Honeysuckles are attractive plants that smell nice and grow like bushes and vines. They, however, have fast growth and can take over small plants in the garden. Pruning honeysuckle every year will help contain the shrub or vine.

Method 1

Pruning a Honeysuckle Shrub

1. The bushes have to be pruned between April and June. To make sure that the branches are blooming, it is advisable to wait until it’s after the flowering season. When the plant has bloomed, look for the branches that didn’t bring forth any leaves or flowers and cut them off.

  • Trimming the plant during the blooming season can stop the growth of the plant, and the flowers will wither
  • Before using your tools to control the spread of diseases or pests, disinfect them first.

2. Broken, dead, or unhealthy branches should be removed. Search the garden for dead or diseased branches that didn’t bring forth leaves or blooms. Note down areas where the branches have broken or bent. Look around the plant’s bottom, search for any fallen branch with bugs, pests, or withered leaves.

  • Infected branches should be snipped off first before shaping the bush to look beautiful.

3. The pruning scissors must be held at an angle of 45-degrees. You can prevent the stem from rotting and also ensure that water runs off the stem well if you cut it off at an angle. Avoid cutting the branches straight across because it can cause the rest of the branch to die if water ponds on the surface. It can also make pest drill holes into the branches.

  • To prevent small cracks from forming in the branches, use sharp pruning scissors.

4. Branches should be cut in 0.64 cm in the front of a bud. If you leave a tiny bit of an old branch, it might grow back again. To see a bud, search for an area where a leaf or a branch meets the branch you want to trim off.

  • Cut back any extremely injured or diseased branch back to the healthy main branch at the center of the bush, which is also named “parent branch.”

5. Increase the amount of light and air-flow by removing a few branches from the middle. Pick some healthy, long stems in the middle of the bush and cut them close to the bush center. This will give way to more sunshine and air to enter into the middle and low parts of the bush, thus promising better growth.

  • Do not remove more than 1/3 of the good branches on your bush, even if it is untidy.
  • Trim those long branches on top of your bush to the center of the bush because it allows sunshine to reach the center of your shrub.

Method 2

Maintaining a Honeysuckle Vine

1. The best season to shape and prune the vines is in the late summer. Honeysuckle vines have quick growth, and they spread out when it is blooming season. When the season has passed, the plant should be reshaped to a good size.

  • During the early years of growing a honeysuckle vine, avoid cutting more than 1/3 of the stems. Snipping off too many portions of the stems will make them die
  • Rub alcohol or bleach on pruning shears to disinfect them from pests and diseases.

2. Before pruning, trim any dead stem or withered flower. Remove brown flowers or leaves with your hands or pruning scissors before you start to shape them to perfection. This will give you have a better view of the shape and size of your vine. It also shows you the parts of the vine that needs attention.

  • Any area that is filled with many dead leaves needs to be pruned with a pair of scissors to increase the light and air-flow to that area.

3. Cut away the tangled stems on top of the vine. It is more likely for the top of the vine to be more tangled than the bottom. If you cut off the tangled stems on top of the vine, it will allow the vine to grow well later in the season. Only cut the tangled stem, and slowly work towards the bottom of the vine.

  • Cut off one side of the vine if you want to redirect it in the opposite direction.
  • Do not cut off ant stem from the bottom of young plants because old-growth will help the plant. If there are no old growths, the plants will die.

4. Cut above the nodes of the leaves with sharp pruning scissors. Leaves begin to form from a parent stem in the leaf nodes. Make a clean cut across the stem while holding your scissors at a 45-degree angle.

  • This method of cutting should be used to prevent pests and diseases from taking over the plant no matter what

Method 3

Trimming an Overgrown Honeysuckle

1. The overgrown honeysuckle should be pruned when it is winter. Honeysuckle bushes and vines are inactive during the winter, and if you prune them too hard, they won’t be harmed. Avoid the flowering period by targeting early winter. Late winter pruning is also acceptable as long as the plant is not growing anew.

  • Winter pruning helps to make the plant bring forth more flowers in the coming seasons because the branches will heal totally before blooming
  • Do not prune the honeysuckle more than once every 2 – 3 winters. Pruning it too much can kill the bush.

2. Overgrown plants should be trimmed down within 1 ft. of the ground. Trim the stems to the point that only 1 ft. of it remain with your hands. The plant will not produce flowers for about 2 – 3 years, but it will continue to grow.

  • It is good to cut even the old and thickest branches in this scenario. They will bring forth new growth in the years to come, and they’ll also make up the largest portion of the bush.

3. Only 1/3 of the branches should be cut away if you want to bloom that year. If you want a steady growth of the plant, cut away only 1/3 of the plant. To do this, start at the top of the bush and slowly move to the bottom. The remaining branches will still produce flowers in the coming spring.

  • You’ll only cut away 1/3 of the branches every winter for 3 years in arrow for this scenario until the bush has grown to an appropriate size.

Conclusion

In this article lies the key to pruning your honeysuckle perfectly. It gives in detail the secret and techniques of making your honeysuckle survive.

There are a few tips that help to maintain healthy honeysuckle in the post as well. The article’s main objective is to guide you on how to prune your honeysuckle without any complications.