Honeysuckle Plants

Choosing the Right Honeysuckle for Your Garden

The best honeysuckle for your space depends on how you want it to grow and what role you think it will play. Flowering honeysuckle varieties, including lonicera japonica and honeysuckle japonica, are perfect for vertical interest. These climbers thrive when their roots are kept cool and shaded, while their flowering stems grow towards the sun, producing generous displays from late spring through summer. Evergreen honeysuckle is ideal where year-round structure is important.
Honeysuckle is also valued for wildlife. Nectar-rich flowers attract bees and pollinators, while dense growth provides shelter for birds. Many varieties cope well with a range of soils and tolerate partial shade, making honeysuckle a flexible and forgiving choice, even for less experienced gardeners.

How to Plant and Care for Honeysuckle

Honeysuckle plants establish best when planted into well-prepared, free-draining soil. For climbing honeysuckle, position the plant close to a support such as a trellis, fence or arch, and gently tie in young shoots as they grow. Keeping the base of the plant shaded with mulch or neighbouring plants helps promote healthy growth.
Water regularly during the first growing season to encourage strong roots. Once established, honeysuckle is largely self-sufficient, coping well with typical UK conditions. Pruning depends on the type grown. Climbing honeysuckle benefits from a tidy-up after flowering to control size and encourage fresh shoots, while evergreen honeysuckle hedges respond well to light, regular trimming to maintain shape.
Whether used as a climber, a hedge or a low-maintenance alternative to box, honeysuckle offers fragrance, beauty and reliability in equal measure. With a carefully selected range chosen for British gardens, YouGarden makes it easy to introduce this classic favourite into outdoor spaces of every size.