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How does honeysuckle grow


How to Grow and Care for Honeysuckle

Most of us think of honeysuckles as twining climbers with pretty, scented tubular flowers, perfect for covering walls, fences and pergolas. But there are also evergreen, shrubby types that make an excellent honeysuckle bush, hedging or topiary. Both belong to the genus Lonicera and there are many different cultivars, hailing from Europe, Asia, the Mediterranean and North America. Lonicera periclymenum (wild honeysuckle, common honeysuckle or woodbine) is native to the UK.

Climbing honeysuckles flower in summer, in shades of white, cream, lemon yellow, pink, orange and raspberry red. They're perfect plants for an informal look or a cottage garden and look good combined with roses for a romantic look. They are also a magnet for wildlife. The scent of their nectar-rich flowers attracts bees and butterflies in the day and moths at night – their colour changes slightly once pollinated. The red berries that follow are enjoyed by birds (but are poisonous to humans).

Climbing honeysuckles can be deciduous, semi-evergreen or evergreen, depending on the variety. Deciduous species tend to have a more spectacular display of flowers; the evergreen honeysuckle types bear smaller, less significant blooms but give foliage cover all year round.

Shrubby honeysuckles can be deciduous or evergreen. Evergreen types such as Lonicera nitida (now renamed as Lonicera ligustrina var. yunnanensis) have small leaves that are similar to those of box, and are often used to create a honeysuckle bush, hedge or even topiary. If you have had problems with box blight or box tree caterpillar on your box plants, Lonicera nitida makes a sensible alternative. Lonicera fragrantissima and Lonicera x purpusii are deciduous and bear deliciously scented flowers in winter.

How to grow honeysuckle

Grow climbing honeysuckles in moist but well-drained soil in partial shade, ideally with the roots in shade but the stems in sun, such as at the base of a west-facing wall or fence. Give them a sturdy frame to climb up, such as a trellis or wire frame. Water plants in dry spells and feed with a general purpose fertiliser in spring. Grow shrubby honeysuckles in moist but well drained soil in sun or partial shade.

Growing honeysuckle: jump links

Where to grow honeysuckle

Climbing honeysuckle against a fence

All honeysuckles will grow in most soil types but prefer a well-drained, humus-rich soil.

Climbing honeysuckles
Climbing honeysuckles are mostly woodland and hedgerow plants, so have evolved with their roots shaded by trees and shrubs, but their climbing tendrils growing into the light. Mimic these growing conditions if you can – climbing honeysuckles do better when their roots are in shade and their stems can reach sunlight. The scent of climbing honeysuckle is stronger when plants are grown in a warm spot. A new variety, 'Strawberries and Cream', is low growing and more suitable for pots.

Shrubby honeysuckles
Shrubby honeysuckles such as winter honeysuckle, Lonicera fragrantissima and Lonicera nitida will grow in full sun or partial shade.

How to plant honeysuckle

Putting up wire supports for honeysuckle

Deciduous honeysuckles should be planted in late winter, evergreen honeysuckles in spring or autumn.

When planting any honeysuckle, dig in some well-rotted organic matter, such as garden compost or well rotted manure, into the soil before planting. Dig a hole that is the same size as the rootball, and plant at the same depth as the plant was in the pot. Mulch with organic matter to help with water retention. Water in well.

Climbing honeysuckles are self-clinging but require a helping hand when young. If you're growing one against a wall or fence, put up some galvanised wires and lead the plant to these by guiding the stems with a bamboo cane, or tie them in to a support.

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Shrubby honeysuckles such as Lonicera nitida can be planted as cheaper, bare-root plants in autumn or winter. For a dense hedge plant five small plants per metre.

Where to buy honeysuckle online

  • Crocus
  • Thompson & Morgan
  • Suttons
  • Primrose

    • How to care for honeysuckle

    Water all honeysuckles in dry spells in summer. Feed with a general purpose fertiliser in spring to promote good growth and plenty of flowers.

    Beware of the 'rain shadow' that can occur at the base of walls and fences, where rain doesn't penetrate the soil. Mulching around the base of the climbing honeysuckles in spring, with well rotted manure or garden compost, can help to retain moisture.

