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If you are interested in growing lonicera japonica, it is important to understand how to care for them. Honeysuckles are popular not just for their beautiful blooms but for the highly perfumed flowers they produce. The climbing varieties can be draped over garden support structures and pergolas while the shrubs make for great hedges.
Quick Facts About lonicera periclymenum
Common name
Honeysuckle
Botanical name
Lonicera
Type
Shrubs and climbers
Flowering time
Shrubs flower at the end of winter, spring, or summer; climbers flower in summer
Planting time
Evergreens in spring or Autumn, deciduous in winter
Sun
Full sun or partial shade
Hardiness
Mostly fully hardly with certain tender species
Types of Honeysuckle
As mentioned, there are two types: climbers and shrubs.
The climbers prefer humus rich soil that is moist at all times, but well drained. They will flower at optimum levels when their top growth is exposed to full sunlight but you can better protect them against aphids if they are planted in partial shade.
The shrubs are less finicky about their soil and can grow in any well drained type. They will do well in partial shade or sun.
Both varieties are simply to grow and will do better if you apply a base of mulch around them. This helps to maintain moisture at the root level.
Pruning and Training Honeysuckles
The methods you employ for pruning and training is going to vary based on type.
For the climbers, the flowers arrive on the growth from the current season, which is especially true of lonicera japonica. So, they do not need regular pruning. You can, instead, just control their growth by removing any overly long shoots come spring time and thin out any congested parts. If there are any weak or diseased stems, these can be removed.
The honeysuckles that flower at the beginning of spring do so on shorter, side shoots from the previous growth. This is true of the more common honeysuckle, the lonicera periclymenum. These need to be pruned by ? every summer, at the end of summer, right after flowering.
If you are going to renovate your climbers with hard pruning, be sure to do it in early spring and cut them back to 60 cm. After that, thin any re-growth and tie off any new shoots.
For the shrubs, you can remove weak or old stems to get newer growth. With those that flower at the end of spring or beginning of summer like the L. tatarica, you can shorten 1 out of every 3 branches. At the end of winter or beginning of spring you can renovate them with hard pruning.
If you need to trim your shrubs, like the L. nitida, you can do it three times between spring and Autumn, if the plants are used as a hedge. To renovate hedge shrubs, prune it back to 15 cm off the ground at the start of spring.
Propagating Honeysuckles
You can propagate honeysuckles from plants you already have, if they are doing well and you want to encourage more plants. For this, with climbers, you want to clip 5-7 cm of semi-ripe or soft wood at the end of spring or beginning of summer. The evergreen shrubs can be taken from hardwood cuttings of 20-30 cm in length between Autumn and the middle of winter.
Choosing Plants
When you are ready to choose your plants, you have many great varieties at your disposal.
Climbers
Lonicera japonica–a semi-evergreen climber that has white, fragrant flowers and dark green leaves. It reaches heights of 10m
L. henryi is an evergreen with purple/red flowers and purple/black berries. It reaches a height of 10m
L. periclymenum is a deciduous plant with fragrant white or yellow flowers and red berries. It reaches heights of 7m
L. sempervirens has scarlet flowers and orange red berries. It is a deciduous honeysuckle that reaches heights of 6m
Shrubs
L. nitida is an evergreen shrub boasting yellow leaves, ideal for hedging. Reaches heights of 3.5m and 3m wide.
L. pileata has creamy, small white flowers with purple berries and is ideal for groundcover. It reaches heights of 60cm and widths of 2.4m
L. fragrantissima, as the name suggests, has fragrant flowers but will require more shelter than others. It reaches heights of 2m and widths of 3m
Winter beauty offers fragrant, white flowers with a height of 2m and width of 2.4 m
Common Problems
Honeysuckles are prone to a few common problems. They can get stressed by drought and conversely, are prone to mildew infections from too much water. New growth is at risk for aphid attacks, so it is best to stay vigilant.
