How to Prune Hardy Honeysuckle
The term "hardy honeysuckle" refers to a shrub form of honeysuckle belonging to the Lonicera genus. These shrubs survive winters down to USDA Zone 3 and include the cultivars lonicera sempervirens, lonicera tatarica and lonicera chrysantha. Hardy honeysuckle is sometimes pruned as an ornamental shrub and will benefit from light pruning for shape and size and occasional hard pruning to rejuvenate its woody interiors. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Inspect your honeysuckle regularly during watering to look for damaged or broken branches, signs of disease and dead foliage. Cut away any problem areas that you find down to the point of healthy tissue, and discard or compost the off cuts.
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Prune your honeysuckle annually, if needed, in late spring or summer immediately after flowering has finished for the season. Use annual pruning to control the height and spread of the honeysuckle shrub in its setting. Maintain the natural fountain form of the shrub by placing pruning cuts distributed evenly throughout the canopy. Head back each branch to a strong later branch or bud with the cut at least a 1/4-inch above a bud.
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Hard prune once every other year or as needed to remove dead and old interior wood and rejuvenate the center of the shrub. Cut back desiccated wood vines down to the crown of the plant. Carefully pull the dead wood from the canopy. Remove up to a third of the interior old wood that is alive to spur new growth and allow sunlight and airflow down into the center of the honeysuckle.
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Tips & Warnings
Water your hardy honeysuckle after any significant pruning session to reduce stress on the shrub and ward off shock.