    How to prune honeysuckle

    Pruning climbing honeysuckle after flowering

    Honeysuckle pruning depends on the type of honeysuckle you are growing.

    Climbing honeysuckles
    Those that flower early in the summer should be pruned after flowering. Cut back by about one third to maintain a neat shape. Don't remove the dying flower heads as these will become berries. Those that flower later in the summer should be pruned lightly in spring. These flower on the current season’s growth, so don't cut back too hard or you'll risk losing the flowers.

    If your climbing honeysuckle is overgrown, renovate it in late winter by cutting it back hard. In this vintage clip from Gardeners' World, Joe Swift demonstrates how to prune honeysuckle growing on an obelisk:

    Shrubby honeysuckles
    Deciduous shrubby honeysuckles can be pruned after flowering in late spring or summer. If your plant is very overgrown, you can cut it back hard in late winter or early spring. In this clip from Gardeners' World, Monty Don prunes a winter-flowering honeysuckle, Lonicera fragrantissima, showing where and how much to cut in order to generate new shoots that will carry fragrant blooms next winter and early spring:

    Evergreen shrubby honeysuckles such as Lonicera nitida, can be pruned in summer.

    Propagating honeysuckle

    Honeysuckle cuttings

    You can propagate honeysuckle by taking semi-ripe cuttings in July and August, when the wood of the stems is flexible but firm.

    You can also propagate climbing honeysuckles by layering – bending a shoot down to soil level and encouraging it to root.

    Climbing honeysuckles can be propagated from their berries. Extract the seeds from the berries and sow them straight away in pots of garden soil. Leave the seeds to germinate in a cold frame or put the seeds in the refrigerator over winter, then bring them back out in spring – a temperature of 15°C is required before the seeds will germinate.

    Growing honeysuckle: problem solving

    Honeysuckle aphid can be a real problem for climbing honeysuckles. Leaves become distorted and curled as the sucking insects feed on the plant. The aphids excrete honeydew which then leads to sooty mould. Plants that are in poor health are more prone to infestation. Prune out very badly infested shoots, or apply an organic insecticide as a last resort. Plants are less prone to aphid attack if they are grown in partial shade.

    Honeysuckles can also be prone to powdery mildew – again, growing in partial shade can help prevent this, as can mulching around the base in spring.

    You might find that your honeysuckle stops flowering, there are a few things you can do to encourage flowers, as Alan Titchmarsh explains in this video.

    Advice on buying honeysuckle

    Where to buy honeysuckle online

    Honeysuckle varieties to grow

    1

    Lonicera periclymenum 'Serotina'

    Lonicera peryclymenum 'Serotina'

    Lonicera periclymenum 'Serotina' is a vigorous, deciduous climber with scented, creamy white flowers that are streaked with raspberry red. It holds the prestigious RHS Award of Garden Merit (AGM). Height x Spread: 7m x 3.5m

    2

    Lonicera periclymenum 'Scentsation'

    Lonicera periclymenum 'Scentsation'

    Lonicera periclymenum 'Scentsation', as its name suggests, has strongly scented flowers in shades of white and pale yellow, from midsummer to September. H x S: 7m x 1m

    3

    Lonicera 'Mandarin'

    Lonicera 'Mandarin' is a new variety with striking but unscented orange flowers from June to August. It is a vigorous, deciduous climber. The new foliage is a rich bronze colour, before maturing to deep green. It holds the prestigious RHS Award of Garden Merit (AGM). H x S: 6m x 2m

    4

    Lonicera japonica 'Halliana'

    Lonicera japonica 'Halliana'

    Lonicera japonica 'Halliana' is a vigorous evergreen honeysuckle that bears scented yellow and white flowers in summer. It has the prestigious RHS Award of Garden Merit (AGM). H x S: 3m x 4.5m

    5

    Lonicera periclymenum 'Rhubarb and Custard'

    Honeysuckle 'Rhubarb and Custard'

    Lonicera periclymenum 'Rhubarb and Custard' is an attractive and compact deciduous climber with large, scented flowers. As the name suggests, these are custard-yellow tinged with rhubarb pink. Suitable for smaller gardens. H x S: 2m x 1.5m

    6

    Lonicera periclymenum 'Strawberries and Cream'

    Honeysuckle 'Strawberries and Cream'

