honey suckle gone woody

[blonde heather]

I have a very old honey suckle growing up an arbour. It has been neglected by previous owners. It is about 8 feet tall but 6 ft of it is very woody and doesn't flower. I need to also paint the arbour but the honey suckle is wrapped around it completely. How can I cut the woody part back to free the arbour for painting and to encourage better flowering.

[Newt]

Hi Blonde Heather,

If your honeysuckle is the cream and white fragrant one, it's the invasive Japanese honeysuckle aka Lonicera japonica 'Halliana' aka Hall's honeysuckle aka purple honeysuckle aka Lonicera japonica 'purpurea'.* Lots of names for the same awful vine.* Since you say it's stopped blooming, you may not know which one you have.* If the stems are a purple color you should suspect it is.

I do know that people have cut the Japanese honeysuckle to the ground and it resprouts.* If it's the invasive one you have, I would like to suggest you dig it out, paint your arbor and replant a native.* Hmm, I just noticed how you spelled 'arbour'.* You may be in Canada or the UK.* If so, I would still suggest you plant a native from your area.* If you let me know where you are located I will help you choose.* There are many varieties of honeysuckle that are native to North America that rebloom all season long from spring to hard frosts in winter, offer berries to the birds that aren't invasive and some are even semi-evergreen in the warmer zones.

Newt

[blonde heather]

Hi Newt,

Thank you so much for your reply. I wasn't very clear in my post, but the honey suckle is still blooming but only from halfway to the top. Is that normal? I read recently that you are supposed to cut back the new growth at the end of the season, which I did last year but the bottom half remains woody and without leaves or blooms. I don't know the name of the honey suckle but it is white and purple and has red berries. You are very observant and clever!! I AM* in Canada!! BC to be specific.

[Newt]

I wonder if you have a bush honeysuckle and not a vine.* The Japanese honeysuckle aka Lonicera japonica aka Lonicera japonica 'Halliana' aka Lonicera Halliana aka Hall's honeysuckle aka Lonicera purpurea has cream flowers that turn yellow as they age and the berries are black. It's very fragrant and often has purple stems.* Glad that isn't what you have as it's very invasive.
http://ipm.ppws.vt.edu/scott/weed_id/lonja.htm

There are other honeysuckles that are invasive and have red berries.* Morrow's bush honeysuckle aka Lonicera morrowii has red berries and the flowers are white.
http://ipm.ppws.vt.edu/scott/weed_id/lonmo.htm

Amur honeysuckle aka Lonicera maackii is also a shrub and has dark red berries and white flowers that fade to yellow, sometimes with some pink at the base.
http://www.cas.vanderbilt.edu/bioima...cies/loma6.htm
http://www.missouriplants.com/Whiteo...ckii_page.html

It would probably be best to id which one you have so we know how to proceed.* As I said I think yours is a shrub and not a vining one.* Take a look here.* There are seven pages of pics of flowers, fruits and leaves.* See if you can pick out yours.
http://calphotos.berkeley.edu/cgi/im...ls&where-kwid=

Newt

[blonde heather]

Hello again,

I printed off some of the pictures and compared them to my vine. I think it is the Etruscan Honeysuckle. At least that is the closest to it. It was a toss up between that and the Perfoliate but I do believe it looks very very much like the Etruscan. I am going to google that when I have time to see what that tells me.

[Newt]

I found this on the Etruscan honeysuckle that should help with id and pruning.
http://www.plantpress.com/plant-ency...php?plant=7558

The perfoliate is known botanically as Lonicera caprifolium.
http://www.plantpress.com/plant-ency...php?plant=3880

Other Loniceras you can read the descriptions of here.
http://www.plantpress.com/plant-ency...letter=l&g=416

Newt

[honeydewweekend]

Hello-----One & All;** This is my first time at this forum; in search of info. regarding Honeysuckle Bushes.* I never realized there were so many varieties until I started my search.* My bushes are about 5 ft. tall, they just finished producing an abundance of beautiful white & yellow bloom, and in fall of year are loaded with millions of red berries that the birds devour in delight.

I am searching for info. as how to*start *cuttings for new bushes. or do I start all from seeds?* Any information will be very greatly appreciated.***Also any info. on where I may be able to get a dozen or so young bushes to transplant.

[Newt]

Hi Honeydewweekend,

Do you know if yours is a bush honeysuckle and and/or which variety it is?* Is it fragrant and sometimes blooms again in late summer?

Newt

[Allison1888]

After the bloom time, cut it back to close to the ground. Next year, you should see an improvement.

[swarner]

HELP!! I purchased what I thought was a "Major Wheeler honeysuckle" but it is not a vine at all! It has been in the ground almost 2 years, but it has been a woody plant from the beginning! It bloomed a little (looked like a honeysuckle bloom) but not a lot! It is a gangly, ugly woody multi branched "thing"! Did they give me the wrong vine? I certainly was looking for vines when I purchased this from a mail order plant supplier.
I looked at the photos suggested on the previous postings and the look is a bit like the Etruscan honeysuckle....