The honeysuckle greens the garden as a looping, rarely upright shrub, enchants with beautiful flowers and magnificent fruit decoration. In terms of planting, care and pruning, the popular ornamental shrub is pleasingly modest. Learn about important aspects of cultivating a magnificent honeysuckle here.

The honeysuckle is an undemanding ornamental tree

Table of Contents

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  1. Plant honeysuckle properly
  2. care tips
  3. Which location is suitable?
  4. The right planting distance
  5. What soil does the plant need?
  6. What is the best planting time?
  7. When is flowering time?
  8. Cut honeysuckle properly
  9. Water honeysuckle
  10. Fertilize honeysuckle properly
  11. Diseases
  12. pests
  13. hibernate
  14. propagate honeysuckle
  15. Honeysuckle in the pot
  16. Is honeysuckle poisonous?
  17. Honeysuckle does not bloom
  18. Which climbing aids are suitable for a honeysuckle?
  19. What to do if the honeysuckle is bare from below?
  20. The most beautiful varieties

    21. Plant honeysuckle properly

    If you pay attention to the following process for planting, growth will go in the right direction 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 excavation with mature compost, horn shavings (32.93€) and a handful of vital lime

    Unpot the honeysuckle and plant it in the ground up to the root neck. If it is a twining honeysuckle, tie the lower vines to the climbing aid. After the plant has received a generous dose of irrigation water, spread another layer of mulch.
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    care tips

    Honeysuckle requires little care. Successful cultivation revolves around these aspects:

    • Water regularly, directly on the root area
    • Fertilize organically every 2 weeks from March to June
    • Cut back by a maximum of one third after flowering
    • Carry out main pruning in February/March
    • Thin out the shrub extensively at least once a year

    A light winter protection is recommended in the year of planting, in exposed locations and in tubs.
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    Which location is suitable?

    The diverse plant family of the honeysuckle family may differ considerably in growth and appearance; with regard to the location, on the other hand, there is harmonious unity:

    • Sunny to semi-shady location
    • Shady locations reduce the abundance of flowers and fruit decoration
    • Drought and heat are tolerated

    Crowd favourites, like 'Jelängerjelieber' like to keep their heads in the sun while their feet are in the shade. With regard to the choice of location, spatial proximity to cherry trees must be avoided at all costs. The dreaded cherry fruit fly also infests the pea-sized berries of a honeysuckle and from there moves to nearby cherry trees to destroy the harvest.
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    The right planting distance

    A planting distance for the climbing honeysuckle on a trellis is well chosen if it is 0.5 to 0.8 meters. Plant 3-4 specimens per square meter for an upright growing honeysuckle in rows. If you prefer a short-growing shrub as ground cover, such as Lonicera nitida, we recommend a planting distance of 45 centimetres.

    What soil does the plant need?

    The undemanding honeysuckle thrives in any good garden soil that is nutritious, humus-rich, calcareous and freshly moist. In the bucket, commercially available compost-based potting soil meets the expectations of ornamental trees, optimized with a little sand for best permeability.

    What is the best planting time?

    Autumn is the best time to plant ornamental trees. This is true regardless of whether you are planting a climbing or upright honeysuckle. The soil is deeply warmed up by the summer sun, so that the roots gain a foothold in time before winter. Alternatively, plant the honeysuckle in the thawed soil in spring.

    When is flowering time?

    The central flowering period begins in May and lasts until July. If you don't want to do without 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 properly

    With the right pruning, you can control growth and prevent 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:

    • Honeysuckle cut by a third immediately after flowering
    • Alternatively, cut back in the fall by up to 50 percent
    • Thin out the shrub thoroughly with each cut

    In addition, the ornamental tree tolerates the removal or shortening of shoots that grow out of shape.
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    Water honeysuckle

    The honeysuckle prefers to stretch out its roots in alternating damp substrate that neither completely dries out nor is constantly soaked. Therefore, check the soil with a thumb test and only water when it feels dry in the upper 2-3 centimeters.

