How to grow Honeysuckle in the UK
A climber with the sweetest scent on summer evenings - moths and bees love it.
- DifficultyEasy peasy
- WhereBeds or Pots
- Sunfull sun or part shade
- Grows to300cm
- Spacing150cm
- Time to first pickabout 12 weeks
- Typeclimber
When to sow, plant and harvest honeysuckle
| Plant | mid March to late May or mid September to late October |
|---|---|
| In flower | early June to mid September |
Dates are for central England. Sow about two weeks later in the north and Scotland, and up to two weeks earlier in the south and south west. Get the dates for your postcode.
Planting it
- Water your new plants in their pots first
- Dig a hole a bit bigger than the pot
- Tip the plant out gently, holding the leaves, not the stem
- Pop it in the hole, firm the soil around it, and water well
- Space the plants about 150cm apart each way
Top tips for growing honeysuckle
- Give it a fence or trellis to scramble up.
- The berries are poisonous - don't eat them
Soil and feeding
Poor soil - really!. Nasturtiums flower best in poor soil. Feed them and you get all leaves and no flowers.
Harvesting and eating honeysuckle
Sniff it on a warm evening!
Saving your own honeysuckle seed
Late spring or summer.
- Snip a soft, non-flowering shoot about 10cm long, just below a leaf
- Pull off the bottom leaves and push it into a small pot of gritty compost
- Cover with a clear plastic bag and keep it out of hot sun
- In 4-8 weeks it grows roots - a new plant
Where to buy honeysuckle plants
Thompson & Morgan · Suttons · Amazon
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Honeysuckle questions
When do I plant out honeysuckle?
Plant honeysuckle out from mid March to late May or mid September to late October.
When can I enjoy honeysuckle?
Honeysuckle is ready from early June to mid September. Sniff it on a warm evening!
How long do honeysuckle take to grow?
Roughly 12 weeks from sowing or planting until the first harvest.
Are honeysuckle easy to grow?
Honeysuckle are rated 'easy peasy' for beginners, and can be grown in the ground or a raised bed or in pots and containers.
Plan your own garden: it tells you what to do and when, for your postcode.
Start growing - it's free