What is it?

Honeysuckles, bush form, obviously.

I didn't know there was a shrub variety of honeysuckle!

Where'd you get it? I love that scent!

I love the sweet scent too! Yes, they are shrubs up to 10 ft tall.

Hi snasxs - that is a beautiful pot of Honeysuckle plant. I was wondering if you bought it like that or did you root a fat cutting? I love the scent also. And thanks for sharing the photo.

Kasie

You can grow almost honeysuckle as a bush, just by pruning it heavily. Only caution on the one in the picture: japanese honeysuckle, lonicera japonica, is lovely, fragrant, and easy to grow -- but it's very invasive in some areas, and crowds out native, wildlife-friendly plants, so please check with local organizations and use caution before planting; you can minimize impact by deadheading spent flowers so it doesn't produce seeds.

Jim

I wonder if I can do that with a native honeysuckle.
How would you do that?
Just plant it in a pot and keep pruning it until the woody stem is that size?
Has anyone accomplished this yet?
I'm going to try it, I've nothing to loose.

It could be hard to keep a vine as a shrub. Every spring, new soft vines come out. Jim: could you share with us the locations/regions where these grow wild. We go and get them.

In my neighborhood someone planted a native trumpet honeysuckle, lonicera sempervirens, and has it pruned into shrub form, about 2 feet cubed. Granted, it's in the ground, but I've seen pictures of lonicera bonsai that are 18-24" in small pots.

For the new vines that sucker up in spring, you just cut 'em back. Ditto with the new leaders growing out the wrong way. You will lose flowers, but you're going for overall shape.

I'm pretty sure everblooming honeysuckle, lonicera x heckrottii, is a hybrid of sempervirens, and doesn't produce seed.

Finally, there are the shrub honeysuckles like fragrantissima and standishii, that usually grow into small trees, but can be hacked into a very wild-looking small shrub. It's worked for me for two years, and that fragrance in early spring can't be beat!

The Brooklyn Botanic Garden has a good handbook on vines that describes a number of honeysuckle species, as do other books on vines and on native plants. To find out which are native or noninvasive in your area, you have to check with your state's invasive plant council on the web, or talk to local plant nurseries.

Jim

im hoping someone can help please unfortunately its my mum looking for a plant for which the only name she has is Pakistanie night. i do apologise dont mean anything offensive by it. All i know is that it is a bush that is night flowering only and she originally had it when she lived in cyprus.from what she can remember it had small green leaves and white flowers and the most beautiful scent. if anyone could help that would be great as we cant find it anywhere Thanks

I totally agree, Snasxs. My yard is not dressed up without Honeysuckle. I have one in natural setting.

Here is a link that might be useful:

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Here is a link that might be useful:

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Here is a link that might be useful:

Soothing, I will live longer near that lingering sweet scent.

easy because of its invasive nature. like some other non-native plants, this one definitely will run amok in many areas of the u.s.

Here is a link that might be useful: global invasive species database

Jeff al: What an interesting possibility on invasive species! Fortunately my home is at natural setting area. It only adds natural beauty, affecting no one.
Likewise I have seen the popular wisteria and ivy growing to all the directions. It takes a major yard work to trim it back
Now you bring back my memory, some bamboo species would take over the whole immence hills.
Growing honeysuckle in a pot is one of very good ideas.

possibility??? the plant is on your state's invasive species list.
some folk don't understand that issues like this are not an afterthought. they have been studied and documented by educated, concerned professionals who are not simply alarmists.
a "natural area" is just the type of site where it loves to spread.

Your concern is genuine and I have great respect to your opinion. Many documented cases paticularily of water plants, aquatic animals would be invasive to the native species. There must be a judgement call about degrees of concern for many invassive house plants. To me ivy is very much more invasive than honeysuckle. May be USDA should have a warning label(?) on ivy plant or honeysuckle. If it is a threat with enoug documented cases. They will.

My yard has lots of native California Live Oak Tree. It is very deep rooted, shade resist and very drought resist huge tree. Other plants( honeysuckle) will not able to compete with it in very dry condition here. My honeysuckle has been there for 25 years to 15 feet tall, no sucker roots, causing no damage to other trees at all. I would agree for average house yard that invasive plants may cause landscaping problem. Thanks for poiting out to me and others. In my case, I am not going worry about it if you are able to see the real situation. Thanks again.

Jeff,
Some people just don't get it.

butterfly,

There is a book called How to Achieve Your Goal in Business World. I recommend it to you.

a "warning label" is exactly what the database is about!
if y'all will read the "impacts" tab at the link, it should be clear that damage is being done by introduced plants.
it is a fact that non-native plants can impact local biodiversity and displace natives. it's bad enough that native plant and animal species are losing habitat due to human encroachment but adding invasive plant species to the mix just makes it worse. i wish you could see the "forests" of kudzu, mimosa, honeysuckle, privet, chinaberry, etc. that abound in my state. these truly are vegetative monsters and be careful - coming soon to a state near you!
"no suckers" isn't the only concern with this plant. lonicera produces seed; birds eat the seed; birds fly away and disperse the seeds; the seeds germinate in out-of-the-way places; the cycle continues.
if the poster were living in asia, the scenario would not apply but she lives in the u.s. and encouraging cultivation of this known invasive is irresponsible.
oh, and the issue is much bigger than one backyard but we can facilitate the recovery one yard at a time. :-)

snasxs, that is a good idea. I have also seen them trained to grow on a old patio umbrella spokes as a fragrant topiary.

My mother has one in her yard that we cut back every year the fragrance is wonderful.

Jeff and Butterfly4: I got it. Time you are reading this notes, my Honeysukcle is a done deal. The plant will be dried and the root will be treated next week. Thanks for your information.

There are so many nurseries offer this plant for sale. Because I trust the system, it is ok for sale, to buy and to grow. There are so many other gardeners like I do not know the possibility of consequence. The warning on internet or on possible some label does not make any connection to an average gardener. I have no problem to do the right thing.

hi longriver,
that is a good thing that you are doing by not contributing to the issue of encouraging gardener's to grow a problem plant.
there are state agencies that regulate sales of these plants by retailers but i am sure that they can't be everywhere all the time.
in fact, i noticed that a local box-store garden center was offering the new 'summer chocolate' mimosa and called the alabama plant inspection agency about it because i knew that mimosa is on our noxious weed/invasive species list. they came to the store and pulled the plants. apparently, these chains are not aware or concerned about such issues and informed gardeners can help ensure they are kept in compliance with state laws.
it may not seem like much of an effort considering the current distribution of albizia julibrissin in alabama but i think it was the right thing to do and every little bit helps. maybe the best thing we can do is just make people aware and go from there.
regards,
jeff

I went to a local nursery. You guess it. I counted there were 14 of one gal of honeysuckles set for sale.

They were shipped from a very large wholesale grower.

Longriver,

Yeah, I agree.

Every grocery store sells English Ivy which is as aggressive as kudzu.

C

Just FYI, many invasive species, like lonicera japonica, are invasive not just because they are fast growing vines that can choke nearby plants, but because their berries are spread by birds. So yes, you're feeding local wild birds, but then a dozen honeysuckles start sprouting all over the neighborhood, and when they all start producing berries . . . .

It is not an easy decision to give up on a beautiful, fragrant plant because of its invasive qualities, and those who choose to do without invasives should be congratulated! Persuading others to ditch their invasive plants is always best done with courtesy and sympathy, IMHO.

Those who are still considering, look into native and non-invasive alternatives, and you may find a new species to love!

Jim