Common honeysuckle

Common honeysuckle: how do you recognise it?

Habit

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

Leaf

Opposite, oval, untoothed, 3–7 cm; bluish-green underneath.

Stems

Twining stems; old stems with peeling bark.

Flower

Cream to reddish-yellow tubular flowers in whorls, June–September, strongly scented in the evening.

Fruit

Glossy red berries, poisonous.

Difference from Japanese honeysuckle

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

Flowering: June–September · Pruning: February–March and August–September

Identify by feature: Red berries · Twining climbers

Looks like it, but isn’t

• Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica): evergreen, with the flowers in pairs in the leaf axils.

Why grow it?

• One of the most fragrant plants in the garden, especially on summer evenings.
• Flowers for a long time, from June to September.
• Nectar for moths and bumblebees, berries for birds and nesting sites in the dense tangle.
• Native and fully hardy.
• Fits into a small space: it only takes up 1–2 m of width.

Common 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 fairly humus-rich soil is ideal.
• It twines and needs something to wind around: a pergola, post, fence, mesh or vertical wires. Against a wall, fix wires or a trellis; it does not damage the wall itself.
• Don’t let it twine around a young tree: it winds so tightly around the trunk that it becomes deformed.

Light

Sun or partial shade

Legal basis

Any garden soil

Moisture

Normal

Size

6 m tall, 2 m wide

Hardiness

Throughout Belgium, no protection needed

Goes well with

• Elder: Honeysuckle climbs through the elder and scents the evening; together blossom and berries for birds.
• Dog rose: Together a fragrant native hedge with flowers in June and berries and hips in autumn.
• Hawthorn: A sturdy native shrub to twine through, in a woodland edge or mixed hedge.

Good and bad companions

Goes well with

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

Common 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 a little way from the wall or post, where the soil is not too dry, and guide the shoots to the support with a cane.
3. Cover the base with leaf mould or a low plant, to keep the roots cool.
4. Garden forms such as ‘Belgica’ (early), ‘Serotina’ (late, dark red) and ‘Graham Thomas’ (creamy yellow) are as easy as the wild form.

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.

Training

Guide young shoots in the right direction; after that it twines on by itself.

Berries

Leave the berries on the plant: they are for the birds.

Tip: Put a bench or patio near the honeysuckle: you smell it best on a summer evening, and with a bit of luck you will see a hawk-moth hovering in front of the flowers.

Common honeysuckle: when to prune it?

Pruning months: February–March and August–September.

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

How:

• Cut back overgrown stems to a young side shoot, so the plant stays compact.
• Every few years, remove some of the oldest, bare stems to rejuvenate the plant.
• A bare, tangled plant can be cut back to 50 cm above the ground in February–March; it will flower less the following year.

Caution: When pruning after flowering, leave some of the berries for the birds, and don’t prune while birds are still nesting in it.

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.

Common honeysuckle: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy throughout Belgium: no protection needed.

• Fully hardy.
• Common honeysuckle comes into leaf very early, often as early as January–February.

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: All the leaves and flowers at the top and a bare tangle of stems below. Remove old stems, or cut a tangled plant back hard in late winter.

Through the year

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

What can you use it for?

Garden and landscape

Fragrant climber for pergolas, fences and old trees.

For wildlife

Moths and bumblebees visit the flowers; birds eat the berries.

Caution: The berries are poisonous.

Good for wildlife

Moths

Nectar for moths, often from flowers that are scented in the evening.

Bumblebees

Nectar and pollen for bumblebees, also from deep flowers and early in spring.

Caterpillars

Host plant: caterpillars of butterflies or moths eat the leaves.

Birds

Berries, seeds or insects as food, or a place to nest.

Bats

Attracts insects in the evening that bats hunt.

Did you know?

• The scent is strongest in the evening, to attract moths such as hawk-moths.
• The caterpillar of the white admiral feeds on common honeysuckle in shady woodland.
• Honeysuckle winds so tightly around young hazel stems that they grow into spiral-twisted sticks, once prized as walking sticks.
• The Dutch name kamperfoelie comes from the Latin caprifolium, ‘goat leaf’.
• The caterpillars of the white admiral butterfly feed on honeysuckle twining up the trees in shady broadleaved woods.