
The only feeding required is a layer of compost plus organic fertilizer in the spring. Withhold even this spring feeding if the vine becomes too vigorous. Varieties of Japanese Honeysuckle
Lonicera japonica
Lonicera japonica, known as Japanese honeysuckle and golden-and-silver honeysuckle, is a species of honeysuckle native to eastern Asia including China, Japan, and Korea. It is a twining vine able to climb up to 10 m high or more in trees, with opposite, simple oval leaves 3–8 cm long an…
Lonicera japonica
Lonicera japonica, known as Japanese honeysuckle and golden-and-silver honeysuckle, is a species of honeysuckle native to eastern Asia including China, Japan, and Korea. It is a twining vine able to climb up to 10 m high or more in trees, with opposite, simple oval leaves 3–8 cm long an…
How do you care for Japanese honeysuckle in the mountains?
Dryer soils limit the rampant growth of the vine that adapts well to heavy mountain soils. For best growth, keep Japanese honeysuckle well-watered (one inch per week) and protect the soil with a layer of Watters Premium Mulch. If the plant becomes too dry, leaves yellow and turn brown, then fall off, though the vine itself rarely dies.
What can I plant instead of Japanese honeysuckle?
Alternative Vines. There are many other forms of honeysuckle that offer some of the same benefits but without the dangerously rampant growth habit of Japanese honeysuckle. Some options include: Goldflame honeysuckle (Lonicera heckrottii) is a deciduous vining plant that is hardy in zones 5 to 9.
Does Japanese honeysuckle need fertilizer?
While it can root in almost any medium, Japanese honeysuckle appreciates a pH of 5.5 to 8.0 and good drainage. There is no need to fertilize your Japanese honeysuckle, especially in areas like Florida or Texas, where the plant spreads aggressively.
How much water do honeysuckle plants need?
Watering - Newly-planted honeysuckle requires consistent watering, keeping the soil evenly moist until the plant starts growing vigorously on its own. Once established, water only during summer droughts of two weeks or more, giving the plant at least 1 inch of water a week.
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Is Miracle Grow good for honeysuckle?
This method of fertilization should only be done once a year, and is best done in late fall after leaf drop, or in early spring before bud break. Liquid fertilizers (such as Miracle Gro) are mixed with water and applied the same as you would water the plant (see product for specific details).
How do you take care of a Japanese honeysuckle?
For best growth, keep Japanese honeysuckle well watered (1 inch per week) and protect the soil with a layer of bark mulch. If the plant becomes too dry, leaves will turn brown and fall off, though the vine itself rarely dies. Withholding water may help keep the vine in check.
How do I get more flowers on my honeysuckle?
Honeysuckle blossoms only when given adequate sunlight. If the plant isn't flowering, see if it's in shade. If Honeysuckle is in too much shade, the leaves fall off and the plant dies back. Place your Honeysuckle vine so that the vine gets sunlight and the soil remains in the shade.
How do you keep honeysuckle healthy?
Keep climbing honeysuckle plants well watered and mulched with bark mulch to keep the soil consistently moist and to keep weed away. Add layer of compost and an organic plant food for fertilizer each spring. Prune climbing honeysuckle after blooming to keep it in bounds and looking attractive.
What kills Japanese honeysuckle?
Glyphosate is a systemic herbicide that kills Japanese honeysuckle by moving throughout the plant and down to the roots, where it prevents the production of specific proteins the vine needs to grow.
What's wrong with Japanese honeysuckle?
Problem: Japanese honeysuckle damages forest communities by out competing native vegetation for light, below- ground resources, and by changing forest structure. The vines overtop adjacent vegetation by twining about, and completely covering, small trees and shrubs.
What is the best fertilizer for honeysuckle?
Honeysuckle requires fertilizer once or twice a year in the spring beginning around February in our climate. The fertilizer does not need to be anything fancy. Just an all-purpose fertilizer like 16 – 16 –16. Make sure it gets enough water to produce new growth which is where the flowers will be produced.
Why is my honeysuckle not doing well?
Even though honeysuckle can tolerate a partially-shaded area, without enough sun, it may not bloom as much and could lose its leaves. What type of soil to use – Be sure you're planting your honeysuckle in organically rich and very well-drained soil.
Why are there no flowers on my honeysuckle?
