Cutting back Honeysuckle

Hello all, I've been reading this forum for a while, and have been learning a lot from you all, but this is my first thread so please be gentle 0)

I wondered if anybody could advise me on honeysuckl? I don't know what variety mine is and its over 5 years old and growing against trellis on a brick wall. Its in a shady area although the top part does get a bit of sun. It's about 7ft high at the moment.

Anyway, early in the season it sets off well with lush growth and buds, but then each year is attacked by aphids :( and the tips end up all black and shrivelled. I've tried killing them with insecticides, soapy water and even some greasy stuff that is supposed to get rid of them but nothing works!

It does recover eventually and looks quite good now at the top, but the lower area is a tangle of old stems and shoots.

What I want to know is, can it be cut back to tidy it up after it has finished or will I end up killing it? Will it come back from the bottom. Towards the bottom is very woody, so if I cut it back, how brutal can I be?

Any advice would be appreciated!

 

Welcome

I had a honeysuckle get mould and aphids about 4 months after it as planted. I cut it back HARD and this year it grew back with no problems, although it bloomed only a couple of weeks ago (very late for honeysuckles I think). This was a young plant though, so I'm not sure if an older one would survive such treatment.

Hopefully someone else will advise.

 

Hi there and welcome

I cut back a well established plant last year,took it right down to about 1 foot high. It came back thick and fast this year although,like Aarons plant, it did flower quite late.

 

It wasn't until ScarletBerry raised this question that I realised that one of the honeysuckles we've inherited could do with a serious 'haircut'. I really don't mind when it flowers (if at all), but this year it was 9' of twisted stems with the odd flower on the ends so I shall do a 'pip' on it and take it back to about a foot.

As a BTW, we also seem to have inherited an evergreen honeysuckle. I didn't realise such things existed but it hasn't lost its leaves in the 4 years we've been here and, although it only has a few creamy white flowers, I'm sure I could persuade it to have a few more with the right care.

Does anyone know what the 'right care' might be?

 

Thanks for your advice Aaron and Pip. I think I will go for it and give it a good chopping! :thumb:

Good luck with your honeysuckle Fidgetsmum!

Lynda

 

Hello

Im looking for some advice on Honeysuckle. Im not sure what variety it is, but i planted it 7 years ago and this is the first year i have had any flowers (3 so far, :thumb: )

Can i do anything to improve its growth? (every year i have wanted to cut it, but my neighbour keeps telling me to persevere)

Thanks in advance.

 

As you will have noticed Welly bobs, I'm no expert, but I'd suggest that next spring you give it a damned good feed. When my jasmine failed to flower for a couple of years I wondered why, then it occurred to me that because it was always 'just there', I tended to forget it too needed feeding.

 

Thank you Fidgetsmum :D i will try that and see how it goes.