    A new delightful, compact variety that doesn't climb, but forms a neat mounded shape. Its flowers, as its name suggests, are pink and pale yellow. It's perfect for growing at the front of a border, and is ideal for pots. H x S: 60cm x 60cm

    7

    Lonicera periclymenum ‘Graham Thomas’

    Honeysuckle 'Graham Thomas'

    Lonicera periclymenum ‘Graham Thomas’ is a deciduous climbing honeysuckle with highly scented flowers from July to September; they start out white and turn butter yellow. It holds the prestigious RHS Award of Garden Merit (AGM). H x S: 7m x 1m

    8

    Lonicera fragrantissima

    Lonicera fragrantissima

    Lonicera fragrantissima is known as the winter honeysuckle as it bears white, highly scented flowers on the leafless branches from January to March. This deciduous shrub is fully hardy. H x S: 2m x 3m

    9

    Lonicera x purpusii 'Winter Beauty'

    Lonicera x purpusii ‘Winter Beauty’ is one of the best of the winter flowering shrubby honeysuckles, bearing sweetly fragrant creamy white flowers on bare stems, from late winter. It makes an attractive spreading deciduous shrub. It holds the prestigious RHS Award of Garden Merit (AGM). H x S: 3m x 2m

    10

    Lonicera pileata

    Lonicera pileata

    Lonicera pileata (box-leaved honeysuckle) is a dense evergreen shrub with small, box-like leaves, ideal for topiary or a dense, low-growing hedge. It bears small, creamy white flowers in spring and purple berries in autumn. It is a good alternative to box if box blight or box tree caterpillar is a problem. H x S: 1m x 2.5m

    The Honeysuckle Plant - Growing And Caring For Honeysuckle Vines

    Honeysuckle

    By: Susan Patterson, Master Gardener

    Image by HHelene

    Everyone recognizes the lovely fragrance of a honeysuckle plant and the sweet taste of its nectar. Honeysuckles are heat-tolerant and wildly attractive in any garden. A honeysuckle plant is a great addition to any landscape and will draw abundant wildlife with its sweet, yellow to bright-red blossoms.

    Honeysuckles (Lonicera spp.) belong to a large family that consists of hardy shrubs and vines that grow in almost every state in America. There are over 180 different varieties of honeysuckle. Some are deciduous and some, in warmer regions, are evergreen. Because of their versatility and abundance, growing and caring for honeysuckle vines is easy.

    How to Grow a Honeysuckle Vine

    While honeysuckles prefer full sun, they will tolerate some shade. The honeysuckle plant is also tolerant of different soil types, though it helps to grow the vine in well-draining soil amended with organic matter.

    Honeysuckles can be grown as ground cover in suitable areas but most do best with some type of support, either along a fence or on a trellis. They can also be grown in containers.

    Caring for Honeysuckle Vines

    Other than occasional watering, honeysuckle vine care is not difficult; however, pruning is a good practice. Vine species of honeysuckle can become invasive as a ground cover, if not controlled, and require clipping to tame. Therefore, regular shearing and shaping will keep this beauty within its boundaries. Pruning honeysuckle vine is generally done in the fall or winter when the honeysuckle plant is dormant. If your honeysuckle vine has been left untamed, don’t worry about giving it a good heavy prune. The vine will pop back up again in the spring. If you wish to use honeysuckle vines for erosion control, you will not need to prune them.

    With annual pruning, honeysuckle vine care is not a problem. The plant will happily return each year, providing an abundance of blooms and sweet nectar for both you and wildlife.

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    How to plant honeysuckle: revealing secrets

    Proper planting is one of the keys to successful cultivation of blue honeysuckle or, as it is also called, blue honeysuckle (and scientifically Lonicera caerulea). Summer residents successfully grow this cultivated species of an originally wild plant in their gardens.

    Why must honeysuckle grow in your garden? Firstly, as in many berries, it also has a lot of useful substances (and this is ascorbic acid, vitamins P, B 1 , B 2 , folic acid, potassium, manganese, iodine, sodium, magnesium, copper, carotene, calcium and phosphorus). Secondly, it begins to bear fruit in the spring, even earlier than garden strawberries. Well, and thirdly, there is much less trouble with it than with many other cultures. In general, if we managed to convince you, feel free to start growing honeysuckle.

