Honeysuckle (Lonicera spp.) Is an aromatic climbing plant or shrub (depending on the variety) that produces lovely yellow, golden, white, pink, red, etc. flowers. It is often grown on fences, nets, walls or any other structure, but must be pruned to keep its rapid expansion in check.
Steps
Step 1. Purchase a seedling from a nursery or garden center
The common honeysuckle can be sown, but it is easier to start from a cutting of a plant that is already thriving. As for the choice of variety depending on the climate, it is advisable to check the label because there are some that are resistant to frost, while others are not. This article is about the generic honeysuckle, without going into detail for each variety.
Cultivars and hybrids must be grown from cuttings
Step 2. Choose a suitable place
For a climber, you will need a structure on which it can grow, such as a pergola or a fence. For a bushy choose a suitable place in the garden. Honeysuckle grows in full sun or partial shade.
Step 3. Prepare the ground
Varieties of honeysuckle tend to tolerate a wide range of soils, as long as they are well-draining. They will naturally thrive in humus-rich, moist soil.
Step 4. Plant the cutting
Bathe it frequently until it has taken root. You don't need a lot of water, so this plant is ideal for avoiding waste.
Step 5. Prune
When pruning honeysuckle, you need to consider where it blooms from. Some bloom from the branches of the current year, while others bloom on year-old "old" stems.
- Regular pruning is not necessary for honeysuckle varieties that bloom on new shoots, unless they grow so vigorously that they come out of the dedicated space. Removing the flowers after flowering will make things more tidy, but remember to put the flowers in the compost pile or use them as mulch to avoid losing very important nutrients.
- For honeysuckle varieties that bloom on the stems of the previous year, cut to the height of the youngest shoot located further down.
- If you are unfamiliar with the variety, cut the oldest stem that bloomed last year to the height of the lowest new shoot.
- If you want, you can prune it by forming hedges.
Advice
- In general, the common honeysuckle is a resistant plant, rather difficult to "kill".
- A honeysuckle that blooms in winter in temperate climates is the Lonicera fragrantissima variety, which will produce flowers from mid to late winter. This honeysuckle is bushy and grows to a height of 2 meters. Its flowers have a color ranging from white to cream.
- The more vivid the color of the flowers, the lower the scent, at least in general. Usually you have to choose between the scent or the color.
- Shakespeare speaks of "lush honeysuckle" in A Midsummer Night's Dream.
- Among the non-invasive varieties of honeysuckle we can mention L. periclymenum, L. hildebrandiana and L. x heckrotti.
