Does your backyard have plants that require pruning, watering, and care?
Developing a pretty garden can be laborious, but if you’re thinking to add another plant to your garden and you’re not looking for more labour, then a Honeysuckle tree might be the answer you need.
Honeysuckle trees are considered “easy” plants, and they are easy because they’re low maintenance and generally grow well on their own with little notable issues. There are climbing and shrub types of honeysuckle.
To help you cultivate a healthy Honeysuckle tree in your garden, we have put together a guide to Honeysuckle trees.
What Do Honeysuckle Trees Look Like?
You might be surprised to find that Honeysuckles are called “trees,” even though they grow as vines and shrubs. The name comes from the fact that since their easier growth rarely has issues, it can grow to the size of a small tree.
There are a few things that can identify a Honeysuckle. Following are the most common indicators:
First, the leaves pair on each side of the stem and are shaped like teardrops. There can be evergreen varieties or deciduous ones that both grow and shed leaves once fall and winter arrive and grow them back in spring.
One of the attractive features are the lovely flowers that also occur in different varieties. Flower colors can be white, yellow, pink, or deep red depending on the variety.
An obvious clue is the berries. Honeysuckle trees make bright red berries that birds love but are poisonous to humans.
Lastly: Honeysuckle may be a native variety or an invasive one, we will tell you more about that as we go.
How Tall Do Honeysuckle Trees Get?
Honeysuckles have a wide range of size. Some of them can grow more than 20 feet, while others stay short and close to the ground.
It’s all based on the variety of Honeysuckle.
Of course, a vine will be taller than the smaller shrub varieties too. The tree’s height depends on the climate too and where it grows.
All About the Invasive Honeysuckle Species
You can identify invasive Honeysuckle trees by checking the stems.
If they have hollow stems, that is a sign that the plant is invasive. Just cut off a branch, and look inside.
If there is a hollow passage in the stem, you are dealing with invasive Honeysuckle. So invasive Honeysuckle is truly invasive!
It grows like crazy, and completely covers or shades out your native plants, making it harder for them to photosynthesize.
Be Aware: If left alone, the invasive variety will shade out all the plants, before you know it, your whole backyard will be Honeysuckle trees!
How can I prevent or control invasive Honeysuckle?
The invasive breed spreads via birds, and the birds eat the berries, and as they drop it, it propagates into new spaces.
To avoid that:
- We would recommend putting out a bird feeder so that the residents have another source of food instead.
- Also, you will have to be mindful of transplanting. If you find one we want to take, check for hollow stem before moving it.
As the invasive breed tends to grow wild, native habitat, especially in the U.S., the odds are high that transplanting will yield an invasive plant, so you should check the stem for hollowness before pulling it from the wild!
The most effective way to minimize rodents is to mitigate before the plant produces berries to avoid birds from eating and spreading elsewhere.
If you realize it is invasive and it has already grown—you can pull most smaller ones out from roots. If it has become a tree, use a tool called a “Honeysuckle popper”.
It looks like a shovel, it provides mechanical advantage, it makes it easier to lever out the tree from its roots which is challenging if it is already a large 20-foot stem!tall!
Caring for a Honeysuckle Tree
As previously stated, these trees demand little maintenance, making them the ideal option for any gardener who is searching for some easy to care for shrubs.
So let’s move on to care instructions and recommendations.
When Is The Best Time To Plant One?
You may plant your Honeysuckle tree at any time of year.
However, you have to get them into the ground so frozen ground will not work well!
There are optimal times throughout the year for the different species, fall for evergreens and late winter for deciduous.
Watering is critical at the early stages. This is when the plant will be the most demanding so make sure you continuously irrigate it during this time, as it will require it.
Also: One key piece for Honeysuckles is mulch. It helps them retain moisture needed for growth.
In What Soil Should I Plant My Honeysuckle?
Fittingly, the soil you can use for your plant is contingent on the type.
Climbing Honeysuckels (the vine variety) are best in fertile, moist soil.
We emphasize “moist”, but not wet. The soil must have good drainage for this type of Honeysuckle tree. They don’t like to be sitting in too much moisture.
These types of trees also need humus-rich soil. Humus-rich soils have a good amount of decomposed organic matter.
It is the dark fully decomposed soil that you might see in a healthy garden, and is necessary for your climbing Honeysuckle to flourish.
The shrub variety, on the other hand, just needs well-drained soil.
Both varieties will benefit from some mulch on their bases and fertilizer or compost, will help the plant as well.
Where should I plant my honeysuckle tree?
These plants are wild and can grow and survive in so many climates.
The biggest factor is sunlight. Climbing Honeysuckle trees (which are the vine variety) will produce flowers if planted in areas of sunlight directed and constant.
Just remember that with the plant in a shade, there is far less chance of pests; if there is too much shade, the plant will flower less as well so, we will let you decide that.
Now, they do require sunlight, not full or total, but any sunlight will do. The shrub variety needs full sun and part sun too.
As to climate, these plants are good for temperate places, but can also withstand cold winter and hot summers.
If you want your tree to grow upon a fence or trellis, it will do it very well;
- Just make sure the soil at its base remains well dampened.
- Especially when the tree is growing against a wall, rock, or trellis or something else, mulch helps hold that additional dampness for a longer period.
Because these plants will grow wide and tall, make sure you have some space in order to avoid choking your other flowers and plants, or your outdoor furniture!
How Often Should They Be Pruned?
Also, how much pruning the plant requires depends on the type of Honeysuckle and when it flowers. For example, the common Honeysuckle, flowers early in the spring and needs to be pruned right after it flowers to spur optimal growth.
To prune this approximately one third of the tree should be pruned.
Another variation, like the Japanese Honeysuckle, is so easy to take care of that they don’t need hardly any pruning at all. You simply have to trim back any branches that are too long from time to time to keep them growing well.
The shrub type of Honeysuckle requires a bit more work when it comes to pruning:
- Go to the base of this shrub and cut off any old stems.
- Shorten every third branch that appears to be older than the others.
- Then when the winter is coming to a close give it a full prune and cut off any weak branches.
With all variations of Honeysuckle you should always be sure to thin them out from time to time because they will grow very quickly and take over areas if not cared for.
It will be much better for them to be thinned out regularly and will help balance everything nicely in your yard!
Should I Plant Them next to Other Plants?
Whether you plant them near other plants or not is totally up to you.
Just remember if you are working with the invasive variety, plant them too close to another plant, it will probably take them over.
This means it will take away their sunlight and unfortunately kill them!
Be Adventurous: If you are looking to create a wild aisle garden, you can easily vent these anywhere in your landscape. They will quickly cover the area and climb up any fence or trellis.
What is the best planting method?
You can plant the Honeysuckles in the garden so that they will grow up the trellis or the fence, creating that vertical garden look that is so popular throughout the country.
Or you can plant them free-standing to grow by themselves if you choose. The best way to plant your Honeysuckle, simply depends on which type of Honeysuckle you choose to plant!
For example, the shrub is better to fill the material down low, while the vine would be better for a fence or trellis.
What Are the Most Common Problems with Them?
The good news is that Honeysuckle leaves are naturally considered resistant to Aphids as they are one of the most common killers of plants.
However, when they are young shoots, they don’t ward off the Aphids yet so be watchful when the plant is young.
There are just a few other issues which may arise so keep reading to learn the process for dealing with those issues if they appear on your plant.
Dealing with Cankers
Cankers are one of the few problems that can affect your Honeysuckle tree. If you see discolored spots on the stems that may be swollen and possibly, leaking a waxy or gummy substance, you have Cankers.
Cankers can stem from several sources, such as rain splash or contaminated tools transferred from other plants. Sadly, the only way to remove it is to remove the stems that have spots or the whole plant.
If it is the whole plant, remove it and dispose of it, thoroughly washing your tools afterward. Spraying the area with a Canker disinfectant can isolate the disease from your next crop.
Powdery mildew
If you find white powdery spots on your plant, you suspect Powdery Mildew. Your Honeysuckle tree is more likely to be infested with Powdery Mildew when it is being deprived of water.
If you live in a dry climate, or like this year you had an extremely dry season and you did not irrigate, your plant could be vulnerable.
The best thing to do when it comes to Powdery Mildew is avoid it. Mulch around the base of your plant to retain as much water as possible.
What to do if the Blight comes around
Blight is prevalent in new leaves, watch for it if you just planted your tree. If your tree is infected, this is what you will see, leaves curling, discoloration (brown, even black) and sometimes falling off.
Again, this is a fungal disease and parts that are infected will require removal.
After removing the affected parts from the plant, continue to spray the rest of the plant with a fungicide, hopefully, until it blooms.
If caught early, and managed quickly, the Blight should go away.
Last Thoughts on the Wonderful Honeysuckle tree
Now you know everything you wanted about caring for this plant.
As this was said before, these trees are prolific.
Whether you wanted an unsightly fence covered, or some privacy from neighbors, a Honeysuckle will do it.
If you were not concerned about having other plants in your garden, you could even plant the invasive type as it will rapidly spread to cover its surroundings.
If you liked this article please share it, as you never know who was looking for a low-maintenance shrub to plant in their yard!