Few questions on a honeysuckle belgica if that's ok?

[4390evans]

I bought a honeysuckle belgica a few weeks ago and potted it up as it was only little and wanted it to be a bit bigger before I put it out side. The stems are a good 25" now and I have put it in the ground against a fence attached to a metal trellis.
I was wondering if anyone can answer a few questions for me?

Has the flowering season passed?
How far if any should I cut it back and when?
Will it produce berries and if so are they poisonous?
Does it come back from the same stem, is it a shrub?

Thanks guys
Jen

[bend1pa]

Answering your questions in order:

1) The flowering season for that variety (Belgica) has passed.
2) You don't need to cut it back yet, only once it finishes flowering, and then only to keep the plant within bounds or where the stems become too entangled. Remove flowered stems by one third.
3) It produces red berries and they are poisonous.
4) The stems this year will produce next year's flowers. It is classed as a climbing shrub.
HTH

[4390evans]

Oh fab, thats brilliant. Thanks xx

[mothhawk]

Honeysuckle is a bit like ivy - and there is a saying about ivy -
the first year it sleeps,
the second year it creeps,
the third year it leaps.

So I hope you've not planted it close to any other plant that is slower growing. I put one at one end of my buckthorn hedge, and by the third year it had swamped that end of it and was on the way to world domination.

Most of the problem was because it flowers on the end of the shoots, and I'd go out with the secateurs thinking to trim it back, only to see lots of fresh flower buds, so I'd leave it, and it would grow, and the process would repeat until eventually my only option was to hack it down to the ground to give other things space.

I did love it though, and the scent was glorious, plus it attracts hawkmoths in the evenings.

And I've just recently pinched a few cuttings to grow another

[4390evans]

Well thankfully I have planted it alone with nothing else surrounding it as I didn't know it was that vigorous, its got a lot of room to cover as its up against a ugly fence so I'm kinda wanting it to grow quickly..

Thanks for the advice as I know nothing about these just that they smell nice.