Hi everyone,
My Honeysuckle is a couple of years old.
The problem is that in the winter all the leaves are fine and it looks wonderful, wherea now the leaves look like they have a disease (they have black specs on them, that look like powdery mildew but are not). The leaves are all falling and there is little or no sign of flowering.
The same thing happened last year and I put it down to lack of water and ensured the plant was never thirsty.
Does anyone have any idea what could be wrong ???
Thanks
Cat
I have the same problem with one of mine. It is a Japanese evergreen variety. Right next to it is an ordinary common honeysuckle which I planted in the hope of covering up the bareness this grows fine with no problems.
Like you I found that plenty of water seems to help it. I think it just does not like its position. It is in front of my house which faces s.e. and gets a lot of sun. It is fine in winter and early spring but always starts to struggle when the weather warms up.
Other than watering daily I don't know I have tried mulching but that doesn't seem to solve the problem.
I'd guess some kind of fungal leaf spot?
Does anything happen to the leaves before they drop off (ie change colour, go mushy?) Or is is just the black specks? Any sign of aphids - blackfly like honeysuckles? Or scale insects?
There was a thread about this time last year saying the same thing - I was really glad to know others had the same problem and this year looks to be the same too, so yet again I am glad I am not the only one!
Mine is a Halliana which is supposed to be vigorous but doesn't look it at the moment. it is is partial shade which is supposed to be ok for it. I will keep watering and hope for the best. Otherwise I shall replace it with something else.
Tulippa
I had one that did the same, I put up with it for a few years then got rid!
;D
I grow mine like Clematis, i.e. the roots are in the shade and mine seems to thrive on this.
It is true because of this shading the lower half of my plant is quite bare but the top flowers abundantly as you can see here;
(http://www.thegardenersalmanac.co.uk/Pics/Lonicera(3)/Lonicera.JPG)
I have been reading with interest....some similar problems occurring with my Lonicera periclymenum 'Belgica' (common woodbine). I thought this was one of the easiest plants to grow. In the natural habitat it appears to grow almost anywhere.
Mine is on a south-east wall (about 3 years old) and puts out very little growth. It always looks sad....although this year it has some flowers, they aren't that strong smelling ( even at night), and it is asking to be dug up. :(
I think I could be over-watering (some plants need neglect) and it could be getting scorched.
My suggestion is to get a non-native honeysuckle (Halliana,Delavayi) and plant elswhere.
Good luck
Sabre ;)
I have recently moved mine from a south facing wall (for the same reasons), to a north facer. Initially it looked sick still, so I gave it a squirt of a general de-bugger, and now it seems lots happier. Even got some flowers. ;D