Perfoliate honeysuckle

Perfoliate honeysuckle: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Deciduous twining climber that winds up to 4–6 m around supports; without support it scrambles over the ground or through shrubs.

Leaf

Opposite, oval, 4–10 cm, untoothed, bluish-green underneath; the top 1–3 pairs are fused at the base around the stem into a little dish.

Stems

Twining, hairless stems; older stems with peeling bark.

Flower

Creamy-white to yellow, often pink-flushed tubular flowers (4–5 cm) in whorls within the fused leaves, May–June; strongly scented in the evening.

Fruit

Orange-red berries sitting in the leaf dish, July–August; mildly poisonous.

Difference from common honeysuckle

In common honeysuckle all the leaf pairs are free, the flowers sit in a stalked whorl above the leaves and flowering continues into September.

Difference from Japanese honeysuckle

Japanese honeysuckle is semi-evergreen, with the flowers in pairs in the leaf axils and black berries.

Flowering: May–June · Pruning: February–March and July–August

Identify by feature: Twining climbers

Looks like it, but isn’t

• Common honeysuckle Lonicera periclymenum: all leaf pairs free, flowers in a stalked whorl above the leaves, and flowering until September. Difference from common honeysuckle
• Japanese honeysuckle Lonicera japonica: semi-evergreen, with the flowers in pairs in the leaf axils and black berries. Difference from Japanese honeysuckle

Why grow it?

• Flowers as early as May–June, a month before common honeysuckle: together they give scent from May to September.
• Strongly scented in the evening, with nectar for hawk-moths and bumblebees.
• The fused leaves around the flowers make it distinctive even when it is not in flower.
• Fully hardy, and it takes up little width (about 2 m).
• Orange-red berries in summer for birds.

Perfoliate honeysuckle: where does it grow best?

• Sun to partial shade; ideally with its feet in the shade and its head in the sun.
• Any soil that doesn’t dry out; a humus-rich soil is ideal.
• It twines and needs something to wind around: a pergola, arch, fence, mesh or vertical wires. Against a wall, fix wires or a trellis; it does not damage the wall itself, but keep it out of the gutter.
• Don’t let it twine around a young tree or shrub: it winds so tightly around the trunk that it constricts and deforms it. It may scramble through an old, sturdy hedge.

Light

Sun or partial shade

Legal basis

Any garden soil

Moisture

Normal

Size

5 m tall, 2 m wide

Hardiness

Throughout Belgium, no protection needed

Goes well with

• Common honeysuckle: Takes over when the perfoliate honeysuckle has finished flowering: together, scent from May to September.
• Mock orange: A fragrant shrub that flowers in June, when the honeysuckle is at its best: together, a scented corner by the patio.
• Lesser periwinkle: An evergreen ground cover that keeps the base cool and shaded, with blue flowers in spring.

Good and bad companions

Goes well with

• Can climb into old, large trees: english oak, scots pine, sycamore, large-leaved lime

Perfoliate honeysuckle: when and how to plant it?

1. Plant in autumn or spring; from a pot almost all year, except in frost or drought.
2. Plant 30–40 cm from the wall or post, where the soil is not too dry, and guide the shoots to the support with a cane.
3. Work some compost into the planting hole and cover the base with leaf mould or a low plant, to keep the roots cool.
4. Water well after planting, and in dry spells during the first year.

Care

Watering

In dry spells during the first year; later in long dry periods, as drought brings on aphids and mildew.

Feeding

Some compost around the base in spring; too much fertiliser gives lots of leaves and few flowers.

Training

Guide young shoots in the right direction and spread them over the support; after that it twines on by itself.

Berries

Leave the berries on the plant: blackbirds and other birds eat them.

Tip: To save the berries for the birds, don’t prune straight after flowering but only at the end of winter, and lightly: just remove overlong and dead stems, so that last year’s shoots can still flower.

Perfoliate honeysuckle: when to prune it?

Pruning months: February–March and July–August.

When: After flowering (July–August) or at the end of winter.

How:

• After flowering, cut the flowered stems back to just above a few new shoots: these will carry next year’s flowers.
• Every few years, remove some of the oldest, bare stems at the base to rejuvenate the plant.
• A bare, tangled plant can be cut back to 50 cm above the ground in February–March.

Caution: It flowers on last year’s shoots: prune it hard in winter and you lose a year of flowers.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Layering

In spring, lay a long shoot on the ground and cover a section with soil; after a year it has roots and you can cut it free.

Cuttings

In summer, take 10–15 cm cuttings from non-flowering shoots; they root in a small pot under plastic.

Perfoliate honeysuckle: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy throughout Belgium: no protection needed.

• Fully hardy.
• It loses its leaves in autumn and comes back into leaf early in spring.
• Winter is the best time to check whether the support is still sturdy and whether any stems have crept into the gutter or around a tree.

Diseases and pests

• Aphids: Grey-green to black aphids on the shoot tips and flower buds, especially in dry weather. Spray with water; ladybirds and tits do the rest.
• Powdery mildew: White, powdery coating on the leaves, especially in dry spots in full sun. Water and cut off affected shoots.
• Bare base: Leaves and flowers only at the top, with a bare tangle of stems below. Remove old stems, or cut the plant back hard in February–March.

Through the year

• February: Pruning: rejuvenate or cut back; the buds swell.
• March: Last pruning before growth starts; compost around the base; planting.
• April: Guide young shoots to the support.
• May: Flowering begins: the scent is strongest in the evening.
• June: Full flower; water in dry spells.
• July: Pruning after flowering; the first orange-red berries.
• August: Pruning after flowering; leave berries for the birds.
• October: Planting.

What can you use it for?

Garden and landscape

Fragrant climber for a pergola, fence or arch; flowers a month earlier than common honeysuckle.

For wildlife

Hawk-moths and bumblebees drink nectar from the long flower tubes in the evening; birds eat the berries.

Caution: The berries are mildly poisonous.

Did you know?

• ‘Caprifolium’ means goat leaf. The French ‘chèvrefeuille’ and German ‘Geißblatt’ also refer to goats, which are said to love the leaves.
• The fused leaf dish gives it its English name, perfoliate honeysuckle: the stem seems to grow straight through the leaf.
• In the evening, hawk-moths hover in front of the flowers and use their long tongues to reach the nectar deep inside the flower tubes.