    "People's" names for honeysuckle are buzan, guzan and shameless. The latter is probably due to the tendency of the plant's bark to peel.

    Place and soil for planting honeysuckle

    In the wild, honeysuckle grows in groves, as well as on the edges of forests. In such places, everything is usually in moderation - both sun and shade. Therefore, if you overdo it with the first and plant a bush in an open place, its berries will be bitter. If in the shade - sour. That is, a compromise option is a diffused shadow with a sufficient amount of light. This condition can be ensured by planting honeysuckle near tall trees, but not directly under them.

    When choosing a site for honeysuckle, make sure that there are no anthills nearby, and after planting the plant, periodically inspect the surrounding areas for the presence of these pests. Because where there are ants, another dangerous aphid pest will soon appear - a big lover of various cultivated plants, including honeysuckle.

    We sorted out the place. Now about the soil. It is generally accepted that honeysuckle is not demanding on the acidity of the earth and can grow on soils with a pH of 4.5-7.5. If this extensive indicator is violated, the plant develops poorly, forms an acidic crop and loses disease resistance. Therefore, strongly acidic soils should be limed about a month before planting by adding slaked lime, chalk, dolomite flour or wood ash. Alkaline soils should be acidified using urea, sulfate and ammonium nitrate, as well as other nitrogen fertilizers. In extreme cases, you can add the necessary substances to the soil right at the time of planting the seedling.

    The optimal soil mixture for honeysuckle consists of humus and middle (black) peat, taken in equal proportions. The second option is turf land, peat (or sand) and humus in a ratio of 3: 1: 1. And since honeysuckle does not tolerate extremes, it will not grow in too rich black soil, much less in sand.

    The groundwater in the area where you plan to grow honeysuckle should be deeper than a meter from the surface.

    Secrets of the correct planting of honeysuckle

    Experts recommend planting honeysuckle in September, when the growth of shoots stops and the plant is preparing for a dormant period. However, seedlings with a closed root system can be transshipped during the entire growing season.

    40 x 40 x 40 cm holes are prepared about a week before planting. The distance between them should be 2.5-3 m when planting tall varieties and 1.5-2 m for undersized ones.

    It is better to put a drainage layer of broken brick, expanded clay or crushed stone on the bottom of the hole. This is especially true if the soil in the area is clayey. Then you need to add a mixture of fertile, 20 kg of compost, 1 liter of ash and 50 g of superphosphate and spill it with water.

    In the center of the planting pit, it is necessary to fill in an earth mound and carefully place the seedling on it, evenly spreading its roots over the entire area of ​​the embankment. The root system is carefully sprinkled with soil, while not deepening it. Then the seedling is watered abundantly to settle the soil, adding the latter if necessary. Immediately after planting, the soil under the seedling must be mulched.

    For planting, it is best to choose two-year-old seedlings 30-40 cm high, having 2-3 branches, with healthy-looking branches and the presence of buds on them. Also pay attention to the development of the root system of the bush.

    There is another important issue - the choice of varieties. We will consider it separately.

    Which varieties of honeysuckle to plant next to each other

    Since honeysuckle (like blueberries) is one of the crops that needs to be cross-pollinated, it is best to plant several varieties of honeysuckle nearby at once. And each of them has its own pollinator varieties. Here are some of them.

