How to Grow Honeysuckle Seedlings

Fragrant honeysuckles attract birds, bees and butterflies.

Honeysuckles grow as vines, bushes and groundcovers. Their sweet-smelling flowers bloom throughout the spring and summer, attracting bees, hummingbirds and butterflies. Whether you prefer the white blossoms of the Japanese honeysuckle, the pink flowers of the European honeysuckle or the bright-red blooms of the American trumpet honeysuckle, you'll find that all varieties of honeysuckle are hardy and vigorous growers.

Things You'll Need

• Seedling pots
• Commercial planting medium
• Garden trowel
• Garden scissors
• Pruning shears

Instructions

1. Place the seedlings in individual pots filled with a moist commercial planting medium. Plant the seedlings just deep enough to cover their roots, Keep them in a greenhouse or other warm environment until after their first winter. Keep the planting medium moist.

2. Transplant the seedlings in the late spring or early summer, after the danger of late-season frost has passed. Choose a site with well-draining soil. Space the seedlings 36 to 60 inches apart. Honeysuckles will grow in full sun to partial shade, but they produce the most flowers in full sun.

3. Dig a hole, using a garden trowel, as deep as the seedling container and three times as wide. Cut away the seedling container, or place your hand over the soil in the seedling container and turn the pot upside down to release the soil and root ball. Avoid disturbing the roots.

4. Place the seedling with the intact root ball and accompanying soil into the hole. Gently loosen the roots if they were potbound. Moisten the hole and roots with water. Fill in the hole and water the ground until it is damp.

5. Water the honeysuckle seedling frequently until it shows new growth. Once the honeysuckle is established, it will need watering only in times of severe drought.

6. Prune excess plant growth. Honeysuckles can develop dense undergrowth that crowds out new growth. Cut back older branches to the ground. Thin the honeysuckle so air can circulate through the plant, by cutting interior branches back to where the branches join.

Tips & Warnings

• Avoid fertilizing your honeysuckle. Honeysuckles are very hardy plants and grow in most conditions without any extra care.

• If you plan to grow your honeysuckle as a climbing vine, plant it next to a trellis or other structure.

• Some honeysuckles can become invasive and should not be planted where they will crowd out other less-aggressive plants.

References

• Green ZoneLife: Honeysuckle
• "Minnesota Gardener's Guide"; Melinda Myers; 2005