Growing Honeysuckle Vines Is Easy And Enjoyable
Growing honeysuckle vines, or shrubs for that matter, is not particularly difficult, and if you like a sweet fragrance, attractive blossoms, bees, and butterflies, consider a honeysuckle for your garden. You don't have to be a horticultural expert to grow this plant. Be prepared to have to trim some varieties back, though some varieties are better behaved in this regard than others. Probably the most important thing to remember is not to plant them where they may be apt to dry out. The honeysuckle is a fairly tough and hardy plant, but few if any of the varieties can stand having the soil around their roots dry out.
Take Your Time - What kind of a honeysuckle plant might be right for you? You really need to look at some pictures, read some descriptions, or visit your nursery to answer that one. There are many, many varieties, so finding the right one for your garden or yard shouldn't get overly complicated. Got a chain link fence to keep the dog in, or other dogs, or your neighbors, out? A chain link fence is not the most attractive type of fencing, so if that's what you have, why not hide or disguise it? Ivy or bamboo are sometimes obvious choices, though the latter can often get out of hand. Honeysuckle tends to stay put, and will likely be a choice your neighbors will be glad you made.
It probably goes without saying that growing honeysuckle over a trellis or archway is one of the more common uses for this plant, and not on a chain link fence. A honeysuckle vine growing up one corner of the house can also be very attractive, though use a support close to the house, and don't use the house itself to support the plant.
Bees And Toxins - As far as the disadvantages of growing honeysuckle are concerned, we've already mentioned one of them, bees. The bees most apt to be attractive to a honeysuckle plant are honeybees, which usually aren't too aggressive. That doesn't mean that a wasp might not decide to poke around, but it's honeybees, along with the butterflies, that are going to be the main visitors. This simply means that when growing honeysuckle, place the plant in a location you're not going to be spending a lot of time in, whether on a bench near an archway, or in a deck chair. The other disadvantage, lets call it a cautionary note instead, is that honeysuckle berries are poisonous, all of them, not just the poisonous looking ones.
Consider The Winter Variety - One can purchase honeysuckle plants that are either deciduous or evergreen, though you may need to check and see if there are evergreen varieties that will grow in your area. An evergreen would of course be a good choice for your chain link fence project. There is even a winter honeysuckle, Lonicera fragrantissima, which as the botanical name suggests, is very fragrant, the creamy white blossoms having a distinct lemony smell. The flowers appear in late winter, or very early spring, depending on the area in which the plant is growing. The winter honeysuckle will grow as an evergreen in warmer climates, but may shed its leaves in colder areas.
Closer To The Ground - When growing honeysuckle, you may find yourself with a very aggressive plant, although it really can't be considered an invasive one. Because of their aggressive growth, some varieties of honeysuckle make an excellent ground cover. There is also a honeysuckle shrub, the dwarf bush honeysuckle, which might be the answer for someone who doesn't want the vining variety, or has no place to put one. The dwarf bush honeysuckle seldom grows to more than four feet in height, and is a very long-lived plant.