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Pruning overgrown honeysuckle
Steve 309
Posts: 2,753
My OH has a self-sown but wanted honeysuckle growing (well, existing) in her garden. It's never been pruned and is in the shade of an oak tree and a laurel hedge. It's mostly (as you can see from the photos) old brown stems and has had just a few leaves and flowers this year.
How and when should it be cut back to rejuvenate it?
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(Personally I'd cut it back to the ground, dig out the laurel and grow shade-tolerant/loving plants in that corner)
In my experience Honeysuckle can take a really radical haircut. I do mine in Spring, using absolutely no finesse at all, just hacking huge amounts of stuff off. It always seem to come back strong.
When you don't even know who's in the team
S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
I agree with Steve and Punkdoc
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Hear Hear!
Just reviving this thread cos I pruned my overgrown honeysuckle back this morning. There was a lot of dead wood as its been left to do pretty much as it pleases. Its also taken root away from the main plant even though I've never actively layered it. Is it ok to do this in September...I was clearing space to plant baby aquilegias
I have recently found that an untended honeysuckle can be a real thug. Best to treat it mean from the very start.