Honeysuckles: The Ultimate Guide to Growing Sweetly-Scented Honeysuckles

By Gilmour

Honeysuckle is known for its delicate tubular, nectar-filled, sweetly scented flowers. They are great for covering walls and the sides of building. While their roots should be shaded, they do best when their overflowing, flowering tops are mostly in sunlight or just slightly shaded. They are deer-resistant and hummingbirds and other wildlife love them.

Wondering how to grow honeysuckle? Read on for everything you need to know about this easy-to-grow plant, from popular varieties to how and when to plant honeysuckle. We’ll cover:

• What is Honeysuckle?
• Popular Types of Honeysuckle
• Planting Climbing Honeysuckle Vines and Honeysuckle Shrubs
• Training and Pruning Honeysuckle
• Honeysuckle Care
• Common Questions About Growing Honeysuckle

What is Honeysuckle?

Honeysuckle is a heat tolerant plant that can grow almost anywhere. With dark green to blue-green leaves and sweet-smelling flowers, they grow as either far-reaching vines or arching shrubs. The flowers can bloom in gorgeous bright pinks, oranges, yellows or whites, and some varieties have a unique two-colored flower. Sweet and nectar-filled, the flowers attract butterflies, hummingbirds and bees, and birds enjoy the small red berries that emerge after flowering. If care is taken to deadhead, these beauties can repeat-bloom often throughout the growing season.

Popular Types of Honeysuckle

There are close to 200 different varieties of honeysuckle. Native to the northern hemisphere, at least 20 of them are found in North America. There are three types of honeysuckle – vines, shrubs and a bush variety.

Honeysuckle Vines. The honeysuckle vine is a common, simple-to-grow climber that’s available in many varieties. Vines can also be planted as ground cover, but they’re most often trellis-trained to cover walls and structures.

Honeysuckle Shrubs. The honeysuckle shrub is a great choice to use as an informal hedge, and several shrub varieties will actually do surprisingly well in pots and containers.

Bush Honeysuckle. One of the more invasive types of honeysuckle, bush honeysuckle should not be planted in your garden or yard. Bush honeysuckle grows quickly, invading and shading out other areas of your garden.

Specific Types of Honeysuckle

• Trumpet Honeysuckle. One of the most popular types of honeysuckle vines, the trumpet honeysuckle is also called coral or scarlet honeysuckle. Native to North America, it does well in the southern states with spring to fall blooms in pink or red hues. Likes sun to partial shade and is drought tolerant (although it thrives in moist soil). Non-invasive.
• Japanese Honeysuckle. The Japanese honeysuckle vine thrives in the Midwest. It blooms red or pink blossoms that show up in the summer and continue to delight all the way through early fall. Can be grown as a ground cover or trained on a trellis. Extremely invasive.
• Winter Honeysuckle. Winter honeysuckle is a shrub with white flowers that open in late winter or early spring. They have a lemony smell and do well in pots or containers. Highly invasive in some areas.
• Sakhalin Honeysuckle. Another shrub, Sakhalin honeysuckle is very similar to Winter honeysuckle, but has deep red flowering blooms. Non-invasive.
• White Limestone Honeysuckle. Also known as Texas honeysuckle, this shrub grows in full sun to partial shade and has showy, white-clustered flowers. Not as invasive as Japanese honeysuckle.
• Honeyberry. With more of a long, blue, berry-shape and small white, fragranced flowers, this edible variety is also called an edible blue honeysuckle. Honeyberry does better in cooler-climates. Non-invasive.

Planting Climbing Honeysuckle Vines and Honeysuckle Shrubs

• When to plant honeysuckle – Plant your honeysuckle in early spring after any threat of frost has passed.
• Where to plant honeysuckle – Choose a sunny location where your soil is moist and excess water can drain off.
• How much sun does honeysuckle need – Ideally, full sun is best. Even though honeysuckle can tolerate a partially-shaded area, without enough sun, it may not bloom as much and could lose its leaves.
• What type of soil to use – Be sure you’re planting your honeysuckle in organically rich and very well-drained soil. It should be moist but not soggy, as overly watered soil will become problematic. They will do best in an acid to moderately alkaline soil that ranges from about 5.5 to 8.0 on the pH scale.
• Install supports – If you’re planting your honeysuckle to climb, and you’re not planting it against a house or other structure, you’ll need support structures in place for the plant to grow up. You can install anything that the plant can grab on to – this can be a trellis, pole, fence or other sturdy structure. Be sure to do this before you plant your honeysuckle. Once they are set up, plants should be about 6 – 12 inches out from the support.
• What hardness zone does honeysuckle grow in – Most varieties of honeysuckle grow well in hardiness zones 5 – 9. They can withstand a range of cool-weather conditions, but depending on the variety you plant, some may require additional winter care. The more tender or tropical varieties will be most damaged by harsh winter weather. Carefully pruning, planting close to supports and adding thick layers of mulch around the roots and at the base can help protect your plant.

Training and Pruning Honeysuckle

Training – To train a honeysuckle vine to grow up a pergola, wall or trellis, gently tie the plant to the support with a plastic tie tape or another stretchy material that will allow for growth. You don’t want the material to cut into the plant as it grows. Also take care that the stems don’t rub on the supports – you can do this by looping your ties into a figure 8, making sure the crossed section goes between the stem and the support.

Pruning – You won’t need to spend too much time pruning your plant, other than to keep the shape tidy and contained.

How and when you prune depends on whether you have a vine or bush. Vines can be lightly pruned for shaping virtually any time of the year. If you’re doing a major pruning job on an older vine or one that’s unruly, wait until at least fall, or winter if you have a variety that goes dormant. Bushes can be pruned as soon as flowers drop in the spring.

Use bypass pruners to remove any dead, diseased or damaged stems. Cut stems to the point where they join another stem or just past a leaf node.

If you have planted an evergreen variety, note these will not go dormant. Prune them after the end of the flowering season so you don’t remove new buds.

Honeysuckle Care

Tip 1. Honeysuckle plants should be well (but not over) watered and mulched.

Tip 2. Take care not to let your soil get soggy – water only as needed to keep soil moist and damp.

Tip 3. Add layers of compost each spring.

Tip 4. Pruning depends on the type of honeysuckle you plant. Be sure you know which variety you have. – for example, common honeysuckle blooms on side shoots from the previous season, so if you prune it in the spring, you would eliminate your flowers.

Tip 5. Encourage and promote growth with a low-nitrogen fertilizer, a slow-release shrub and tree fertilizer or an organic plant food applied in the spring. You can also add a 2 – 3-inch layer of composted manure. However, if you plant honeysuckle in fertile soil, you may not need to fertilize.

Common Questions About Growing Honeysuckle

How do I keep honeysuckle blooming?

Keep your honeysuckle blooming by making sure the plant is in a spot that gets full sun. Honeysuckle will still grow, but will not bloom as much, in shady spots. Full sun means 6 or more hours of sunlight each day.

Why isn’t my honeysuckle blooming very much?

If your plant is young, it may just not have reached its full bloom potential yet – note that honeysuckle may take up to 3 years before it puts on a great show.

Does honeysuckle come back every year?

Honeysuckle is a perennial plant, meaning it will come back each year. With proper care, you should be able to enjoy your honeysuckle for many years. Some varieties can live an average of 20 years.

How long does it take to grow honeysuckle?

Honeysuckle is a fast-growing plant that will likely bloom during its first growing season. However, it could take up to 3 years for optimal blooming.