Honeysuckles (Lonicera spp.) include 180 species of climbing vines and shrubs known for their fragrant tubular flowers. These rapid growing plants can be used to fill in trellises or grown as hedges for privacy. Two of the most common honeysuckle varieties, common honeysuckle (L. periclymenum) and Japanese honeysuckle (L. japonica), are aggressive flowering vines that can become invasive if not cut regularly to control the size. Vigorous vines such as honeysuckle adapt well to heavy pruning any time of year, but you can avoid the vigorous new growth without sacrificing blooms if you prune in late winter.
Disinfect a pair of bypass pruners in a 10-percent solution of diluted chlorine bleach, mixing one part bleach with nine parts water.
Cut dead and diseased branches back to a branch union about 6 inches below the damaged area. Disinfect the pruning shears immediately after cutting diseased branches to avoid spreading the disease throughout the plant.
Cut one-third to one-half the total length of all branches to drastically reduce the size of the plant, ensuring that a few buds still remain on the branches. Make the cut just above an intersecting branch or a bud on the stem. Alternatively, cut back to the desired size and shape as long as no more than one-half the total height is cut. If additional pruning is needed to achieve the desired size, reserve the rest of the pruning for the following year.
Thin out the old wood to make room for new growth, cutting as many as one-third of the total branches back to the ground. Cut just above a bud or branch union with a smaller branch. If the entire plant is overgrown, remove one-third of the branches each year for three years to completely rejuvenate the plant.
Cut and unravel twining vines if they grow on other plants or spread to an unwanted structure in your yard.
Grasp a group of branches at the base and cut through the stems at the base of the ground with a machete or pruners if you want to completely eradicate invasive honeysuckle. This method alone must be repeated frequently, but you can apply a systemic herbicide, such as glyphosate, to the cut tips to kill the plant roots.
Things You Will Need
- Chlorine bleach
- Bypass pruners
- Lopping shears
- Pruning saw
- Machete (optional)
- Selective pruning can be done throughout the year to maintain size and shape after hard pruning in late winter to achieve the size and shape.
- Honeysuckle species grow throughout U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 4 through 10.
- Fine Gardening: Genus Lonicera (Honeysuckle)
- Royal Horticultural Society: Honeysuckle (Lonicera)
- New Mexico State University Extension: Pruning Honeysuckle Vine
- Plant Conservation Alliance's Alien Plant Working Group: Japanese Honeysuckle
- The Ohio State University Extension: Controlling Non-Native Invasive Plants in Ohio Forests: Bush Honeysuckle
- Invasive Plants Association of Wisconsin: Honeysuckle
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