
Coral honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens)
How to Plant, Grow, and Care for Honeysuckle
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I have mature orange very tall honeysuckle. It is dying. No flowers or leaves. We had bleach put in our well water for watering the yard. Watered every night. Could this kill honeysuckle?
Hi Suzann,
Sorry to hear about your honeysuckle. Bleach can be very harmful to plants and could very well be the reason that your honeysuckle is suffering.
There are also other factors that can lead to a honeysuckle’s decline. You mentioned that you watered every night, but well established honeysuckle plants actually prefer to dry out between waterings and do not like very damp conditions. Too much water will create issues for your plant. Over-fertilizing can also prevent a honeysuckle from setting flowers.
I live in Toronto, Ontario & am fortunate to have had success at growing a Japonica honeysuckle vine for the past 3 years in a container on my condo balcony, west facing, direct sun from 1:00 to 7:00 pm. It started off very healthy this spring, leaves appearing daily, but more recently, the leaves shaded by the newer growth underneath, are turning yellow, then drying to brown & falling off. Bc of facing west, and the fact leaves are brown & drying, I water daily. But am I watering too much?? How do I know?? Your advice is appreciated.
I have a honey suckle, can I take a branch off (put in water until I get roots) to plant another one? Would the branch be one with the flowers?
Yes! Honeysuckle is one of the easiest bushes to propagate through cuttings. Wait until early spring flowers has tapered off. Then—or anytime thereafter until, say, midsummer—the plant will make vigorous non-flowering branches appropriate for softwood cuttings; there should be no sign of floral buds. With a sharp knife, sever a stem just below a pair of leaves, yielding a tip cutting 3 to 6 inches long. The lowest one or two pairs of leaves should be removed. Honeysuckle grows so vigorously that application of rooting hormones is optional. The cut end of the stem should then be inserted about one inch deep into a container with rooting media such as natural clean sand, coconut coir, and horticultural products like perlite, vermiculite, and rock wool—anything that holds water to keep plant hydrated but is loose enough to get air to the roots (versus compacted). Once the cuttings have been inserted into the rooting medium, they just need time, moderately humid air, and moderately bright light in order to establish their new roots.
Honeysuckle scent is stupendous; we used to eat the blossoms to get the nectar;
This will be my first try at gardening in some time. I must have them...they remind me of childhood. They do taste and smell scrumptious!
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