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crownergis

How Does Your Honeysuckle Grow?

crownergis
13 years ago

I have a trellis that is 12 feet tall that attaches to my second story deck. On top of my deck I have built a pergola. I would like to have a nice shady spot where my vines have grown up the trellis and then cover the pergola.

I have planted two Halls Honeysuckles at the bottom of the trellis. After two years, they are perhaps only six feet up the trellis and seem to have a problem attaching well. They climb up so far and then want to kind of grow out rather than up. I know they are a twining climber, like morning glory. My morning glory, on the same trellis is all the way to the top of the trellis and on the pergola. I want the honeysuckle to do the same thing!

So, those of you with honeysuckle, how does yours attach and grow well? What have you done to encourage it upwards? I have tied mine a few times in places and it doesn't seem to help much. The trellis is made of 3/4 inch cedar that is that is spaced every 10 inches or so, horizontally as well as vertically. Is it too large? What is your honeysuckle attaching well to?

I like the honeysuckle, but it isn't doing what I would have hoped at this point.

Thanks for your help.

Comments (7)

  • woodyoak zone 5 southern Ont., Canada
    13 years ago

    If it is growing out, not up, my guess is that there is not enough light for it so it is growing towards where the light is. Hall's honeysuckle should have no problem twining around that support.

  • crownergis
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Thanks for the reply.

    The site gets about 8 hours of good strong sun. It is just in the shade during the early morning.

    Anyone else have any suggestions about how to encourage the vine to attach and grow vertically?

    Thanks.

  • hawkeye_wx
    13 years ago

    I planted a coral honeysuckle this year and have it growing up a homemade trellis that has 12 inch vertical by 6 inch horizontal spaces. If I left the vine alone to grow how it wanted it would bush outward quite a bit. I wanted it to grow upward so I constantly tucked and weaved the stems back into themselves and the trellis. That worked pretty well.

  • raee_gw zone 5b-6a Ohio
    13 years ago

    Hall's honeysuckle is considered an undesirable invasive here (despite its heavenly scent!)...I have honeysuckle "pink lemonade" growing up a trellis and having no problem with it spreading out, although my trellis is not as tall as yours sounds to be.

  • crownergis
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Thanks everyone for the responses. My honeysuckle just doesn't seem to "twine" much and I have to keep training it, tucking it and the like. Is this true for you all as well? My trellis pieces are about the size of my thumb around the outside. What about yours? Should I just accept that honeysuckle is more "bushy" and not a great climber?

    I am beginning to think that I have been spoiled by growing twining morning glories that would climb anything!

    BTW I am in zone 5 where I have had no problem whatsoever with the MGs reseeding. They are very tame and manageable. I expected that the honeysuckle would have a little more fight than I have seen so far!

  • spambdamn_rich
    13 years ago

    I'll second that Halls honeysuckle is invasive. I finally ripped out the section I planted along a low chain link fence (side of a dog run) because it was getting just too aggressive and thick to keep under control. The scent was nice and the hummingbirds and butterflies liked it, though. It likes to send out long runners to spread, which was a problem. Took me a while to root it out of the grape vine area, and it even spread to the veggie garden. If you cut it back, it forms a thicket of dead material, and I've read (and believe) that this can be a fire hazard.

    When I find a less aggressive variety I might replant... somewhere.

  • houstontexas123
    13 years ago

    i have several different vines, including hall's growing along my wooden fence. i'm an avid fisherman and have a lot of extra fishing line.

    i run 30# mono fishing line in a crisscross fashion 3' to either side of the vine to help it grow up and out.

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