Honeysuckle

Have recently moved and adopted a trellis fence which has a Honeysuckle climbing up and along it. The trellise is 5' height and about 12@ long and is covered, however there is more of it at the top and the side/bottom is partially covered with bare spots as in the photos attached.View attachment 26
View attachment 27

Suggestions please as to how to chop it back and encourage growth towards the bottom especially in the bare patches would be most welcome.
Many thanks
Andy :thumb:

 

Hi AndyI think honeysuckle is very prone to bare roots and the only advice i can offer is, if you can see any really long bare shoots you could cut them away, but your best work will be done in spring when you can see where any growth is coming from and cut away the bare shoots ,i dont think you will get a quick fix, but over 2/3 years you may lose some of the bareness
Alternatively you could try underplanting with something .not sure what would grow as the honeysuckle is taking a lot from the soil,
Any Ideas anybody

 

Crocosmia love any old soil

 

I hacked into mine and cut by two thirds three years ago,then trained the new growth down and sideways ,the fence was covered better and I now have a nice healthy plant ,but it only flowers on the highest runners.

 

Can I see a photo pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeese

 

Honeysuckle is very hackable. I am a terrible over planter, and when my trellice got over crowded I just cut H. Henryii (the evergreen one) back to base and up he came again! I have a varigated one and that goes bare at the bottom and that gets the same treatment and I have a very old woody one probably as old as the house, and that always benefits from cutting back.

I cut the woodiest shoots hard back to base and this seems to give the newer shoots a burst of energy.
I am sure your plant will be fine.

 

Thanks everbody for the advice given, I think I will go alon with the hack well back advice and keep my fingers crosssed. When would you suggest that I take this action, now, winter or in the spring? Andy

 

Sometimes you juat have to do a job when you have the time, but I think any time when the plant is dormant.

 

If its any help, I had a honeysuckle planted in the wrong location, that got mildew and lost all its leaves. I lifted it and cut it back hard earlier this year and it has since started producing new growth and looks (so far) a lot healthier.