Himalayan honeysuckle

Himalayan honeysuckle: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Loose clump of upright, later arching stems, 1.5–2 m tall.

Leaf

Opposite, 5–15 cm, oval with a long pointed tip, untoothed or slightly toothed.

Stems

Hollow, blue-green stems with a waxy bloom, green even in winter.

Flower

Hanging chains (5–10 cm) of small, white, funnel-shaped flowers between conspicuous claret bracts, from July to September.

Fruit

Purplish-black berries between the red bracts in late summer.

Difference from bamboo

Bamboo has true grass stems with nodes and long, narrow leaves.

Flowering: July–September · Pruning: March–April

Identify by feature: Hanging flower clusters · Black berries

Looks like it, but isn’t

• Bamboo Phyllostachys: true grass stems with nodes and long, narrow leaves. Difference from bamboo

Why grow it?

• Flowers all summer, from July to September, with hanging chains between claret bracts.
• Exotic-looking, easy and fast-growing, in sun or partial shade.
• Bumblebees on the flowers, birds on the berries.
• Green stems, even in winter.

Himalayan honeysuckle: where does it grow best?

• Sun or partial shade; it flowers best in sun.
• Ordinary, moisture-retentive garden soil, acid or chalky; no waterlogging.
• Allow 1.5 m width.
• Not close to woodland or a nature area: birds spread the seeds (see caution).

Light

Sun or partial shade

Legal basis

Any garden soil

Moisture

Normal

Size

2 m tall, 1.5 m wide

Hardiness

Throughout Belgium, no protection needed

Goes well with

• Hardy fuchsia: Also bears hanging flowers all summer, and is also cut back in spring.
• Hydrangea: Flowers in the same months, for the same partial shade.
• Japanese aralia: Large, glossy leaves beside the claret chains: an exotic corner.

Good and bad companions

Goes well with

• Suits the woodland edge or the light shade of: ginkgo, box elder, ash, honey locust, field maple, silver maple

Himalayan honeysuckle: when and how to plant it?

1. Plant from a pot in spring (April–May) or in autumn.
2. Put it at the back of a border or among other shrubs; one plant every 1–1.5 m.
3. Dig a generous planting hole, mix in compost and plant at the same depth as in the pot.
4. Water generously after planting, and in dry spells during the first year.

Care

Watering

In dry spells in the first year; in dry summers the large leaves soon droop.

Feeding

A little compost in spring, after pruning.

Seedlings

Pull up unwanted seedlings while they are young; then it is easy.

Berries

Cut off spent flower chains if you want to limit self-seeding; if you leave them, the birds will feast on them.

Tip: Cut it back hard every year in March–April: that keeps it compact, with fresh green stems and plenty of flowers on the new shoots.

Himalayan honeysuckle: when to prune it?

Pruning months: March–April.

When: End of winter (March–April).

How:

• Cut the oldest stems off at ground level and shorten the rest.
• You can also cut everything back to a hand’s breadth above the ground, as it flowers on new shoots.
• Cut frost-damaged stems back to healthy wood or down to the ground.

Caution: Wait until the hardest frosts are over: then you can see what has been killed. In April, check for nesting birds.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Seedlings

The easiest way: in spring, dig up a seedling and replant it.

Cuttings

Softwood or semi-ripe cuttings taken in summer root readily under glass or plastic.

Himalayan honeysuckle: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy throughout Belgium: no protection needed.

• Hardy; in severe winters the stems are killed back, but it resprouts from the base in spring.
• The green stems remain visible all winter.

Diseases and pests

• Self-seeding: Birds spread the seeds and seedlings regularly come up in the garden. Pull them up while young.
• Frost damage: Frost-killed stems after a severe winter. Cut them back to the ground in March–April; it soon resprouts.
• Untidy clump: Without pruning it becomes a tangle of old and dead stems. Remove the oldest every spring.

Through the year

• March: Pruning: cut old stems to the ground, or cut everything back.
• April: Last pruning month; give compost; dig up seedlings.
• May: Plant.
• July: Flowering begins.
• August: Full flower, buzzing with bumblebees; water in dry spells.
• September: Purplish-black berries between the red bracts.
• October: Birds eat the berries; cut off spent chains if you want to limit self-seeding.

What can you use it for?

Garden and landscape

Fast-growing, exotic-looking shrub for sun or partial shade that flowers all summer.

For wildlife

Bumblebees visit the flowers, birds eat the berries.

Caution: Self-seeds readily in the garden.

Did you know?

• Pheasants love the berries: in Britain it used to be planted as cover and food for pheasants.
• Leycesteria is named after William Leycester, a British judge in Bengal in the early 19th century and a keen plant lover.
• Formosa means ‘beautiful’.