When to Plant Honeysuckle

Some honeysuckles (Lonicera spp.) have highly colorful flowers in interesting shapes, while others bring the bonus of fragrant blossoms that perfume the surrounding area. You can choose from a number of different honeysuckle varieties, each with slightly different features, but all usually thrive when planted at the right time of year and given some basic care.

It's best to plant a honeysuckle in the early fall, which gives it time to develop new feeder roots before winter arrives. Fall planting also gives the plant a head start in the spring, because it already has a strong root system. Whether you grow a deciduous or evergreen variety, all types slow their growth and take up little or no water when cold weather arrives, so avoid planting a honeysuckle during the winter. You can also plant a honeysuckle in early spring with good results, especially if you do this while weather is still cool, so the plant can develop new roots and top growth before summer's heat stresses it. Avoid planting in mid to late summer, because the flush of tender new top growth that follows planting might be injured when winter's cold arrives.

A newly planted honeysuckle benefits from some extra care that can increase its chances of survival. Spread a 3- to 4-inch-thick layer of organic mulch to cover the root zone, the area under the plant that's about the size of its root ball. This helps conserve soil moisture and can be especially important during summer heat and dry spells for a spring-planted specimen. Keep the mulch a few inches away from the plant's stems. Mulching after planting in fall can also help keep roots warm when cool weather arrives and also protects them from heaving of the soil during freeze-thaw cycles in cold-winter areas. It's also a good idea to provide supplemental water to help the plant get off to a good start, aiming for a total about 1/2 to 1 inch of water weekly, including rainfall, until the plant becomes established.

Honeysuckles are versatile plants that grow best in either full sun or partial shade, but they need enough room to spread without crowding by other plants. The correct spacing varies with the shape of the plant -- some are bushy shrubs, while others are more narrow, vining plants. For example, winter honeysuckle (Lonicera fragrantissima) is a shrub that's about 10 feet wide at maturity, so space it at least 5 feet away from any trees, other shrubs or large perennials. This variety grows in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 4 through 8. Trumpet honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens) is a narrow, vining plant, with a width of 6 feet when mature, so it needs about 3 feet of free space in all directions. It grows in USDA zones 4 through 9.

Before you choose a honeysuckle, make sure it's not invasive where you live. Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica), which grows in USDA zones 4 through 10, is invasive in some areas. It is an aggressive vine that can spiral around and choke trees. The morrow honeysuckle (Lonicera morrowii), a shrubby plant that grows in USDA zones 4 through 8, can invade woodlands and compete with native plants. Other varieties, such as the trumpet and winter honeysuckles, are vigorous growers, but you can control their size by pruning top growth back after flowering each year or by occasionally cutting the plant down to the ground during winter.