Forum home› Plants
This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.

Honey suckle plant

clownhallclownhall Posts: 15
in Plants
HI my daughter has brought us a Honeysuckle called Rhubarb and Custard which I'm planting in a large wooden planter. What is the best compost to use. According to the instructions it says it will grow in a planter up to 2 metres high. My planter has been lined inside with special roofing membrane that will hold water in. Ive got slots in the base for water drainage. It's been suggested that I use John In ings No 3. Is this çorrect.
Thank you in anticipation 
Norman :)

Posts

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    Yes that’s fine ... if you have some ordinary multipurpose you could add a little of that (up to about a quarter) just to lighten it a bit, but it’s not absolutely necessary. 

    Rhubarb & Custard is a lovely honeysuckle and quite compact so hopefully, if the container is big enough and it gets regular generous  watering it stands a chance of doing well in a container. It’s the only honeysuckle I know if that I’d try it with. Others need to be in the ground. 

    😊 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • clownhallclownhall Posts: 15
    Hi Dovefromabove
    Thank you for your reply. When my duaghter brought the honeysuckle she did so knowing that I like Rhubarb and Custard  :D and knowing that I have only a small garden area that is flagged over.
    All my plants area pots or planters. The planter I've made for my H/S is a 2 part planter see picture. The tallest section is where the H/S is going in. That area measure 13" by 18" and it is 14" deep. the roots will/should travel down and along the bottom section of the planter which is a metre (39") long.
    I've thought of putting rotted farmyard compost in (which can be purchased from the local garden centre), then mixing small 1/4" pebbles in with the top compost. On the bottom of planter there will be slots for drainage with bigger pebble on it.
    I hope this make sense
    Norman
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    Makes sense to me @clownhall ... nice container. 😃 

    Id mix the manure in with the John Innes instead of my suggestion of the multipurpose compost. 

    Can you site the container somewhere shady?  As honeysuckle is a plant of hedgerows and ditchbanks it likes its feet in the damp shade and its face in the sun. 

    Ive got honeysuckles on a northfacing fence and in a shaded west facing corner and they’re much happier there than ones I see which get more sun ... those ones seem to succumb to powdery mildew because they dry out. 



    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • clownhallclownhall Posts: 15
    I can put it on a North facing corner sheltered wall that get a little sun during the evenings only.
    A friend has given me some Heather plants and I was thinking of putting these in the lower section of my planter. The only thing is on the leaflet (plastic tab) it says to plant in Limey soil and the honey suckle root will come into contact heather soil/compost. Do H/S like limey soil/compost. What is 'Limey' soil. My friend has mentioned that they have a H/S growing in the ground and they NEVER do anything to it, they don't even feed it. I'll have to google Limey soil but your personal comments are a big help and thank you for them xx
  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    Limey means alkaline as opposed to acid soil which is needed for ericaceous plants such as rhododendron, azalea, skimmia, camellias, summer flowering heathers which cannot take up iron, magnesium and some other essential minerals when there is calcium in the soil, compost or water.

    The RHS says it just needs good soil or compost and it will flower better in some sun - https://www.rhsplants.co.uk/plants/_/lonicera-periclymenum-rhubarb-and-custard/classid.2000020958/ so partial shade, moist but well-drained soil (so not soggy but not fussed about alkaline or acidic)
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    Yep totally agree with @obelixx 😊 


    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    If your friends don’t do anything to their honeysuckle and it flowers as well as mine do, then they must’ve planted theirs in the perfect spot too. 

    Plants in a container will always need a lot more care than those in the ground ... they’re totally dependant on you.

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • clownhallclownhall Posts: 15
    I'm preparing the planter for easy drainage. The 5 sestions of brown covering with holes drilled in them have a 1/2" slit (underneath) in the wooden base. This is to allow hopefully good drainage but the drilled holes are about 3/4" above the slit which hopefully (again) with give a 1/2" level of water in so's the Honeysuckle root area never completely dries out starving them of water. Does this make sense? :)
    Picture 2 show some pebbles that will be used
  • clownhallclownhall Posts: 15
    Thank you obelixx for adding the link. Thank you both for your interest in a VERY amateur newbie to gardening.
    All our plants are grown in containers and watering each evening, if needed, is a dedicated task.
    Our next project is to buy a scented (Bush type) rambling rose. I've seen one that only grows about 1.5m hight from RHS.
    Love it n thank you
Sign In or Register to comment.