Wood honeysuckle, a honeysuckle with pink, fragrant flowers
Lonicera periclymenum subsp. periclymenum
- Exposures
- Sun, Half-shade
- Hardiness (USDA)
- 6b (-20.6°C ≤ T° < -17.8°C)
- Lifecycle
- Perennial
- Foliage
- Deciduous
- Family
- Caprifoliaceae
- Genus
- Honeysuckle Lonicera
- Species
- Wood honeysuckle Lonicera periclymenum
Other names:Caprifolium periclymenum, Periclymenum vulgare
Throughout Europe and even in Morocco, you can find wood honeysuckle growing wild. This shrub from the Caprifoliaceae family brightens up the undergrowth, clearings, and gardens with its pink, fragrant blossoms.
How can you identify the wood honeysuckle (Lonicera periclymenum)?
Wood honeysuckle is a climbing shrub with a vine-like stem. It can reach 5 to 6 meters in height and spread when provided with suitable support.
It climbs using its purplish twining stems, which wrap around trees, trellises, or fences. This growth can become invasive: the vines sometimes choke the supporting trees.
The opposite, elliptical leaves grow in pairs. Their color ranges from bright green to a slightly bluish green. The foliage is deciduous and falls off in winter, as with tartarian Honeysuckle (Lonicera tatarica).
Flowering occurs from July through October. The flowers, grouped in terminal inflorescences, change color over time: pink when they first open, they then turn white, and finally yellow. Highly fragrant, honey-bearing, and nectar-rich, they attract numerous insects and butterflies. Because of their tubular shape, only species with a sufficiently long proboscis can reach the nectar.
After flowering, round red berries appear; these are eaten by birds, which help disperse the seeds.
Is wood honeysuckle toxic?
The berries of the wood honeysuckle are toxic to humans and pets. Ingesting them can cause digestive problems (nausea, vomiting, diarrhea). It is therefore recommended to supervise young children, dogs, and cats and to prevent accidental ingestion.
Our care tips
If your Lonicera periclymenum subsp. Periclymenum is balding, prune it severely at the beginning of winter. The plant will recover in spring.
Watering
Water the base of your Lonicera periclymenum subsp. Periclymenum when the soil has dried by about three centimetres. Your plant likes rainwater, but will also tolerate mains water.
Don't let water stagnate in the planter or saucer. It will rot the roots.
Repotting
Every year in the spring, repot your Lonicera periclymenum subsp. Periclymenum to give it more space.
Get a tub or pot with holes at least 50 centimetres deep. You can place clay balls or gravel at the bottom to optimize drainage.
Pour in a layer of universal potting soil. A mixture of garden soil and planting mix may also be suitable. Plant your Lonicera periclymenum subsp. Periclymenum. Add substrate, compact and water generously.
Your Lonicera periclymenum subsp. Periclymenum is a climber. Give it something to climb on (pergola, trellis, fence). Guide the branches along the support to show them the way.
When your Lonicera periclymenum subsp. Periclymenum has grown, you can repot your cutting.
Get a pot with drainage holes that's the right size for your cutting. You can create a drainage layer at the bottom using clay pellets or gravel. Fill your pot with potting soil for seedlings and planting. Plant your cutting and water generously.
If you're growing your plant as a climber and its size allows it, set up your support and guide the branches to show them the way.
If you're growing your plant as a climber and its size allows it, set up your support and guide the branches to show them the way.
Fertilization
To promote the growth of your Lonicera periclymenum subsp. Periclymenum, apply fertilizer in spring and summer.
Apply flowering plant fertilizer to stimulate flowering.
Prune
Using shears or pruning shears, cut back dead, diseased or damaged branches.
If your Lonicera periclymenum subsp. Periclymenum is very dense, you can also remove the most tangled branches to control the shape and let light penetrate to the heart of the plant.
Finally, prune flower-bearing branches to encourage new growth. Always cut above a bud or group of healthy leaves.
Planting
A few days before planting, prepare the soil over an area approximately four times the size of the root ball of your Lonicera periclymenum subsp. Periclymenum:
- Spade ;
- Remove stones and weeds;
- Add compost and universal potting soil to enrich the soil.
Soak the root ball of your Lonicera periclymenum subsp. Periclymenum to rehydrate it. Dig a hole slightly deeper than the root ball. If you've provided a trellis or stake for your plant to climb, install it now.
Plant your Lonicera periclymenum subsp. Periclymenum. The surface of the rootball should be flush with the ground. Fill in, compact and water. Guide the stems over the support to help them climb.
If you're planting several specimens, to make a hedge, for example, it's advisable to spacethem at least 50 centimetres apart andplant only one plant per square metre.
Taking cuttings
Prepare a pierced pot of a size suitable for your cutting (about ten centimetres in diameter). Pour a bed of clay marbles into the bottom, followed by a mixture of potting soil for seedlings and cuttings and sand (or perlite). Water generously
Use a pencil or pick to make a pilot hole. Plant your Wood honeysuckle.
Cuttings root more easily when smothered. Cover the pot with a transparent plastic bag or place it in a mini greenhouse. If you don't have one, a translucent plastic crate will do.
Place in semi-shade and air for a few minutes each day.
Frequently asked questions
Does honeysuckle grow fast?
Yes, honeysuckle is renowned for its rapid growth, especially climbing varieties such as wood honeysuckle. In the right conditions (cool, well-drained soil and half-shade to sunny exposure), it can grow from 50 cm to 1 meter per year. Growth is particularly vigorous in the first few years, making it ideal for quickly covering a fence, trellis or pergola.
Are honeysuckle and wood honeysuckle the same thing?
No, not exactly. The term honeysuckle refers to a genus of plants (Lonicera) comprising 148 species, both climbing and shrubby. Wood honeysuckle (Lonicera periclymenum) is a specific species, native to Europe.
How long does a honeysuckle last?
A well-planted and properly maintained honeysuckle can live between 20 and 30 years, or even longer. Wood honeysuckle is a hardy and long-lived plant, not very susceptible to disease when grown under the right conditions. Light pruning and soil that doesn't dry out too much in the summer help extend its lifespan and keep it blooming year after year.
Diseases / Threats
Information
- Lifecycle
- Perennial
- Foliage
- Deciduous
- Exposures
- SunHalf-shade
- Substrate
- Humus soil
- Planting methods
- Open groundIn potsIn tubs
- Tags
- BeginnerFloweryHardyToxic
- Origins
- Northern EuropeEastern EuropeSouthern EuropeWestern Europe
- Hardiness (USDA)
- 6b (-20.6°C ≤ T° < -17.8°C)
- Leaf color
- Dark green
- Flower colors
- WhiteRoseYellow
- Fruit color
- Red
Discover plants from the same family
Japanese honeysuckle
Lonicera japonica
Winter honeysuckle
Lonicera fragrantissima
Lonicera nitida
Lonicera ligustrina var. yunnanensis
Tartarian honeysuckle
Lonicera tatarica
Find out more
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