Growing honeysuckle is an easy way to beautify your garden, even if you're a novice. With its strong, sweet fragrance, colorful blooms and ease of care, it's easy to see why honeysuckle is such a popular plant.
Honeysuckle Basics
There are many varieties of honeysuckle available; there are honeysuckle vines, shrub varieties, evergreen and deciduous plants. The color of honeysuckle flowers ranges from almost white to yellow, orange, red and shades of pink. Most varieties are in bloom from spring into summer, with some types blooming into the fall, as well.
Once the flowers fade, honeysuckle produces lovely orange to red berries. These berries provide color to the landscape and a treat for some birds, but they are toxic to humans.
Choosing Honeysuckle
As you're looking at different varities for your yard, pay attention to the care instructions. Some honeysuckles will thrive with little effort, while others require a bit of pruning to keep them healthy and under control. When choosing what to plant in your yard, take into consideration your climate and conditions, whether you're looking for a groundcover or a climbing vine, as well as the amount of work you wish to put into your plant, as these things vary greatly depending on the type of honeysuckle.
The most common use for honeysuckle is to cover a fence or trellis. There are many varieties that provide beautiful color and fragrance all the way into autumn. Plant your honeysuckle approximately a foot away from the fence, trellis or other support, keeping the plants spaced two to three feet apart.
Honeysuckle grows quite vigorously, and it will spread out and climb rather quickly. You will need to tie your honeysuckle to the support as it grows, using soft ties so as not to damage the plant. Once established, honeysuckle care is simple. Your plants will need only moderate watering, except during the hot summer months, when they will require a bit more. Generally, honeysuckle is quite tolerant of short periods of drought, as long as you don't allow the roots to dry out too much.
Honeysuckle also makes a fast-growing and low-maintenance groundcover. To use as a groundcover, set the plants approximately two feet apart. In a short amount of time you will have a beautiful and fragrant groundcover. One word of caution: Some varieties of honeysuckle can become invasive. Take care not to plant too close to nearby shrubs and plants, and prune as needed to keep it in control.
When you include this popular plant in your home landscape, you will be rewarded with years of color and fragrance from spring all the way through fall.
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