There are several possible reasons for honeysuckle not flowering: Inadequate light: Full sun is generally suggested for most honeysuckle vines. Juvenility: Plants may flower the first season but could require up to three seasons to settle before putting on adequate growth.
Why are the leaves on my honeysuckle turning yellow?
Nutritional deficiency in Honeysuckle If you don't feed the soil with an adequate amount of fertilizer, Honeysuckle faces this condition. Leaves turn yellow and drop off the plant. Nitrogen deficiency is quite common in Honeysuckle plants. It arises when you don't feed the plant adequately.
Why are the leaves on my honeysuckle turning brown?
Honeysuckle leaf blight is caused by the fungus Insolibasidium deformans. The disease appears in the spring on newly emerging leaves. The first symptom is a yellowing of leaf tissue. This tissue becomes tan brown and finally necrotic and dry with brown areas involving an entire leaf or a large portion of it.
Why is my honeysuckle dropping leaves?
With any plant, including honeysuckle, leaf drop after massive bloom might occur it it's growing in soil with ample quantities of phosphorus and potassium and insufficient nitrogen. Also, if a plant is doing well in winter at lower temperatures, then the weather warms up and the soil is too wet, root rot can set in.
How do you prune a Japanese honeysuckle?
The best way to correct a severely overgrown honeysuckle is to cut the plant back to about a foot (31 cm.) from the ground. Severe pruning should be done in the winter while the plant is dormant. The vine grows back quickly but doesn't bloom the following spring.
Should you cut back honeysuckle?
Pruning honeysuckle is good practice for caring for your plant. You should prune honeysuckle after it starts flowering. In addition, you should cut back side shoots of honeysuckle to maintain a neat shape. If your honeysuckle is overgrown, you can also renovate it in late winter by cutting it back hard.
How fast does Japanese honeysuckle grow?
9-12 feet per yearQuick Reference Growing GuidePlant Type:Semi-herbaceous flowering perennial vineWhite to yellow/greenPlanting Depth:1/8 inch (seeds)Other plants or treesHeight:30 feetErosion control, ground cover, privacy screen, teaSpread:3-6 feetDipsacalesGrowth Rate:Fast, 9-12 feet per yearCaprifoliaceae8 more rows•Aug 11, 2021
How often should you water honeysuckle?
Water thoroughly after planting, and keep a close eye on the plant over the following week. Then, give it a good soaking once a week during summer, unless rainfall is plentiful (more than 1in per week). Established plants can generally get by on less water, but most grow best if the soil remains evenly moist.
What is Japanese honeysuckle?
Japanese honeysuckle is a climber that twines thickly around any vertical structure, whether it is a trellis or a tree. The vines bear fragrant white flowers, tinged with pink, that attract butterflies and hummingbirds from late spring into fall. The flowers gradually fade to yellow, and it is not uncommon to see white, pink, ...
How big does Henry's Honeysuckle get?
Henry's honeysuckle (Lonicera henry) is hardy in zones 4 to 10. It grows to 30 feet and has red or yellow tubular flowers through spring and summer.
How big does trumpet honeysuckle grow?
It is a smaller vine, growing to 12 feet, and produces fragrant bright red flowers from late spring through mid-summer. Trumpet honeysuckle ( Lonicera sempervirens) is a semi-evergreen vine that is hardy in zones 4 to 10. It grows to 12 feet and has bright orange, red or yellow, tubular flowers from late spring to mid-summer.
When does honeysuckle bloom?
It has scented yellow flowers tinged with red, pink, or purple from late spring into fall. Winter honeysuckle ( Lonicera fragrantissima) is a semi-evergreen shrub form that grows to 10 feet tall with a similar spread It is hardy in zones 4 to 8. It has pairs of small, creamy white, fragrant flowers from late winter through mid-spring.
When does Goldflame Honeysuckle bloom?
Growing to 15 to 20 feet, it has fragrant flowers that are hot pink with yellow throats, blooming from late spring through mid-summer.
Is Lonicera japonica poisonous?
The flowers give way to black berries that are mildly poisonous to humans. 2 The vine is often planted because it does well in shady locations and dry soils. Featured Video. Botanical Name. Lonicera japonica. Common Names. Japanese honeysuckle, golden-and-silver honeysuckle, Japanese honeysuckle weed. Plant Type.
