How to Propergate Honeysuckle Plant

Honeysuckle has richly scented flowers.

Honeysuckle (Lonicera) is a large genus of flowering plants. The flowers have a rich scent and bloom in the late spring and through the summer. There are climbing honeysuckle that will scale a wall or drape over a trellis, and clumping varieties that will stand alone in the garden. In cold climates honeysuckle will die back to the ground and reemerge in the spring from underground roots. In temperate climates, honeysuckle grows year round.

Things You'll Need

• Method 1:
• Compost
• Zip-top bag
• Seed-starting flat
• Perlite or peat
• Planting pot
• Potting soil
• Trowel
• Method 2:
• Pruning shears
• Pot
• Sand
• Peat
• Hormone-rooting compound
• Plastic bag

Instructions

Propagating Honeysuckle From Seed

1. Fill a large zip-top baggie with a layer of compost, lay the seeds onto the compost and cover with a second layer. Put the baggie with the seeds in the refrigerator for four to 12 weeks. Honeysuckle seeds require a four to 12 week period of chilling, called stratification, before they will germinate. Begin the stratification period in the fall as soon as the seeds are ripe on the vine.

2. Fill a seed-starting flat with a mixture of equal parts well-rotted compost and perlite or peat moss. Dampen the mixture thoroughly. Scatter the seeds over the top of the soil mix and cover with 1/4 inch more soil. Place in an area that is between 55 and 65 degrees Fahrenheit. Keep the soil damp with frequent light applications of water.

3. Transplant the honeysuckle seedlings into individual 4-inch pots when they are 1 to 2 inches tall. Fill the pots with potting soil. Prick the seedlings from the tray by sliding a slender trowel under the soil and gently lifting up. Pull the seedlings apart and place one in each pot. Press down the soil to secure the seedlings. Keep them in a greenhouse or on a covered porch for the first year.

4. Transplant the seedlings outside the spring following germination. Select a sunny area that gets good drainage. Honeysuckle will grow in full sun or partial shade.

Propagation From Stem Cuttings

1. Take a semi-ripe cutting in the late spring or early summer. Select a green branch from that year's growth as it is beginning to firm up. Make the cut at a 45-degree angle 2 to 3 inches from the tip of the branch. Alternately, take an 8- to 12-inch section of hardwood in the late fall or early winter.

2. Fill an 8- to 12-inch pot with a mixture of equal parts coarse sand and peat moss. Roll the cut end of the honeysuckle branch in hormone rooting compound and slide the bottom third of the cutting into the pot. Place the pot in a greenhouse or covered porch.

3. Keep the soil mixture damp with frequent light applications of water. Place a plastic bag upside down over the pot and attach it with a rubber band to create a mini greenhouse. When the cutting produces two or three true leaves, remove the plastic bag. Keep the cutting in the protected area for the first year. Transplant it outside in the spring of the following year.

References

• Washington State University: Propagating Deciduous and Evergreen Trees, Shrubs and Vines with Stem Cuttings
• Plants For A Future Database: Honeysuckle
• Royal Horticultural Society: Lonicera (honeysuckle)