honeysuckle from seed?

Hi,
Can you grow honeysuckle from seed? I collected some of the big red berries that came over the fence this year and wondered about trying to grow them on.
The books say to propagate from cuttings so I'm not hopefull.

If I'm going to buy one, when is the best time of year and what is the best type for fragrance for a small garden over a 5ft wooden fence, west facing in sandy neutral soil.


Cheers
D

 

Hi Ex,

The seeds are in the Chiltern seed catalogue so i'd go for it.

 

You can grow honeysuckle from seed; in fact, if you have an established plant which has fruited, they'll often be quite a few seedlings around the parent plant. The problem is that you never know quite what you're getting. You may end up with a gem, or you may put a great deal of work into raising a scrawny specimen which shoots a wiry stem upwards for twenty feet before producing two flowers which aren't worth having. The named forms have been selected because they are - at least one hopes - good plants.

All the honeysuckle family has a tendency to be untidy. In the main, the plants also grow into large specimens which need to be kept in check if you're growing them in a small space. The good news is that they don't mind a fairly severe chop and are generally all the better for it.

The Japanese honeysuckle, Lonicera japonica, is a good choice if you want something to look at all year, as it is evergreen. It also goes on flowering for a long time, rather than delivering one burst of blooms before giving up for the year, and it smells delicious. There's a fruity edge to the scent which is not present in our native honeysuckle and its cultivated forms. The snag is that it's very vigorous, so be ready to take the secateurs to it regularly. I have a dwarf form which doesn't grow much beyond five feet. I think it's called 'Sugar Baby', but I can't find it listed anywhere. One nursery lists 'Sweet Isabel', however, and I think it must be a very similar plant, if not the same one under a different name:-

Stone Green Nurseries - Bethersden - Ashford - Kent

Of the deciduous honeysuckles, my favourite is 'Italica', which has deliciously scented soft yellow and pink flowers; the smell is often described as 'clove'. 'Graham Thomas' is a clear yellow and has slightly larger flowers than the wild honeysuckle. Both appreciate a bit of tlc to keep them looking good - they'll give much better results if they're fed regularly. On the other hand, they rarely die of neglect. They just become scarecrows.

 

Totally irelevant to growing it but when Shakespear goes on about Woodbine, he's not talking about the cigarettes but the Honeysuckle plant.

 

I know a bank where the wild thyme blows,
Where oxlips and the nodding violet grows,
Quite over-canopied with luscious woodbine,
With sweet musk-roses and with eglantine.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream Act ii. Scene.1

Although I quite like the idea of a bower festooned with Woodbine Full Strengths.

'Eglantine' is a form of rose with apple-scented leaves. Sissinghurst has some.