    Honeysuckle variety Suitable pollinator varieties
    Antoshka Blue dessert, Michurinskoe divo
    Amphora Altair, Gzhelka, Bazhovskaya, Bakcharskaya, Viola
    Bakchar Giant Pride of Bakchar, Azure, Amphora, In memory of Gidzyuk, Nymph
    Young lady Lenya, Blue Dessert
    Berel Kamchadalka, Tomichka, Blue Spindle
    Blue spindle Blue bird, Titmouse, In memory of Gidzyuk, Kamchadalka
    Dessert Blue Lenya, young lady, Peter the Great
    Diana Lenya, Knyaginya, Three friends, Michurinskoye Divo
    Long Zyuminka, Morena, Sineglazka, Chelyabinka, Chernichka
    Darling Morena, Julia, Fortuna, Bluebird, Titmouse, Nymph
    Cinderella Kamchadalka, Tomichka, In memory of Gidzyuk, Roxana, Sinichka
    Kamchadalka In memory of Gidzyuk, Parabelskaya, Sineglazka, Blue Spindle, Cinderella, Nymph
    Princess Blue dessert, Young lady, Michurinskaya Lada
    Lakomka Early Nizhny Novgorod, Start, Nymph, Pavlovskaya
    Leningrad Giant Blue spindle, Morena, In memory of Kuminov, Blue bird, Start
    Lenya Antoshka, In memory of Kuminov
    Michurinskoe divo Blue dessert, Princess, Lenya
    Michurinskaya Lada Young lady, Lenya, Three friends
    Moscow 23 Titmouse, Fortune, Nymph, Blue bird
    Morena Blue spindle, Viola, Amphora, Dessert
    Nymph Omega, Pushkinskaya, Cinderella, Kamchadalka
    In memory of Gidzyuk Blue spindle, Cinderella, Kamchadalka
    In memory of Kuminov Blue dessert, Princess, Three friends
    Peter the Great Diana, In memory of Kuminov
    Salute In memory of Gidzyuk
    Northern Lights Young lady, Michurinskaya Lada
    Titmouse Moscow 23, Fortuna, Cinderella
    Bluebird Blue spindle, Morena, Cinderella, Chosen One, Laura
    Tomichka Sorceress, Blue Spindle, Pavlovskaya, Kamchadalka
    Three friends Blue dessert, Antoshka, Princess
    Fortuna Moscow 23, Sinichka, Chosen One, Amphora
    Shahinya Moscow 23, Ramenskaya, Gzhelka, Pile is small

    When selecting varieties of honeysuckle for your site, be sure to focus on the climate of your region.

    Another important function of honeysuckle is its suitability for hedges. For these purposes, it is better to choose tall varieties that grow up to 2.5 m.

    ❃ How to plant and care for edible honeysuckle ❃

    At the height of spring, we dream of eating the first berries from our own garden as soon as possible, which, as a rule, we have to expect no earlier than mid-June. However, by growing honeysuckle on your plot, you can open the berry season as early as the end of May. A very plastic, cold-resistant, unpretentious and early ripening culture, honeysuckle is an amazing find in modern horticulture, which is definitely worth planting. In one place, honeysuckle can grow for more than 30 years. This is an extremely winter-hardy plant: its growth buds and wood are able to tolerate frosts down to -50 °C, and its roots and flower buds endure up to -40 °C. Buds, flowers and young ovaries are not afraid of frosts down to -8 ° C. The genus honeysuckle (Lonicera) has about 200 species. Among them there are bush and climbing varieties. Curly honeysuckle is often used as an ornamental plant for vertical gardening. Of the many types of honeysuckle, only a few have edible fruits. The fruits of edible honeysuckle are used as food. These are shrubs up to 2 meters high with erect or slightly curved shoots, a compact crown. The bark is brown with a red or gray tint, easily separated from the trunk by narrow longitudinal stripes.

    Buds, flowers and young ovaries are not afraid of frost down to -8 °C.

    Honeysuckle flowers are yellowish funnel-shaped, arranged in pairs in the axils of small hairy leaves. Honeysuckle species are largely self-infertile. Therefore, to obtain good yields, it is necessary to plant plants of 2-3 different varieties in the garden. Honeysuckle is characterized by cross-pollination by insects. Flowering begins in early May. During flowering, the shrub has a very decorative appearance. The fruits are dark blue with a bluish wax coating, various in shape (usually cylindrical). An adult bush gives an average of up to 2 kg of berries. Plants gradually reach the dimensions of blackcurrant (1-1.5 m in height), so they are planted at a distance of 1-1.5 m from each other.

    honeysuckle flowers

    honeysuckle berries

    honeysuckle bush

    Next year's crop is gradually laid during the summer in the axils of the upper leaves in flower buds. Honeysuckle begins to yield in the 3rd year after planting seedlings. The first fruits can be expected at the end of May.

    The first fruits can be expected at the end of May.

    Berries taste like blueberries and blueberries. They are sweet and sour, sweet and sour, just sweet and fragrant. Harvesting is carried out as the berries ripen, preferably in small containers, as the berries are very tender. The taste depends not only on the variety, but also on weather conditions and moisture availability during the ripening period. In terms of its healing properties, honeysuckle is not inferior to blackcurrant. It contains vitamins C, P, carotene, as well as magnesium, potassium, trace elements: iodine, manganese, copper, iron.

