the question to this group.

Thanks,

--- Ravi

[Christopher Green]

Cape honeysuckle [for those who don't know it, it is not a honeysuckle but a subtropical trumpet vine (Bignoniaceae)] blooms off and on over the year, but mainly in the fall. If it's happy where it is, you'll get a big burst of bloom in September or October. I'd prune off the spent flowers and pods, as they use energy that you want put into growth and the next bloom.

Light green new growth is normal; it will darken as it matures. This viny shrub can get rampant; cut it back quickly out of places you don't want it to go.