Honeysuckle: climbing and Kamchatka, planting, pruning and care

In short: Honeysuckle (Lonicera) is a genus of climbing and shrubby woody plants. Climbing honeysuckles such as the goat-leaf honeysuckle are fragrant from May to September and need a support, roots in shade and a crown in sun. The shrubby Kamchatka honeysuckle gives edible blue fruits as early as May to June. The fruits of ornamental honeysuckles are not eaten.

Anyone looking for "zimolez" usually has one of two plants in mind. Either a climbing honeysuckle, which within a few years covers a fence or pergola and on summer evenings scents the whole garden, or the Kamchatka honeysuckle, a shrub with elongated blue fruits known as the Kamchatka blueberry. Both belong to the same genus, but they are grown differently.

In this article you will find an overview of species, planting step by step, pruning according to when a given species flowers, and growing the Kamchatka honeysuckle for fruit.

Honeysuckle species for the garden

For scent choose the goat-leaf or common honeysuckle. Anyone who wants a green wall in winter too reaches for Henry's honeysuckle. Other climbers for a fence and pergola are presented in the article Inspiration: climbing plants.

Planting a climbing honeysuckle step by step

Climbing honeysuckles are originally plants of woodland edges. They want roots in shade and moisture, shoots in sun, similarly to clematis. In full sun by a south-facing wall they suffer from drought and aphids, and in deep shade they flower little.

1. Timing: April to May, or September to October. Container plants can be planted all season, just water more in summer.
2. Support: install it before planting. Honeysuckle twines; it will not climb a bare wall by itself. A trellis, mesh or taut wires are suitable, 5–10 cm from the wall so air can flow behind them. For a smaller area a FERRO metal trellis 0.6 × 1.5 m is enough, for a natural look a wicker trellis 0.9 × 1.8 m.
3. Hole: 30–40 cm from the foot of the wall (it is dry by a wall), twice as wide as the root ball. Add compost to the bottom.
4. Planting: at the same depth as in the pot, lean the plant towards the support and tie the shoots loosely to it.
5. Watering and shade for the roots: water generously and shade the base of the plant with mulch, a stone or low perennials.

Honeysuckle also suits romantic corners by a bench, where you make the most of its evening scent, as the article Romantic corners in the garden shows.

Care through the year

• Watering: for the first 2 years water generously once a week in dry weather. Older plants only in long drought and heat, in a container regularly.
• Feeding: in spring compost or fertiliser for ornamental woody plants. An overfed honeysuckle grows into leaves and flowers less.
• Tying in: during summer guide new shoots onto the support, or they tangle into a ball.
• Aphids: in spring they suck on the tips of shoots and on buds. An airy position, snipping off affected tips and natural predators help.
• Powdery mildew: a white coating on the leaves at the end of summer, mainly in dryness by a wall. It is prevented by watering and thinning.

Pruning honeysuckle: when and how

The rule is simple: prune after flowering, because most climbing honeysuckles flower on shoots from last year. Anyone who prunes in spring cuts off this year's flowers.

For thicker old shoots use sharp garden shears. Cut out the dead tangle inside the plant as you go, or aphids and powdery mildew settle in it.

Kamchatka honeysuckle: edible fruits as early as May

The Kamchatka honeysuckle, also known in shops as the Kamchatka blueberry or haskap, is a low shrub with exceptionally frost-hardy wood. It flowers as early as March to April, the flowers tolerate even light frosts, and the first elongated blue fruits ripen in May to June, that is, before strawberries. They taste sweet-sour, a little like a blueberry with a raspberry.

1. Two varieties: the Kamchatka honeysuckle is cross-pollinated. Without a second, differently flowering variety nearby (within 5–10 m) it hardly sets fruit.
2. Position: sun to partial shade; unlike blueberries it tolerates ordinary garden soil, ideally humus-rich, moister and slightly acid to neutral.
3. Spacing: 1–1.5 m between shrubs.
4. Yield: the first fruits in 2–3 years, in full fruiting usually 1–3 kg per shrub.
5. Harvest: only when the fruits are blue inside too; earlier they are bitter. Protect the shrub with netting, as birds will find them before you.
6. Pruning: in the first years just remove damaged branches, from the 5th–6th year cut out the 2–3 oldest branches every year after harvest.

Cererit for fruit trees and shrubs is suitable for spring feeding. Planting dates for fruit shrubs are summarised in the article It is time to plant fruit trees and shrubs.

Beware of the fruits of ornamental honeysuckles

Only the fruits of the Kamchatka honeysuckle and its varieties are edible. The red, orange and black berries of climbing honeysuckles and of the wild fly honeysuckle that grows in woods are not eaten. Eating them can cause digestive upset, mainly in children. If you have small children in the garden, explain the difference to them, or choose species that fruit little.

Frequently asked questions

When does honeysuckle flower?

It depends on the species. Goat-leaf honeysuckle in May and June, common and Heckrott's honeysuckle from June to September. The Kamchatka honeysuckle flowers inconspicuously as early as March and April.

When should I prune honeysuckle?

Climbing honeysuckles after flowering, because they flower on last year's shoots. Hard rejuvenation of an old bare honeysuckle is done in early spring, but then it flowers less for a year.

Are honeysuckle fruits edible?

Only those of the Kamchatka honeysuckle (Kamchatka blueberry). The fruits of ornamental climbing honeysuckles and of the wild fly honeysuckle are not edible and may cause digestive upset.

Does honeysuckle grow in shade?

In partial shade yes; in deep shade it grows but flowers little. It does best when it has its roots in shade and its shoots in sun.

Why is my honeysuckle not flowering?

Most often it was pruned in spring, losing the shoots with flowers, or it stands in deep shade or is overfed with nitrogen. Young plants usually come fully into flower only in the 2nd–3rd year.

Why does my Kamchatka honeysuckle have no fruits?

It lacks a pollination partner. Plant a second variety next to it, ideally flowering at the same time.

Recommended products

We do not currently have honeysuckle plants on offer. The following are suitable for planting and care:

• FERRO plant trellis 0.6 × 1.5 m – a sturdy metal support for twining shoots by a wall or fence.
• WICKER trellis 0.9 × 1.8 m – a natural support for a romantic corner of the garden.
• Fertiliser for ornamental woody plants 1 l – spring feeding of climbing honeysuckle.
• Cererit with guano FRUIT TREES + SHRUBS – for Kamchatka honeysuckle grown for fruit.
• Xcellent garden shears – for pruning after flowering and for rejuvenation.

Sources

• Goat-leaf honeysuckle, Lonicera caprifolium (botany.cz)
• Blue honeysuckle, Lonicera caerulea (botany.cz)
• Lonicera periclymenum (NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox)

Updated: 27 September 2026