- Common names: honeysuckle, woodbine
- Botanical names: Lonicera periclymenum, L. japonica
- Family: honeysuckle (Caprifoliaceae)
- Type: deciduous or evergreen climbers
- Flowering season: summer
- Planting time: autumn to spring
- Height: 60cm to 8m (2 to 26ft)
- Width: 60 to 2m (2 to 7ft)
- Aspect: semi-shade for climbers
- Hardiness: H5 to H6
- Difficulty: easy
Honeysuckle (Lonicera periclymenum) is one of the easiest plants to find in the wild, since its strong, sweet scent hangs on the air. Native to most of Europe, it is a common sight and smell in our woodlands and hedgerows in summer, twining itself around trees and scrub and luring a wide variety of wildlife. In A Midsummer Night's Dream, Oberon describes Titania's sleeping place as 'quite overcanopied with luscious woodbine'. It is certainly a plant fit for a queen, since each of the flowerheads resembles a crown of cream and gold, formed of a ring of tubular blooms.
These very slender flowers are pollinated by moths (such as the hummingbird hawk-moth), using their long tongue-like proboscis, and honeysuckle perfume intensifies at twilight in order to attract them. But the blooms are fragrant during the day as well, because they are visited by long-tongued bumblebees. After the flowers come the bright-red glossy berries, which provide food for birds, including bullfinches. L. periclymenum is also a vital plant for dormice because its bark is the main material they use to build their nests, after shredding it, and they eat the flowers.
In the garden, honeysuckles are one of the least demanding climbers for partial shade. Since they don't require a huge amount of pruning, they can be grown through other plants. Their scent enchants the scene, especially at night, so once you've grown one honeysuckle, you may find yourself quickly planting more.
Which honeysuckles to grow for scent
The offspring of our native woodbine (Lonicera periclymenum) are the best varieties to buy for perfume. L. periclymenum 'Graham Thomas' is a good choice, producing a mass of gold and ivory flowers that fill the garden with scent from midsummer to early autumn. For a longer performance, grow both L. periclymenum 'Belgica' (which flowers from May to June) and L. periclymenum 'Serotina' (it kicks off in July and blooms into October); both have raspberry and cream flowers, followed by scarlet berries. All three are vigorous deciduous climbers, capable of 6 metres or more. For a small space, the more compact L. periclymenum 'Scentsation' has an abundance of lemon and primrose flowers with a knockout scent, but only grows to 3 metres.
However, following the current fashion for naturalistic, wild gardening, you may prefer to plant the species itself, which never lacks magic.
Which honeysuckles are evergreen
Lonicera japonica, from Asia, is an evergreen or semi-evergreen climber, except in very cold winters, in which it may be deciduous. Although its varieties aren't always as fragrant as the L. periclymenum types, they still have wonderful perfume and bloom over a long period, from spring to late summer. White and yellow L. japonica 'Hall's Prolific' is floriferous from a young age; L. japonica 'Halliana' has a strong scent; L. japonica var. repens bears pink and pale amber flowers; and L. japonica 'Purpurea' has bronze-tinted leaves in winter. In the right conditions, Japanese honeysuckle can be extremely vigorous and has become invasive in parts of the US. In British gardens, its hybrids are likely to grow to between 4 and 8 metres.
Another good semi-evergreen choice is L. x heckrottii 'Gold Flame', which has deliciously fragrant rhubarb and custard flowers in summer, followed by red berries. Having a shrubby habit, it must be tied in to help it climb.
How to plant a honeysuckle
Ideally, plant evergreen honeysuckles in autumn or spring, and plant deciduous forms in winter. Select a site in semi-shade or dappled shade. Dig a hole 45 to 60 centimetres from the structure the honeysuckle is going to climb. The soil should be moisture retentive and well-drained, so fork in organic matter (such as leaf mould or compost) before planting. Angle the climber towards whatever you want it to climb and leave the bamboo canes (or other support) it is growing around in situ, if the stems aren't long enough to tie in yet. If the stems are long, trim them by a quarter to a third to stimulate fresh growth from the base. Water in, then mulch around the base of the plant with organic matter.
Where to plant honeysuckle
Provide the plant with something to climb up or through – this could be anything from trellis or wires attached to a wall to an arch or pergola. Honeysuckle can also be grown through other plants, such as large shrubs or rambling roses, trees (with low branches to wind through), or mixed hedging. If you want to enjoy the scent, grow it over a porch or close to windows, so that the smell floods into the house on warm nights. For patio pots, select one of the dwarf forms, such as L. periclymenum 'Strawberries and Cream', which has a good scent.
How to grow honeysuckle
- WATER young plants, especially during hot, dry weather, until established.
- MULCH around the base of the plant (for instance, with leafmould or compost) once a year, in spring.
- BERRIES should follow the flowers, if you don't deadhead the flowers.
- PRUNE early-flowering honeysuckles after flowering (in late summer or autumn), and prune late-flowering forms in spring. Remove sick, weak, congested, or dead growth, as necessary; you can prune harder (by around a third, if need be) in late summer or autumn, but only a light trim is required for the early bloomers in spring.
- REVIVE an old, tired honeysuckle by cutting it down hard (to 60 to 90 centimetres above the ground) in late autumn or winter. Mulch afterwards.
- HARDINESS - In the coldest regions, Lonicera periclymenum and L. caprifolium are the hardiest species. Both have incredible perfume.
Honeysuckle pests and diseases
Honeysuckles can fall prey to powdery mildew in places where the air flow is poor and the soil is dry. In such a site, try growing L. similis var. delavayi, which is said to have good mildew resistance, or prevent the mildew by removing fallen leaves, mulching annually, and watering in hot, dry weather. Some honeysuckles (especially the unscented colourful forms) readily become infested with aphids. When the flies are black, it can look unsightly, but the plant usually recovers itself without any intervention. The aphids can be removed and squished by hand, and aphid predators (such as ladybirds and hoverflies) can be lured by planting lots of single-flowered Tagetes and Calendula marigolds as summer bedding.
