Since the Major is a cultivar of Lonicera sempervirens, it should flower all growing season.
I had a different cultivar in PA which flowered from spring until hard frost.

According to a friend with a vines nursery, 'Major Wheeler' does not seem to be affected by mildew , unlike other cultivars. Another cultivar, 'Crimson Cascade' , exhibits that same clean foliage.

http://www.northcreeknurseries.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/plants.plantDetail/plant_id/458/index.htm

Here is a link that might be useful: Crimson Cascade

Everything I've read says Major Wheeler is the biggest blooming honeysuckle and it never takes a break.

I have a couple of Lonicera sempervirens. My 'Blanche Sandman' and 'Major Wheeler' I bought last year. Most of the L. sempervirens cultivars (excepting the two yellow ones I know of) varry in looks only a little. My Blanche Sandman is a tad more red/orange with a lighter orange throat- Major Wheeler (bloomed first year for me!) is a more uniform reddish color.

These scentless honeysuckles do bloom for a very long time, but not constantly. In my garden the longest/most prolific blooming is in the spring and then take a rest during the hot summer months before producing a few more blooms near fall. My L. periclymenum has also been known to produce a few fall blooms too, which is wonderful since I love the scent so much.

Hope this has helped you some Michael! ;-)
CMK

CMK, I grew two Lonicera sempervirens for about 15 years in southeastern PA. One was 'Alabama Crimson'. My plants flowered well almost the entire growing season. The hummingbirds would be there constantly. The vines were in two separate locations and were seldom without flowers from spring until hard frost. The only other plant in my garden that flowered for months like that was Corydalis ochroleuca.

The only problem I encountered were aphids. Most years they were not a problem but one year they were bad and I cut back all the new growth and hosed( blasted with water) the plant to control the problem.
Perhaps your lack of flowers had something to do with your climate/rainfall/siting and the fact that it's an eastern native.

Here is a link that might be useful: recorded flowering time at MOBOT

Does anyone have any of these they are selling? Thanks

So Major Wheeler doesn't smell? Major bummer if this is true!

I have Major Wheeler that bloomed well for me this spring, but then it quit, right along with most of the others. The only one I have ever had that will keep right on going clear up until frost (with some sort breaks in between) is the unbeatable 'Goldflame'. It also tends to be more compact and easier to control than most of the vines. As of now, July 5th, it's in full bloom and has been for over 2 months.

Here's another photo of lonicera 'Goldflame'. It's growing on a 4' chain link fence and is about 6'H x 6'W and 4'D, at least. It takes very little pruning to keep it in shape, and you can see that the bloom pattern is pretty solid and uniform. One added note about it: unlike most of the honeysuckles, this one is really hard to start from cuttings. (The site has made the photo blurry, which is unfortunate.)

My red honeysuckle blooms all summer this year with the help of bloom buster fertilizer. It is in full bloom today here on the side of mt Taylor 7000 ft.
My plant came with us from SE Texas a few miles north of I10. I am surprised it lives here in zone 5 in the ground. It was a wildflower there on our land.
It produces very few seeds,none this year. Great vine humming birds love it.
Josephene

I have the red honeysuckle. Our backwoods are full of the wild honeysuckle and I made jelly one year. Kinda tasted like lemon sweet tea with floral undertones lol. I am glad to hear that the Goldflame continues to bloom so I will have to look for that one next. Thanks for the pics!
~SJN

Hi there,

Zone 6 - Planted last fall: It's August 17th today and my Major Wheeler Honeysuckle has been packed with blooms since spring, and despite the worse winter ever and the scorching summer heat now (above 32 degrees, or around 90 Fahrenheit). I have mine in part-sun which it seems to love (morning sun mostly; some shade around now after 3 in the afternoon). Try it!

My experience is with 3 clones of L. sempervirens. L. s. 'John Clayton'. L. s. 'Magnifica' and L. s. 'Alabama Crimson'. They all cover themselves with bloom in Spring, and then send some bloom until stopped by real frost. Attached is a photo of my favorite, L. s. 'Magnifica' at Spring peak.

Hello! I'm also looking at adding Major Wheeler to my garden but and wondering what bugs the vine attracts? Bees? Any bugs that will eat the leaves? Is it pretty disease resistant? I'll be adding this to my south facing garden so I'm also wondering if anyone has one in some shade and if the blooms are as prolific in shade?

Bees gave short tongues so they're not usually attracted to tubular flowers. Butterflies and moths have the long tongues required to feed from such blooms. I don't get the reference to shade in a south facing garden.

A lot of people get aphids on their honeysuckle vines each spring. Some get them real bad. I'm one of them.

Beautiful, NHBabs. I'm in Charlotte NC zone 8a. I'll also be planting my vine close to my home. Do you have any issues with the vine trying to attach itself to your home?

NHbabs is there a structure like the one on the left holding up your honeysuckle?

Skip, the obelisk visible there to the left supports a light weight clematis. It wouldn’t hold up to the honeysuckle. There is an obelisk under the honeysuckle made of 1/2” or 3/8” iron rod that is stout enough to stand up to the twining and weight of the honeysuckle. Here is a photo of the exact style obelisk that is under my Major W. It isn't ideal for the purpose. I think I would like a support that is a bit taller and a bit wider.

Spankgo, honeysuckles climb by twining their stems around a support as they grow so unless you have something loose like unattached clapboards, you won’t have it on the house. It isn’t one that attaches by aerial roots or little stick tight grippers such as ivy of various types.