    How to choose seedlings

    Properly selected seedlings take root and grow very well. Usually on sale there are annual seedlings or rooted cuttings. To choose the right plants, you should:

    When and where to plant honeysuckle?

    Choose a well-lit, level or slightly sloping area for planting seedlings. Most varieties of honeysuckle prefer sunny locations, but tolerate partial shade. Plants planted in the shade do not bloom well, which means that you will not have to wait for the harvest. Honeysuckle is a very unpretentious plant and feels good on almost any soil. Unsuitable for planting are too dry sandy and waterlogged swampy areas. If planting is scheduled for autumn, then it is better to do this before mid-October. This is due to the fact that already in the middle of summer the growth processes of the plant end and the apical buds are laid. In fact, until spring, the plant is at rest, so it tolerates planting very easily. Spring planting should be carried out before the start of the growing season. With late spring plantings, honeysuckle takes root poorly and gets sick. If it becomes necessary to plant or transplant in late spring, then this should be done by transshipment along with a large clod of earth.

    healthy seedling

    planting and mulching

    honeysuckle in the landscape

    Planting recommendations

    The planting hole should be 40x40x40 cm. plants can grow normally. In the pit we add 100 g of long-acting organomineral fertilizer "OMU Universal" or 10-12 kg of humus or well-decomposed manure, 100 g of double superphosphate, 30 g of potassium sulfate, 300 g of wood ash. It is necessary to make a small mound in the center of the pit, straighten the roots of the plant and fill it with loose soil. Deepen the seedling into the soil so that the root collar is 5 cm below the ground.

    Bury the seedling into the soil so that the root collar is 5 cm below the ground.

    Trample the ground around the seedling and pour water at the rate of one bucket per seedling. After mulching the seedling with dry earth, peat or humus. You should not cut and shorten the seedling so that there is no growth and development retardation.

    Care

    The better the growing conditions, the more beautiful the bushes and the greater the yield. The first 3 years the plant needs only timely watering and weeding and the use of mulch. The first 3 years after planting, honeysuckle grows slowly, since all the energy is directed to the growth of the root system, then the growth of the ground part increases significantly.

    Watering. Honeysuckle is a moisture-loving plant, therefore, in hot and dry weather, especially in spring and early summer, moderate watering is required. Watered 3-4 times per season, 10 liters of water for each plant. In a hot, dry summer without watering, bitterness may appear in the berries.

    Top dressing. Top dressing is applied once every 2–3 years. Honeysuckle prefers organic fertilizers. In the spring, under each bush, a bucket of humus or rotted manure is brought in, and in the fall, 150 g of wood ash. Nitrogen top dressing must be applied very early, literally on melting snow. To do this, 1 tablespoon of urea is enough for a bucket of water under each bush. Before flowering, foliar fertilizing can be carried out with fertilizers in which useful substances are in a chelated form, such as Master, Mortar, Aquarin at the rate of 20 g of fertilizer per 10 liters of water.

    Cutting. Pruning of a bush begins to be done from 6–8 years of age. This is, first of all, sanitary pruning, which boils down to the removal of diseased, broken, dried branches. It is not recommended to remove the tops of young shoots, because they contain most of the flower buds from which the berry crop is formed. Then, to constantly maintain one-year growth, it is recommended to cut 1-2 unproductive branches every two years. For old 15–20-year-old bushes, strong rejuvenating pruning “on the stump” is possible, which is carried out at a height of 0.5 m from the soil level. Due to young coppice shoots, the shrub is able to recover within 2-3 years. Pruning is recommended in autumn, after leaf fall, or in early spring - in March.

    Pests and diseases. Honeysuckle, as a rule, is rarely affected by pests and diseases. This makes it possible to grow an environmentally friendly crop. Of the pests, the following are sometimes noted: leafworm, honeysuckle fingerwing, honeysuckle aphid, scale insect, honeysuckle mite. If your bush is damaged by sucking or hidden living pests, then it is necessary to treat with systemic preparations "Aktelylik", "Confidor" or others.

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