The honeysuckle adds greenery to the garden as a twining, rarely upright shrub, enchanting with beautiful flowers and magnificent fruit decorations. When it comes to planting, caring for and cutting, the popular ornamental shrub is pleasingly modest. Find out important aspects of cultivating a magnificent honeysuckle here.
How to care for a honeysuckle in the garden?
The honeysuckle is an attractive, easy-care ornamental shrub that delights with beautiful flowers and fruit decorations. It requires a sunny to partially shaded location, regular watering, organic fertilization and annual pruning for optimal growth and flowering.
Planting honeysuckle correctly
If you pay attention to the following planting process, growth will be on the right track right from the start:
- Soak the still potted young plant in water for at least 10 minutes
- In the meantime, dig a planting pit in the loosened, weed-free soil
- Mix the excavated material with mature compost, horn shavings and a handful of vital lime
Unpot the honeysuckle and place it in the soil up to the root collar. If it is a twining honeysuckle plant, tie the lower tendrils to the climbing aid. After the plant has received a generous dose of water, spread a layer of mulch.read more
Care tips
The honeysuckle only requires a small amount of care. Successful cultivation revolves around these aspects:
- Water regularly, directly onto the root area
- Fertilize organically every 2 weeks from March to June
- Cut back after flowering by a maximum of a third
- Carry out main pruning in February/March
- Tighten the shrub extensively at least once a year
Light winter protection is recommended in the planting year, in exposed locations and in pots.read more
Which location is suitable?
The diverse plant family of the honeysuckle family may differ considerably in growth and appearance; With regard to the location, however, there is harmonious unity:
- Sunny to partially shaded location
- Shady locations reduce the abundance of flowers and fruit decoration
- Drought and heat are tolerated
Crowd favorites like 'Jelängerjelieber' like to keep their heads in the sun while their feet are shaded. When choosing a location, it is important to avoid proximity to cherry trees. The dreaded cherry fruit fly also attacks the pea-sized berries of a honeysuckle and from there moves to nearby cherry trees to destroy the harvest.read more
The correct planting distance
A planting distance for climbing honeysuckle on a trellis is well chosen if it is 0.5 to 0.8 meters. For an upright growing honeysuckle planted in rows, plant 3-4 specimens per square meter. If you prefer a small-growing shrub as a ground cover, such as Lonicera nitida, we recommend a planting distance of 45 centimeters.
What soil does the plant need?
The undemanding honeysuckle thrives in any good garden soil that is nutrient-rich, humus-rich, calcareous and has a fresh, moist structure. In the bucket, commercially available compost-based potting soil meets the expectations of the ornamental tree, optimized with a little sand for best permeability.
What is the best time to plant?
The best time to plant ornamental trees is autumn. This applies regardless of whether you are planting a climbing or upright honeysuckle plant. The soil is deeply warmed by the summer sun so that the roots take root in time before winter. Alternatively, plant the honeysuckle in the thawed ground in spring.
When is flowering time?
The central flowering period begins in May and lasts until July. If you don't want to miss out on a splash of color in the garden in winter, combine the winter honeysuckle (Lonicera purpusii), which presents countless creamy-white flowers from December to April.
Cut honeysuckle correctly
With the right cut you can control growth and protect the shrub from aging from below. Thanks to the robust and frugal constitution, the date for the cut is not firmly cemented. How to handle it properly:
- Cut honeysuckle by a third immediately after flowering
- Alternatively, cut back in autumn by up to 50 percent
- Thoroughly thin out the bush with every cut
In addition, the ornamental tree tolerates the removal or shortening of shoots that grow out of shape.read more
Watering honeysuckle
Honeysuckle prefers to extend its roots in alternately moist substrate that neither dries out completely nor is constantly wet. Therefore, check the soil with a thumb test and only water if it feels dry in the top 2-3 centimeters.
Fertilize honeysuckle properly
A sufficient supply of nutrients is one of the main pillars of professional care. If you favor organic fertilization, work compost and horn shavings into the soil every two weeks from March to July. Fertilize potted plants with nettle and comfrey manure or worm tea. Alternatively, apply a mineral-organic starter fertilizer in March and a special preparation with an NPK concentration of 5-8-10 at the beginning of flowering.
