Garden Care Guide

Cape Honeysuckle Care

Tecoma capensis

A semi-climbing evergreen shrub that produces orange-red trumpet flowers from late summer through winter. It is used as a hedge or wall cover in warm coastal gardens.

Frost-tender (protect from frost)

Monthly care calendar

Timings are for a temperate Northern Hemisphere climate. In warmer areas tasks start earlier, in colder areas later; in the Southern Hemisphere shift them by six months.

January
  • Frost risk: If frost is expected, cover with frost cloth; if in a pot, move it to a sheltered spot. Damage occurs below about -3 °C.
February
  • Frost risk: If frost is expected, cover with frost cloth; if in a pot, move it to a sheltered spot. Damage occurs below about -3 °C.
March
  • Fertilizing: Apply a balanced fertilizer or well-rotted organic fertilizer once when it wakes from dormancy.
  • Pruning: Prune just before the shoots break. Because flowers form on this year's new shoots, hard pruning increases flowering. It can be pruned hard at the end of winter; flowers open on new shoots. Check long arms leaning against the wall throughout summer.
  • Plant protection: If symptoms spread and treatment is needed, consult a licensed plant-protection supplier or an agronomist. Plant protection products are regulated; follow local rules.
  • Pests & diseases: Check the branches and trunk for brown, fixed bumps (scale insects).
  • Frost risk: If frost is expected, cover with frost cloth; if in a pot, move it to a sheltered spot. Damage occurs below about -3 °C.
April
  • Watering: If there is no rainfall, water every 15 days. Water newly planted plants more often than established plants during the first year; the root system is still shallow.
  • Plant protection: If symptoms spread and treatment is needed, consult a licensed plant-protection supplier or an agronomist. Plant protection products are regulated; follow local rules.
  • General care: Good time for planting and transplanting.
  • Pests & diseases: Look for aphids (green or black clusters of small insects) on fresh shoot tips. If there are only a few, you can knock them off with a strong jet of water.
May
  • Watering: If there is no rainfall, water once a week. Water newly planted plants more often than established plants during the first year; the root system is still shallow.
  • Plant protection: If symptoms spread and treatment is needed, consult a licensed plant-protection supplier or an agronomist. Plant protection products are regulated; follow local rules.
  • General care: Suitable period for planting and transplanting. Apply mulch 5-7 cm thick over the root zone; it conserves soil moisture and suppresses weeds. Do not press mulch against the stem.
  • Pests & diseases: Check fresh shoot tips for aphids (small clusters of green or black insects). If there are few, you can knock them off with a strong spray of water. Check branches and stems for brown, stationary bumps (scale insects).
June
  • Watering: Water deeply twice a week; prefer infrequent and generous watering over small and frequent. Water around the roots to a depth of 15-20 cm.
  • Plant protection: If symptoms spread and treatment is needed, consult a licensed plant-protection supplier or an agronomist. Plant protection products are regulated; follow local rules.
  • Pests & diseases: Look for aphids (green or black clusters of small insects) on fresh shoot tips. If there are only a few, you can knock them off with a strong jet of water.
July
  • Watering: Water deeply twice a week; prefer infrequent and generous watering over small and frequent. Water around the roots to a depth of 15-20 cm.
August
  • Watering: Water deeply twice a week; prefer infrequent and generous watering over small and frequent. Water around the roots to a depth of 15-20 cm.
  • General care: Flowering begins.
September
  • Watering: If there is no rainfall, water once a week.
  • General care: Flowering continues.
October
  • Watering: If there is no rainfall, water every 15 days.
  • General care: Flowering continues.
November
  • General care: Flowering continues.
  • Frost risk: If frost is expected, cover with frost cloth; if in a pot, move it to a sheltered spot. Damage occurs below about -3 °C.
December
  • General care: Evergreen leaves continue to lose water in winter. Water thoroughly once before the soil freezes.
  • Frost risk: If frost is expected, cover with frost cloth; if in a pot, move it to a sheltered spot. Damage occurs below about -3 °C.

The care advice on this page is general and for information only; it is not professional advice. Plant age, soil and your garden’s microclimate can change the outcome. Plant protection products are mentioned only as general information; they are regulated, and the choice, dose and timing must be decided by a qualified professional under local rules. Consult a landscape architect or agronomist before applying.

Want reminders for every plant in your garden? Our garden-care app with monthly task lists and frost alerts is currently available in Turkish; the English version is on the way.

Browse all plant guides