How to grow honeysuckle and best varieties

There are more types of honeysuckle than you might realise – some evergreen, some deciduous. They’re not all scented, and those that are, despite what you may read, are pollinated by moths rather than bees, so they save their strongest fragrance for evenings and early mornings. 

Which? Gardening magazine grew a range of popular varieties to see which would give us the best display.

Breathe new life into your outside spaces. Sign up for our Gardening newsletter, it's free monthly

Key facts

PLANT TYPE Climber

POSITION Sun or partial shade

SOIL Reliably moist but well-drained soil

How to grow honeysuckle: month by month

Best honeysuckle varieties

Which? members can log in now to see the full results and which are our Best Buy varieties. If you’re not a member, join Which? to get instant access.

Full testing results for honeysuckle

_{TABLE NOTES The more stars the better. OVERALL RATING Based on: flower coverage (15%), flower duration (15%), flower impact (15%), pest and disease resistance (15%), scent (15%), vigour (15%) and berries (10%). Height x spread As measured in the second year of the trial. Eventual sizes would usually be larger. Vigour Assesses suitability/manageability for smaller gardens.}

25% off Which? Gardening

Pay £36.75 for the first year and get the garden you want for less

Get this offer

Caring for your plants

Planting

Plant in reliably moist but well-drained soil. Honeysuckle flowers best in sun, but they are woodland plants and might be healthier in partial shade. They prefer to have their roots in shade. Provide a sturdy support such as trellis or obelisk for them to twine around and climb up.

After planting, mulch with soil improver to help keep soil moist and roots cool. This will help reduce the risk of powdery mildew.

Make your own soil improver with a Best Buy compost bin

Pruning

Plant size can be kept in check by regular pruning. 

Some (Lonicera periclymenum) flower in early summer on sideshoots on growth made the previous year. Cut back the stems by about a third in late summer, when flowering has finished. 

Later flowering varieties, such as the Japanese honeysuckle (L. japonica) can be cut back as needed in spring by shortening any long shoots or tidying tangled growth. 

Overgrown plants of all varieties can be cut back hard to around 60cm in early spring and will soon regrow.

Try our Best Buy secateurs

Common growing problems

Powdery mildew

This is a common problem, especially in dry soils. Infected leaves have a powdery white coating. Water during dry weather and thin out tangled growth to improve airflow around plants.

Read more about powdery mildew.

Aphids

These sap-sucking insects attack shoot tips and buds in early summer, and can become a serious problem. If spotted early, it’s possible to squash aphids to prevent colonies increasing. Rose sprays that contain a fungicide and insecticide can help to control both aphids and powdery mildew.

Read more about aphids.

How we test honeysuckle

We bought three plants of 16 varieties of honeysuckle and planted them around large wooden obelisks at the Which? Gardening magazine trial garden in north London. The trial began in spring and ran for two growing seasons. Plants were assessed throughout. 

During the two years, only light pruning was needed and, as the requirements vary, it was done at the right time for each variety. The trial garden is open and sunny, and the soil well drained, so we mulched the ground and kept the plants well watered during spring and summer, and then watered during spells of hot, dry weather. 

When aphids and mildew appeared, all the plants were sprayed with a combined fungicide and pesticide. 

We assessed them for the duration and impact of flowers; whether they had attractive berries; their shape and how vigorously they grew how strong and how pleasant the scent was; how susceptible they were to common problems.