Is honeysuckle poisonous?
Many species of honeysuckle are toxic to one degree or another, and this includes Japanese honeysuckle. This plant contains carotenoids in the berries and glycosides in the stems and vines. These are considered mildly toxic, with symptoms that can include stomach pain, diarrhea, irregular heartbeat, and vomiting. But the effects are usually mild, and occur only when large quantities are ingested. 2 You should not plant this vine where children play, but the plant does attract butterflies and hummingbirds, and many birds enjoy eating the berries.
What are the different types of honeysuckle?
There are more than 180 different kinds of honeysuckle plants. The goldflame (Lonicera × heckrottii; USDA plant hardiness zones 5 through 9) has pink and yellow flowers and blooms all summer. If you prefer other colors, the sulphurea (Lonicera sempervirens; USDA plant hardiness zones 4 through 9) has golden-yellow blooms that appear in the late spring. Honeysuckle should be planted in the spring once the threat of frost has passed. They like sunny locations in moist, well-draining soil with a pH range of about 5.5 to 6.0.
How to fix aphids on honeysuckle?
Symptoms include curled and distorted leaves or a sooty-looking mold. To fix this problem, first, prune off the infected shoots. You may need to use an insecticide to get rid of the aphids.
What zone is honeysuckle?
Honeysuckle plants (Lonicera; USDA plant hardiness zones 4 through 9) produce some of the most recognizable scents on the planet, and they are also lovely. Honeysuckle care is fairly straightforward. According to the team at Gilmour, these plants grow as shrubs or vines, with dark leaves and sweet, tubular-shaped flowers.
How to grow a sage plant in a pot?
First, they say, fill the container with soil and planting mix. Install a small support system; then dig a hole about 6 inches from it. The hole should be as deep as the pot and twice as wide as the plant. Put in the plant, fill in the soil and water it.
Can you cut back honeysuckle?
These hardy plants can be cut all the way to the ground and return back in the spring. In fact, in some areas, honeysuckle is considered an invasive species. If you wait until the honeysuckle has become very woody, it's difficult to cut back. Besides that, it will not thrive as well and produce fewer flowers.
Cultivation and History
There are approximately one hundred eighty species of honeysuckle, or Lonicera, and several of these are native to North America.
Propagation
It’s exceedingly easy to plant and grow Japanese honeysuckle. So easy, in fact, that you may find yourself dealing with an unplanned overabundance of the vine.
How to Grow
Once you’ve got your honeysuckle vine planted, you’ll find caring for it is exceedingly simple, with the exception of containing overgrowth, which we’ll cover in the section on pruning and maintenance below.
Growing Tips
Provide a shady growing environment and allow the soil to dry out between watering to keep growth in check.
Pruning and Maintenance
As this is a vine, you’ll want to be sure that you provide adequate space and support for it, unless you are growing it as a ground cover.
Cultivars to Select
There is only one cultivar of Japanese honeysuckle sold in North America, and that is L. lonicera ‘Halliana,’ aka ‘Hall’s Prolific.’
Managing Pests and Disease
Japanese honeysuckle is rarely troubled by insects or disease. It’s extremely resilient, and even when affected by the snacking of browsing wildlife, it bounces back and continues to grow.
What is Japanese honeysuckle?
Japanese honeysuckle is a climber that twines thickly around any vertical structure like a trellis, even the base of trees. The vines bear fragrant butter flowers, dipped in pink, attracting butterflies and hummingbirds from late spring into fall.
How tall does Winter Honeysuckle get?
Winter honeysuckle is a semi-evergreen shrub form that grows to 10 feet tall with a similar spread. It is hardy in zones 4 to 8. It has pairs of small, creamy white, fragrant flowers from late winter through mid-spring.
How tall does Henry's Honeysuckle grow?
Henry’s honeysuckle is hardy in zones 4 to 10. It grows to 30 feet and has red or yellow tubular flowers through spring and summer. Trumpet honeysuckle is a semi-evergreen vine that is hardy in zones 4 to 10. It grows to 12 feet and has bright orange, red or yellow, tubular flowers from late spring to mid-summer.
When does dropmore honeysuckle bloom?
