Types of honeysuckle plants

While we love honeysuckle for its beautiful blooms and sweet perfume, a word of warning: some types are invasive and might be considered a weed if you plant it in the wrong place. Just check with your local nursery before you plant anything.

Climbing honeysuckle plants

• Firecracker Honeysuckle: A fast-growing climber with two-toned blooms, fantastic in pots.
• Henry’s Honeysuckle: A strong climber with shiny evergreen leaves.
• Goldflame Honeysuckle: Known for its show-stopping flowers and great to pots.
• Japanese Honeysuckle: Grower beware! Japanese honeysuckle is a troublemaker. This invasive weed smothers natives and is best avoided unless you want to spend your weekends pulling it out.

Shrubby honeysuckle plants

• Box-leaved Honeysuckle: Shiny and evergreen
• Winter Honeysuckle: Fragrant white flowers that bloom in winter

Where to plant honeysuckle

Honeysuckle likes a lot of room. Grow climbing types on pergolas, fences and trees, or fill in bare spots with shrubs.

Both climbing and shrubby honeysuckles like dappled shade or partial sun. They want their blooms in gentle light, but their roots cool. Skip full sun – not a fan.

How to plant honeysuckle

Planting climbing honeysuckle

1. Set up a trellis or wires to give your honeysuckle something to climb.
2. Mix some compost into the soil.
3. Dig a roomy hole (about 30-60cm away from walls or fences).
4. Pop the plant into the hole and fill it with soil.
5. Water and mulch.
6. Tie the shoots to the trellis to encourage it to grow up.
7. Water every other day for the first two weeks until your honeysuckle is settled.

Planting shrubby honeysuckle

Shrubby honeysuckle can be planted year-round, although avoid hot summer months when roots may struggle. Follow the same steps as above but skip the support structure.

Caring for honeysuckle

Watering and feeding

Honeysuckle is tough but still likes a bit of TLC:

• Keep the soil moist but never soggy, especially in spring. Water deeply at the bottom of the plant. Don’t water the leaves – it’s a sure-fire way to get powdery mildew.
• Feed with a Scotts Osmocote Controlled Release Fertiliser: All Purpose when you plant it and again each spring. If you’re growing in pots, feed with a Scotts Osmocote Pour+Feed All Purpose every couple of weeks during the growing season.

Pruning honeysuckle

• Late bloomers: Prune lightly in spring for fresh growth.
• Early bloomers: Snip back as soon as they finish flowering. About one-third of each shoot can go.

If your honeysuckle is woody and wild, don’t be afraid to give it a big winter chop. Cut stems back around 50 to 70cm, then thin out new growth in spring.

Growing honeysuckle from seed

If you’ve got the patience, then you might want to try growing honeysuckle from scratch.

1. Pick the ripe red berries in autumn. Wear gloves - they’re pretty but toxic! Remove the red flesh and rinse the seeds with warm water.
2. Honeysuckle seeds need cold to germinate. Sow seeds into the soil in late autumn or pop them into the fridge with some compost for about 12 weeks.
3. Sow the seeds in a greenhouse in early spring and keep the soil lightly moist. Once your seedlings are about 10cm, you can plant them outdoors.