It is resistant to cold, its flowers are beautiful and fragrant, and it is also a climber that will quickly cover the walls or pergolas that you want. Many of us will have seen it more than once, perhaps in botanical gardens or perhaps in nurseries, where by the way they sell it at a very cheap price: it is the plant honeysuckle.
Unlike other climbing shrubs, this is one that does not grow more than 6m; In addition, it tolerates pruning very well, so it can be pruned to keep its growth controlled. She is very grateful, although she needs some care to look perfect. Care that I am going to tell you next.
Characteristics of the honeysuckle plant
The honeysuckle, or sucker or goat’s leg, as it is sometimes called, is a plant whose scientific name is Lonicera caprifolium. It belongs to the botanical family Caprifoliaceae, and is native to southern Europe. It is a climbing shrub of very fast growth it has evergreen leaves, oval-shaped, glaucous and shiny underneath.
It blooms during spring, giving off a very pleasant aroma, especially at night. Its flowers can be yellow, white or red. The fruit is an orange or reddish berry that, although it may appear to be very good looking, is actually not edible; in fact, it’s toxicand in high doses it can cause vomiting, diarrhea, or stomach discomfort.
Honeysuckle plant care
Honeysuckle is an excellent climber to have in gardens. Thanks to its small size and being an evergreen plant, it will make the corner look very beautiful, exotic even when it is full of flowers. In order for it to grow healthy, however, we need to consider the following:
Location
It must be protected from direct sun. It needs a lot of light, but let it get filtered. Being exposed to the sun, its growth is practically nil, and it can end up without leaves unless a shading mesh is placed over it to prevent it from suffering from sunstroke.
It is important to place it near a surface where it can climblike a tree, a pergola or a lattice.
Irrigation
Irrigation will be regular, avoiding waterlogging. It tolerates drought better than permanently moist soil. Thus, it is recommended to water every 3 days in summer, and every 4-5 days the rest of the year.
Preferably use rainwater, but if you can’t get it, fill a bucket with tap water and let it sit overnight. The next day you can use the one in the upper half of the cube.
Rusticity
It resists without problems the frosts of up to -15ºC.
Transplant
Whether you want to move to a larger pot or to the ground, it has to be done in springbefore the honeysuckle plant resumes its growth. Let’s see how to proceed in each case:
Move to a bigger pot
Transplanting it into a pot or a larger pot is very simple. If you don’t believe me, check it out for yourself :
- The first thing you have to do is grab your new potwhich has to be at least 5cm wider and deeper, since the root is very vigorous.
- Then you have to fill it with a little substratewhich can be black peat mixed with perlite in equal parts, or substrate for acidophilic plants. It is important to say that it is not an acidophilus plant, but this is a soil that allows it to grow properly.
- The common honeysuckle is then removed from its »old» pot, and is placed in the center of the new. If you see that it is too low, add more soil; If, on the other hand, you see that it has been too high, remove it.
- Then fill the pot with more substrate.
- And finally, give it a good wateringso that the earth is well soaked.
Move to the garden floor
When you definitely want to plant in the garden, you simply have to make a planting hole deep enough to fit, and place him if you see it necessary a tutor to act as a guide to the place where you want me to climb. You can also choose to entangle its branches in the post, if you can of course .
After planting, don’t forget to give it a generous watering so that the roots begin to grow.
Pruning
This is a plant that needs to be pruned from time to time to get a bushy shape. It has to be done in springbefore it resumes its growth, with the help of pruning shears, and as long as it has a minimum height of 60cm.
With scissors no more than 4 pairs of leaves will be cut from all branchesespecially if the plant is young, since otherwise it could harm it. It is not necessary to put healing paste on the wounds, but if you want, it does not hurt.
Plagues and diseases
No major pests or diseases are known, except aphids. These tiny, green insects attack it during the summer, taking advantage of the warm temperatures and the dry environment. You can prevent it by doing treatments with Neem Oil, but if you already have them, It is advisable to also use garlic or onion infusions (Putting five cloves of garlic or a medium-sized onion to boil in a pot with 1l of water for half an hour).
In extreme cases, where the plant is very, very full of aphids, systemic insecticides must be used.
Reproduction
The common honeysuckle can be reproduced in three different ways: by seeds, by cuttings or by layering. What to do in each case? We tell you:
Seeds
The seeds have to be sown in the spring, so you can collect the fruits with gloves in the fall, peel them and extract them and then store them until the good weather returns. Once I arrive, I advise you put them in a glass of water for 24 hours; This way you will know which are the viable ones, that is, the ones that will almost certainly germinate.
Then, you have to fill a pot of 20cm in diameter with substrate -it can be universal, or mulch-, and place a maximum of 2 seeds in it. Put them a little apart from each other in case the two germinate, and water them now and every 4 days, so that the soil is always slightly damp.
Place the pot in an area where it does not get direct sun, and you will see how in 15-30 days they will start to sprout the first.
Cuttings
But if you’re in a bit of a rush, you can choose to reproduce it by cuttings during the summer. For it, cut a semi-woody branch at least 40cm long, impregnate its base with powdered rooting hormones and plant it in a pot with universal substrate. From then on, you will have to water it every 3-4 days, preventing it from drying out.
Layered
And if you want to be successful yes or yes, then I advise you to agree on it in spring. It is the easiest way to reproduce honeysuckle, as it only you have to bury a hanging branch in the ground. After about 20 days, it will have rooted, so you can cut it and plant it in another area.
Properties of honeysuckle
Honeysuckle flowers have many interesting medicinal properties. They have been used and are used today to relieve symptoms of: flu, respiratory infections, hepatitis, cancer, rheumatism. What’s more, they also help you sleep and be calmer.
Did you know about these magnificent qualities of honeysuckle?
