Honeysuckle

A Scented Sensation

Why do so many people have a honeysuckle in their garden? Simply because they deserve to be there!

Easy to grow, with the most fantastic fragrance, you can't really go wrong with these wonderful plants. Whether grown on their own or in combination with other plants, their form, colour and scent are worthy of our admiration...and they will grow over a pergola in no time!

Having waxed lyrical about their fabulous scent, there are some varieties that are, in fact, unscented, for example, the beautiful 'Dropmore Scarlet', which is grown for its spectacular red trumpet flowers and bluey-green leaves.

Being semi-evergreen, it's useful for providing at least some foliage during the winter months. This variety is well suited to being a feature plant in the more modern garden.

For outstanding scent, and its suitability for use on a north facing wall, I would recommend the 'Late Dutch Honeysuckle' (Lonicera periclymenum 'Serotina'). There is an early flowering variety available, too.

The 'Gold Flame' variety shown below, or one of the Japanese varieties, with their intensely fragrant flowers, are also a good choice.

Varieties

Including the above, here are some real stunners! A picture really does tell a thousand words!

It's fascinating to explore the different honeysuckles and see the wonderful range of colours, flowers and forms. You'll also find lots of useful information about how fragrant they are, their growth habit and the sort of conditions they prefer. There's something here for a sunny pergola, wall, arch or even a smaller space, so have a look through and see which might suit your garden.

There are several free pergola plans to choose from if you'd like to give your honeysuckle a sunny spot and the perfect place to climb.

Planting Combinations

To see the above mentioned and to find other climbing plants to work in combination, take a look at the extensive range of available climbers, and detailed information on planting and care.

One that I grow in combination with honeysuckle in my garden is the clematis 'Madame Julia Correvon', which picks out the red tones of the honeysuckle perfectly. My clematis page has lots more ideas and shows other beautiful varieties in many different colours.

Honeysuckle can, and often is, used as a feature plant on its own. It is vigorous enough to create an individual display, easily covering a wall, arch, pergola or doorway with its wonderful blooms.

It can also be grown in close proximity to other plants that enhance its colours. Try using red, yellow, orange or white plants, such as clematis, roses and border perennials to set off the colours, or go for contrasting purple flowers for a more dramatic effect.

If you would like to make the most of your honeysuckle's fantastic scent, plant near to doorways, seating areas and walkways. Take into account, though, that the stems will be bare during the winter months.

A Fast-Growing Favourite

Honeysuckle is one of those plants that can make a garden feel wonderfully established in a surprisingly short time. 

If you're looking for a climber that will cover a pergola, arch or wall relatively quickly, honeysuckle is definitely worth considering. It is a vigorous grower and, once established, can soon make a real impact. With a little help and guidance when young, you can encourage it in the direction you want it to grow and before long it can create that wonderful leafy, flower-filled effect you're looking for.

Because honeysuckle is vigorous, it does need something suitable to climb on. Young stems can be gently guided towards their support, and once established they will twine around trellis, wires or other suitable supports. On a pergola, you can encourage the stems along the posts and up onto the rafters, gradually creating the effect of a living canopy.

Keep an eye on the base of the plant, particularly when it is young. Honeysuckle likes its roots to remain cool and moist, while the foliage enjoys plenty of light. A mulch around the base can help retain moisture during dry weather and also keeps the soil cooler. Just make sure the mulch doesn't sit directly against the main stem.

With a little guidance when young, honeysuckle is wonderfully forgiving. Once established, it can become one of those plants that seems to look after itself, rewarding you with flowers, foliage and that unmistakable summer fragrance year after year.

Mulch? Say What!

But what is mulch?!!! A question I hear so often!

Mulch is simply a layer of material spread over the surface of the soil. It helps to retain moisture, suppress weeds and protect plant roots. Organic mulches gradually break down and add valuable organic matter to the soil - which can only be a good thing!

There are several different materials you can use, and they don't all do exactly the same job:

• Well-rotted garden compost – an excellent all-round mulch and a fantastic soil improver. It adds organic matter as it breaks down, helping to improve the structure and nutrient content of the soil. You can buy it in bags from garden centres or if you prefer online. Look for products described as garden compost, composted green waste, soil improver or soil conditioner. It should be dark, crumbly and well broken down.
• Well-rotted manure – another excellent soil improver, adding organic matter and nutrients as it breaks down. It is particularly useful when you want to improve poorer soil. I often mix about one-third well-rotted manure with two-thirds garden compost to make a rich mulch and soil improver. Late winter and early spring are particularly good times to apply it, although it can also be used as a mulch in autumn. Always make sure the manure is well- rotted rather than fresh.
• Leaf mould – made from fallen leaves that have broken down over time. It is a wonderful soil improver and helps improve the structure of the soil. It can be harder to find ready-made in garden centres, but if you have plenty of leaves in autumn, it is very easy to make your own. This leaf sack makes composting a breeze.
• Composted bark – a useful organic mulch for covering the soil surface. It helps suppress weeds, reduces moisture loss and protects the soil from drying out. As it gradually breaks down, composted bark also adds organic matter to the soil. It is readily available from garden centres and online and is particularly useful where you want a longer-lasting mulch.
• Strulch -  a light and easy-to-use garden mulch made from wheat straw. It helps to suppress weeds and retain moisture around plants, reducing the need for frequent watering and weeding. Its texture is also said to discourage slugs and snails. If you're interested in trying it, it's an unusual and rather interesting alternative to more traditional mulches.
• Gravel or decorative stone – these can also be used as mulch, particularly when your main aim is to cover the soil surface, suppress weeds and create a neat decorative finish. Gravel can be particularly useful around plants in containers, where it can also give the surface a smart, finished appearance. Unlike organic mulches, gravel doesn't break down and improve the soil.

Whichever mulch you choose, spread it over the soil rather than piling it against the main stem of the plant. A mulch is there to protect and improve the soil around your plants, not to smother the plant itself.

Ideally, apply mulch when the soil is moist. If you've just planted, water the plant thoroughly first, then apply your mulch. If the weather is dry, give the area another good watering afterwards to make sure the water reaches the roots beneath the mulch.

Pruning Your Honeysuckle

There is no need to prune if you do not wish to although, in time, the base of the plant will become an intertwining spiral of bare stems. If this happens, you can simply cut back the whole plant to about 6" and it will shoot again - its delicate appearance belies its vigorous and resilient nature!

If you would prefer a more controlled plant, cut back flowered stems to 2-3 leaf buds in early spring.

Other than that, these plants will very much take care of themselves.

Traditional or Modern

We all know how fabulously romantic a honeysuckle can look in a traditional setting, but it doesn't have to mean 'old-fashioned'. It can look extraordinarily elegant and contemporary.

This white pergola with the stunning honeysuckle growing through its rafters gives a very Mediterranean feel to the whole setting, with the light-coloured structure setting off the dramatic colour of the planting. 

Make the most of its maintenance-free habit. Honeysuckle are almost impossible to kill, and will fill the warm summer air with their heady scent. A thumbs-up all round, I'd say!

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