Diseases
All honeysuckle plants are susceptible to powdery mildew and downy mildew. Therefore, avoid sprinkling flowers and leaves for water supply. If a mealy-white coating spreads on the foliage, cut out infected parts of the plant immediately. Mix fresh milk and water in a ratio of 1:9 and spray the mixture repeatedly onto the top and bottom of the leaves.read more
Pests
So that the dreaded cherry fruit fly does not attack a lovingly cared for honeysuckle, cherry maggot traps from Neudorff or Compo are hung in the bush at the beginning of the flight season in mid-May and sprayed repeatedly with wormwood tea. In addition, underplanting with lily of the valley keeps pests away from the ornamental shrubs.
Wintering
The honeysuckle has sufficient winter hardiness that does not require any special precautions in the bed. In the planting year, in rough locations and in the pot, we still recommend light winter protection:
- Pile up leaf mold at the root area and cover with conifers
- Cover young shoots in the first winter with jute or place reed mats in front of them
- Place the bucket on wood or Styrofoam and cover it with bubble wrap
In winters with frost, the shrub is threatened by drought stress. Therefore, water on frost-free days when there is no snow.
Propagate honeysuckle
Hobby gardeners want several specimens of such an easy-care plant in their garden. Propagation is so easy with head cuttings that you can save money on purchasing a young plant. This is how the procedure works:
- In early summer, cut off 10-15 cm long shoots just below a leaf node
- Leave the cuttings except for one pair of leaves and plant two thirds in lean substrate
- Put a plastic bag over it, support it with wooden sticks and place it in a partially shaded place
- Water regularly from below until fresh shoots appear
Then remove the hood, repot into normal substrate and plant out into the bed in autumn. Do not allow the soil to dry out during cultivation. Your child will receive the first dose of liquid fertilizer when the first two leaves bloom.read more
Honeysuckle in a pot
Since the real honeysuckle relies on an integrated climbing aid in the pot, repotting it later is almost impossible. Therefore, right from the start, choose a bucket with a volume of at least 30 liters and a bottom opening for water drainage. Fill a drainage layer made of potsherds or grit under the substrate to prevent waterlogging from forming. How to care for the creeper with expertise:
- Always water honeysuckle when the substrate is dry
- From March to June, fertilize organically every 2 weeks with compost and horn shavings
- Alternatively, administer a starter fertilizer in March and a special fertilizer NPK 5-8-10 at the beginning of the flowering period
- Cover the root area with bark mulch from a small underplanting
To prevent the root ball from freezing in winter, place the pot on a block of wood before the first frost. Cover the container with bubble wrap and cover the substrate with leaves, straw, sawdust or needle twigs.
Is honeysuckle poisonous?
Scientists classify honeysuckle as poisonous. Caution is particularly advised with the red and black berries. Eating just 2 fruits can cause fatal symptoms of poisoning for children and adults. Hobby gardeners who are sensitive to saponins and alkaloids should carry out planting and care work with gloves as a precaution. Dogs and cats should not have the opportunity to snack on the flowers, leaves and especially the berries.read more
Honeysuckle doesn't bloom
If a honeysuckle misses its early summer blooms, the following causes trigger the deficiency:
- Pruning too late or too radically: it is better to prune regularly and conservatively in February
- Improper fertilization: choose a fertilizer with an equal content of phosphorus and nitrogen
- Unsuitable location: avoid shady areas, as only the leaves and shoots grow here
read more
Which trellises are suitable for a honeysuckle?
The decorative shrub does not have adhesive organs such as ivy. Instead, honeysuckle wraps its strong petioles around any support that comes along. The following climbing aids are readily accepted by the climbing plant:
- Trellis
- fence gate
- Rope systems
- Round arches
If you attach a trellis in front of the house wall, a minimum distance of 5-6 centimeters should be maintained.
What should you do if the honeysuckle goes bald from below?
It is primarily the evergreen species and varieties that develop a tendency to baldness. A deciduous honeysuckle is also not necessarily spared from this damage. If the dilemma is already apparent, cut the bush back by two thirds in February or March. From now on, stick to the annual pruning date after flowering or in early spring and ensure a balanced water and nutrient supply.
The most beautiful varieties
- Hack’s Red: impresses with purple-pink flowers in early summer, lush green foliage and red berries in autumn
- Goldflame: climbs as a creeper on trellises towards the sky, decorated with purple-red, yellow-white flowers from May
- Winter honeysuckle: captivatingly fragrant winter bloomer with bright red fruits in summer
- Jelängerjelieber: real honeysuckle as a vigorous climbing shrub up to 400 cm high, creamy white flowers, red fruits
- Halliana: evergreen honeysuckle, climbing and bright white, later flowering yellow