It has scented yellow flowers tinged with red, pink, or purple from late spring into fall. Dropmore scarlet honeysuckle is hardy in zones 3 to 9. It is a smaller vine, growing to 12 feet, and produces fragrant bright red flowers from late spring through mid-summer.
Can Javelina vines grow in the heat?
An outstanding mountain vine with fragrant yellow flowers that loves blooming in the summer heat. Wind, drought, deer, Javelina are no problem. Ideal at growing up fences, walls, or as a groundcover. An excellent solution for a fast-growing screen, even in the poorest of soil. Summer is the preferred planting time for this heat lover.
Is Japanese honeysuckle poisonous?
Toxicity of Japanese Honeysuckle. Many species of honeysuckle are toxic to one degree or another, and this includes Japanese honeysuckle. This plant contains carotenoids in the berries and glycosides in the stems and vines.
Is Goldflame honeysuckle a deciduous plant?
Goldflame honeysuckle is a deciduous vining plant that is hardy in zones 5 to 9. Growing to 15 to 20 feet, it has fragrant flowers that are hot pink with yellow throats, blooming from late spring through mid-summer. Henry’s honeysuckle is hardy in zones 4 to 10.
How to get honeysuckle to sprout?
Allow them to re-sprout, then spray the sprouts with a 5 percent solution of glyphosate. You can make the solution by mixing 4 ounces of concentrate in 1 gallon of water.
What color are Japanese honeysuckle leaves?
Leaves are normally a medium green on the upper portion with a bluish green hue on the underside. Japanese honeysuckle leaves are separate, growing opposite from each other on the stem and are dark green all over. Additionally, the stems of native species are solid, while Japanese honeysuckles have hollow stems.
What is a native honeysuckle?
Image by Jill Lang. Native honeysuckles are climbing vines covered with beautiful, sweetly scented flowers in spring. Their close cousins, Japanese honeysuckle ( Lonicera japonica ), are invasive weeds that can take over your garden and damage the environment.
What is the difference between Japanese honeysuckle and Japanese honeysuckle?
Additionally, the stems of native species are solid, while Japanese honeysuckles have hollow stems. The berry color is different too, with Japanese honeysuckle having purplish black berries and most other honeysuckle types having berries that are reddish orange.
When was Japanese honeysuckle introduced?
Japanese Honeysuckle Weed Info. Japanese honeysuckle was introduced in the U.S. as a ground cover in 1806. Birds loved them and spread the vines by eating the seeds and transporting them to other areas.
Is Japanese honeysuckle a weed?
In many cases, whether or not a plant is a weed is in the eye of the beholder, but Japanese honeysuckle is always considered a weed, especially in mild climates. In Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont, Japanese honeysuckle is considered a noxious weed. It is one of the top ten invasive plants in Georgia ...
Is it legal to sell Japanese honeysuckle seeds?
Where it is legal, it is still best to avoid it. In the garden Japanese honeysuckle can overrun your plants, lawns, trees, fences, and anything else in its path.

Cultivation
Management
- For best growth, keep Japanese honeysuckle well watered (1 inch per week) and protect the soil with a layer of bark mulch. If the plant becomes too dry, leaves will turn brown and fall off, though the vine itself rarely dies. Withholding water may help keep the vine in check.
Ecology
- Japanese honeysuckle thrives in diverse conditions throughout its hardiness zone range. It is deciduous in colder climates; evergreen in warmer zones, but extremely vigorous wherever it grows.
Diet
- The only feeding required is a layer of compost plus organic fertilizer in the spring. Withhold even this spring feeding if the vine becomes too vigorous.
Toxicity
- Many species of honeysuckle are toxic to one degree or another, and this includes Japanese honeysuckle. This plant contains carotenoids in the berries and glycosides in the stems and vines. These are considered mildly toxic, and symptoms can include stomach pain, diarrhea, irregular heartbeat, and vomiting. But the effects are usually mild, and occur only when large quantities ar…
Prevention
- Major pruning should be done in the early winter after the flowers have dropped off. Pruning usually aims at shortening the plant and keeping its size in check. Plants grown as ground cover should be mowed down in the early spring with a mower set at maximum height.
Benefits
- There are many other forms of honeysuckle that offer some of the same benefits but without the dangerously rampant growth habit of Japanese honeysuckle. Some options include: