Grew a honeysuckle from seed 2 years ago this spring, don't know variety, the usual climber, very scented, yellow flowers followed by icky red berries. Been making it's way up my fence on the deck and is already very green and lush looking, however, it is yet to flower. Could this be the year, or should it have been by now and I am doing something wrong?? Alongside it is a chillian glory vine which flowers immensly almost all year round, and a bamboo which is now very dense and I am sure I saw a Panda in there last week!
They usually take between 3 to 5 years from seed to reach flowering size. Remember that a plant has to invest an awful lot of resources into producing seed so they tend not to do it until they are really well established. If it is healthy and growing well, it will flower eventually. Try a little Tonk's Rose fertiliser about now to give it a boost.
Excellent news Eric - it was seed from the plant in my Grandads garden in Devon so it will be great to see it do the business. Will get some feed and give it a boost and talk nicely to it. ;D
i bought a little honeysuckle plant from morrisons the other day £1.99 i think he was - cant wait to find somewhere suitable for him think they smell lovelly
I left one behind at my last house and it filled the garden with its scent. It attracted loads of insects at night and then we got the bats feeding on them. I've got a couple now but none smell as lovely as that one but I don't know what the variety it was. I'lll have to buy loads of different ones til I find it
Wardy ;)
Just bought one Saterday at the Local Garden Centre I asked for one that had a Strong Smell/ Half Shade
Hence....Lonicera [ Halliana ] Just dug the Bill out my Rubbish bin Ha ha Good Luck!! :D
i've just bought halliana from wilkos-£1.99.....i'd read that it was the smelliest-i didn't know bats fed on them.....i cant wait!
kitty
x
Kitty :)
Lots of Success with your LOnicera Halliana
Its does have a Lovely Smell according to the Garden centre
here
halliana - truly rampant, practically evergreen and smalls gorgeous
i cant wait!...its along ours and our neighbours fence so we should both benefit! ;D
KITTY :D
Im the same Keep looking out the window to see if its growing!! Ha Ha But Patience it will reward you with that wonderful Aroma on a Warm Summers Evening..HMMMMMM
Just about the only plant in our garden when we moved in was the most gorgeous smelling honeysuckle. Obviously likes our soil as there must be ten of them dotted around.
Nothing quite like sitting near the biggest one it early evening watching the sunset with a glass of wine.
Kitty and Hex :D
Another very strong smelling Lonicera....Americana
this possibly one of the strongest smelling.....lovely 8)
You can also choose Lonicera Periclymenium
                [ Percy Thomas ] not so very strong.
but never the less a nice Lonicera.
They have so many variaties and smells today ;)
interesting thread, but 'non edible'??
use the flowers to make honeysuckle cheese. hmmmmmm
i can provide a receipe for anyone who is interested :)
svea
the cheese sounds interesting!
I just get whatever my lovely dad (Paulstris) propogates for me.
*whips out her copy of 'sensational preserves'
ok, now, pay attention
peach and honeysuckle cheese
makes about 600g/1.25 lb
900g/2lb peaches
1 firmly packed cup of honeysuckle flowers
juice of one lemon
warmed sugar
halve, stone and slice the peaches without peeling them. crack the stones with nutcrackers, a rolling pin or hammer and remove the kernels. blanch the kernels in boiling water for 1 to 2 mins, then slip off the skins.
put the peaches, kernels, honeysuckle and lemon juice in a pan. add water to just cover and bring to the boil, then simmer gently, covered, for about 20mins until the peaches are very soft.
tip the contents of the pan into a scalded jelly bag suspended over a non-metallic bowl and leave to strain, undisturbed, in a cool place for 8-12 hours.
weigh the jiuce and add 350g/12oz sugar for every 570ml/1 pint. heat gently, stirring, until the sugar has dissolved then simmer gently for 40-45 mintes, stirring frequently, until the mixture is so thick and dry that the spoon leaves a clean line when drawn through it.
spoon into clean, warm, dry jars or lightly oiled decorative moulds. cover and seal. store in a cool, dark, dry place for at least 2-3 months before eating.
serve the cheese with unsalted, full fat soft cheese and crisp sweet biscuits to make an instant and unusual desert; serve on fresh crusty bread for a delicious breakfast.
there you are :)
Any suggestions on propagating honeysuckle?
Geoff just looked at them and they threw down roots!
I've tried layering, cuttings, seeds: hormone powder and no powder: no roots at all.
What do you do?
Clayhith :)
Very Good question would like to know .....HOW too!!e
Leave one of your slonger tems/ runners lying along the ground - secure it if necessary. Almost before your very eyes, it'll root in several places.
Amazin ;D
Thank you......SIMPLE when you think about it ahah
But I'm a bit slow these days haha
Works for me, but do not be in too big a hurry to move the rooted pieces. Give them time to really develop a good root system. If you want to you can sink pots of cutting type compost into the ground and layer your piece into them for ease, as you would with strawberries.
