- Prune honeysuckle after flowering
- Pruning honeysuckle in autumn
- Maintenance cut throughout the year
- Cut offshoots for propagation
Honeysuckle is a native shrub of the honeysuckle family. Honeysuckles do particularly well in natural hedges. The shrub is not very demanding in terms of location and care. An occasional pruning is sufficient.
The honeysuckle makes a wonderful hedge plant because it grows quickly and is easy to care for
Prune honeysuckle after flowering
Many gardeners cut the honeysuckle back right after flowering in early June. By pruning almost all faded flowers and thus future berries are removed.
A pruning in summer only makes sense if none of the mostly poisonous berries should ripen on the bushes.
If small children or pets are often in the garden, this can reduce the risk of poisoning from honeysuckle.
Pruning honeysuckle in autumn
If you value the decorative berries and also want to provide food for the birds in the garden, you should only cut honeysuckle in autumn. This is especially true for the edible blue honeysuckle.
The honeysuckle tolerates a generous pruning very well. Simply cut down everything that bothers you so that the berry hedge stays in shape.
The berry bushes can grow up to three meters high. You should therefore cut back honeysuckles growing on the fence every year so that the plants do not grow too tall and remain nice and dense.
Maintenance cut throughout the year
To care for the shrubs, you can use scissors throughout the gardening year. Overhanging shoots can be cut continuously. You should also remove sick and dried branches as quickly as possible.
Cut offshoots for propagation
The honeysuckle is propagated via sinkers or cuttings. Propagation from cuttings is best done in late summer.
- cut semi-lignified shoots
- Shorten to 15 to 20 centimeters
- remove lower leaves
- plant in loose garden soil
- keep moist
- plant out in the following year
The honeysuckle cutting has formed roots when the first new leaves appear at the top. The shrubs propagated in this way are transplanted the following year to a sunny or shady location with slightly moist soil.
tips
Honeysuckles require little maintenance other than cutting. They do not tolerate complete drying out of the soil. Mulch the soil under the shrubs to keep the soil moist and discourage weed growth.