    Fertilize honeysuckle properly

    Adequate nutrient supply is one of the mainstays of professional care. If you prefer organic fertilization, work compost and horn shavings (€32.93) into the soil every 2 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 and downy mildew. Therefore, avoid sprinkling flowers and leaves for water supply. If a mealy-white coating spreads out 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 upper and lower sides of the leaves.
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    pests

    So that the dreaded cherry fruit fly does not pounce on a lovingly tended honeysuckle, cherry maggot traps from Neudorff or Compo hang in the bush at the beginning of the flight season in mid-May and spray them repeatedly with wormwood tea. In addition, underplanting with lilies of the valley keeps the pests away from the ornamental shrubs.

    hibernate

    The honeysuckle has sufficient winter hardiness, which does not require any special precautions in the bed. In the year of planting, in rough locations and in tubs, we still recommend a light winter protection:

    • Pile up leaf soil at the root area and cover with needle brushwood
    • Cover young shoots in the first winter with jute or put up reed mats in front of them
    • Place the bucket on wood or styrofoam and wrap 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 in sight.

    propagate honeysuckle

    Hobby gardeners would like to have several specimens of such an easy-care plant in their garden. Propagation is so easy with top cuttings that you can save the money for buying a young plant. This is how the procedure works:

    • In early summer, cut off 10-15 cm long shoots just below a leaf node
    • Defoliate the cuttings except for a pair of leaves and plant two-thirds in lean substrate
    • Put a plastic bag over it, support it with wooden sticks and set it up in a partially shaded place
    • Water regularly from below until fresh shoots appear

    Then remove the hood, repot in normal substrate and plant out in the bed in autumn. Do not let the soil dry out during cultivation. Your child will receive the first dose of liquid fertilizer when the first two leaves are thriving.
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    Honeysuckle in the pot

    Since the real honeysuckle depends on an integrated climbing aid in the pot, repotting at a later date is almost impossible. Therefore, choose a bucket with at least 30 liters volume and an opening in the bottom for water drainage right from the start. Fill in a drainage made of potsherds or grit (€46.95) under the substrate so that no waterlogging can form. How to care for the creeper with expertise:

    • Water honeysuckle whenever the substrate has dried
    • Fertilize organically every 2 weeks from March to June with compost and horn shavings
    • Alternatively, apply 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 through 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 pine twigs.

    Is honeysuckle poisonous?

    Scientists classify honeysuckle as poisonous. Be careful with the red and black berries in particular. Eating just 2 fruits can result in fatal symptoms of poisoning for children and adults. Hobby gardeners with a sensitivity to saponins and alkaloids carry out planting and care work with gloves as a precaution. Dogs and cats should not have the opportunity to nibble on the flowers, leaves and especially the berries.
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    Honeysuckle does not bloom

    If a honeysuckle misses the early summer bloom, the following causes trigger the deficiency:

    • Pruning too late or too radically: it is better to prune regularly and cautiously in February
    • Improper fertilization: choose a fertilizer with an equal content of phosphorus and nitrogen
    • Unsuitable location: avoid shady locations, since only the leaves and shoots grow here

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    Which climbing aids are suitable for a honeysuckle?

    The decorative shrub does not have attachment organs, such as ivy. Instead, the honeysuckle wraps its stout petioles around any available support. The climbing plant gladly accepts the following climbing aids:

    • trellis
    • fence mesh
    • cable systems
    • round arches

    If you attach a climbing aid in front of the house wall, a minimum distance of 5-6 centimeters should be maintained.

    What to do if the honeysuckle is bare from below?

    It is primarily the evergreen species and varieties that develop a tendency to bare. A deciduous honeysuckle is also not necessarily spared from this damage. If the dilemma is already apparent, cut back the shrub by two-thirds in February or March. From now on, keep to the date of the annual pruning after flowering or in early spring and pay attention to a balanced supply of water and nutrients.

    The most beautiful varieties

    • Hack's Red: impresses with purple-pink flowers in early summer, rich green foliage and red berries in autumn
    • Goldflame: climbs skyward as a creeper on trellises, decorated with crimson, yellow-white flowers from May
    • Winter Honeysuckle: beguilingly fragrant winter bloomer with bright red fruits in summer
    • Jelängerjelieber: real honeysuckle as a vigorous creeper up to 400 cm high, creamy-white flowers, red fruits
    • Halliana: evergreen honeysuckle, climbing and bright white, later flowering yellow

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Vegetable garden