Gorgeous recipe Svea :) It sounds absolutely scrummy
I have succeeded with honeysuckles by taking cuttings, removing lower leaves and heeling them in in a sheltered part of the garden at the bottom of a wall for example and then leave them until they are well developed enough to replant. Same as you do for buddliea etc
So in principal you get a .... Trailer a Low Branch and peg it too the ground......then!!! How long do you leave it there and when do you cut from the main Honeysuckle!!
It doesn't take long to start rooting. Do it now and you should have some roots starting to show within a couple of weeks. In a couple of months the roots should be sturdy enough for you to sever from the parent plant. I accidentally left a long stem crawling unnoticed beneath my hedge. I went to move it the other day and had to wrap the loose end round my arm, grab hold with both hands, feet braced against a brick wall, and yank... and when I get out of casualty... I'm going to pot NINE rooted cuttings! NB - roots usually form from every little leaf bunch along the stem so prepare for a large family!
Then of course there is always air layering, if none of your stems are close to the ground ;D
Amazin :D
I'll Try it!! Thanks.........think of all the Family allowance.
Phew!! haha
Can honeysuckle flourish in a pot? I put it in a relatively small pot last year and it seemed to get hit with mildew. Last week I put it in a massive, and I mean MASSIVE!, pot so that it would flourish this summer. What are my chances? Think it'll work?
Hi quinny,
I grow my Honeysuckle in a large pot. It's in it's third year now and doing well. Just remember not to let it dry out too much.
As for success with cuttings EJ, I just lopped off some bits in the middle of March, stuck them in the container beside the parent plant and out of 6 cuttings, 5 have rooted ;D I didn't use rooting hormone or anything.
Don't know what my Honeysuckle is but it's late flowering and a twiner, doesn't look like the known late flowerers that I've seen.
Hi TL,
That's good news. I re potted it last weekend and it's already looking a better colour. It may be my imagination though! This one is in shade for the majority of the time, north facing wall, it'll get the sun from about 6pm onwards in the summer.
I think I'll give the old cuttings a bash, 5 outta 6 is my kind of ratio!
Cheers for now ;D
Can you prune honeysuckle if it gets out of hand? :o
I pruned an enormous honeysuckle (9 ft x 4ft x 8ft) right back down 6 inches from the ground last autumn, as we had removed some leylandii (sp?) which this thing had been growing around, so it was mainly dead looking wood with flowering tips. Anyway, it has amazed me by producing tons of new growth, I was convinced it was a goner as the bit we cut into looked very old and dried out. Not sure if it will flower this year though, as it was in flower this time last year and so far only has foliage. Fingers crossed for a late flush?
PH
My old Honeysuckle was rampant - a session with the garden shears kept it in check and did it no harm at all. Didn't matter if I did it before or after flowering - it was so prolific it just got on with it.
We had two huge mature specimins that I had no alternative but to chop down six weeks ago as their arch was collapsing and in the way. Hacked them down to four inch height on single inch thick dead looking wooden stem using garden saw. I was happy to see this week that the one in the right place is budding again all over it. May take a few years to recover but pleased not to have lost it. It has been hit by a few hard frosts without problem so far.
Hex
Good Morning :)
Interesting to hear!!
I've only this week Placed the lowest Branchling along the
ground for self-rooting I intend leaving it there until
just before my Holiday in July....well end June.
Then hopefully I'll be able to sever from the Mother Plant
cut the Roots into section and Pot them up ...any way thats the theory :D!!
Amazin, Palustris,
Thanks, I'll try ground layering.
Well what do you know. Had a good look at it today, and there are flower buds all over! Sorry about the quality. :-\
Heres mine and you can just notice a clem appearing in front of it
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y199/Honeybee3003/02.jpg)
From what I've read, the standard way to completely rejuvenate a straggly old honeysuckle is to cut it back hard, to within 18" of ground level or so.
I've just done this to remove the bulk of a 8'x5' specimin that would have pulled the new fence down in no time. Wife wants rid, I can't bring myself to dig it up completely. If it dies, she'll be happy - if it lives, I'll be happy. I've got some small plants rooted from a runner, so when the new strong fence & wall is built I'll plant a couple of them against it.
However, this particular one does not seem to have a strong scent - are there any less-than-rampant varieties (so they could climb up the original fence) that have a particularly strong scent?
It must have heard you EJ ;) glad to hear it took note and produced some some flowers for you ;D
Honeybee your honeysuckle looks gorgeous.
I didn't know some Honeysuckles had a stronger smell than others,l thought they were all the same ??? you do learn some great stuff on these boards.
I have one growing around an arch which flowers,but l have never noticed the smell :'( haven't a clue about the name of it either.
OOOOH honeybee - thats pretty!! Ours has just got tiny flower buds but worth waiting for as the smell is wonderful - willhave to try your recipe Svea as is sounds delicious
Honeybee that's stunning. :)Do you remember what variety it is ?Americana?