How to Get Rid of Honeysuckle Vines

Overview

Not all flowering vines are desirable. The Japanese honeysuckle is a beautiful flowering vine with a fragrant flower, but it is also an invasive species that will overgrow and choke out most of the native plants around it. