Common honeysuckle

Sun

Full sun or partial shade; flowers best with good light on the upper growth and cool, shaded roots.

Water

Keep evenly moist while establishing. Water established plants deeply during prolonged dry spells, especially beside walls.

Soil

Moist but well-drained, humus-rich soil; tolerates clay, loam and sandy soil improved with organic matter, and a broad pH range.

Height

10-20 ft (3-6 m)

Spread

3-6 ft (0.9-1.8 m)

Flowers

Late spring through summer, sometimes into early autumn; tubular cream-white flowers age to yellow, often with pink or purple flushing outside.

Foliage

Opposite pairs of oval, green to blue-green leaves; normally deciduous, though some leaves may persist in mild winters.

Growth

Moderate to fast once established.

Care needed

Medium

• Provide sturdy wires, trellis or an arch; stems twine but do not cling to bare walls.
• Plant away from a wall's dry base and guide young shoots onto the support with loose ties.
• Water deeply during the first two growing seasons and whenever established roots become dry.
• Apply a 2-3 in (5-8 cm) organic mulch in spring, keeping it clear of the stems.
• Feed lightly in spring only if growth is weak; excessive nitrogen encourages leaves rather than flowers.

Pruning. After the main flowering flush, shorten overlong shoots and thin crowded growth without shearing the whole plant. Remove dead or damaged stems in late winter; renovate a badly tangled plant then by cutting it back hard, accepting fewer flowers that summer.

Late winter

Check supports and remove dead, damaged or badly crossing stems.

Spring

Plant into workable soil, water thoroughly and mulch the root area.

Late spring

Tie in new shoots and check soft growing tips for aphids.

Summer

Water during dry spells and guide vigorous shoots before they tangle.

After flowering

Shorten wayward shoots and thin congested stems; leave some flowered growth to produce berries.

Autumn

Plant where winters are mild, or layer a low shoot to produce a new plant.

• Train over an arch beside a path or seating area where its evening fragrance can be enjoyed.
• Cover a trellis or open fence to make a leafy, informal screen.
• Grow with a climbing rose for contrasting flower shapes and a longer season of interest.
• Train through a substantial hedge or shrub at a woodland edge, keeping it away from small trees it could overwhelm.

Garden styles it suits: Cottage garden, English country, Woodland, Wildlife garden, Sensory garden and Evening garden.

Plant it with: Climbing roses, Clematis, Foxgloves, Hardy geraniums, Lady's mantle and Woodland ferns.

Wildlife: Scented flowers provide nectar for moths, including hawkmoths, and other long-tongued insects. Birds eat the berries, and dense established growth can provide nesting cover. It is native to Britain and much of Europe, not to North America or Australia.

• Aphids can distort soft shoots: wash off small colonies with water and encourage ladybirds and other predators.
• Powdery mildew causes a white coating on leaves, especially with dry roots: water deeply, mulch and thin congested growth.
• Leaf scorch and early leaf drop often follow drought beside walls: soak the root area and improve moisture retention with organic mulch.
• Sparse flowering can result from deep shade, heavy feeding or repeated clipping: improve light, reduce nitrogen and prune mainly after flowering.

The berries are harmful to people if eaten and can cause nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea; they are not edible garden fruit. Keep cats and dogs from eating berries or other plant parts, which may cause digestive upset. Reliable species-specific information for horses is limited, so do not allow browsing or put prunings in paddocks; seek medical or veterinary advice after significant ingestion.

Where it spreads. Can escape cultivation and spread locally in the Pacific Northwest of the United States and southwestern British Columbia, particularly along woodland edges. Birds disperse the seeds, and stems can root where they touch soil; check local guidance before planting near natural areas.

• Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica)

  Usually bears flowers in pairs from the leaf axils and produces black berries; common honeysuckle has clustered terminal flowers and red berries. Japanese honeysuckle is invasive in many regions.

• Italian honeysuckle (Lonicera caprifolium)

  The upper leaf pairs join around the stem to form a conspicuous disc beneath the flower clusters; common honeysuckle's upper leaves remain separate.

• Trumpet honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens)

  Usually has red or orange, narrow trumpet-shaped flowers with little scent and joined upper leaves; common honeysuckle has strongly scented, two-lipped cream-yellow flowers and separate leaves.

Lonicera honours the German botanist Adam Lonitzer, while periclymenum comes from an ancient Greek name used for a twining plant.

Propagation. Layer a flexible low stem into moist soil in spring or autumn, leaving its tip exposed; detach it once well rooted. Alternatively, take semi-ripe cuttings in summer. Seed-grown plants vary and may take several years to flower.

Accepted botanical name

Lonicera periclymenum

In the US and Canada

Introduced in Canada and the lower 48 states.

Native range

Albania, Austria, Belgium, Corse, Denmark, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Ireland, Italy and Morocco.

Measured

Soil pH 5 to 5.5. Average height 350 cm.

Sources: GBIF (CC BY 4.0), USDA PLANTS and Trefle (CC BY 4.0). The care and design notes are LandscapeGPT's own.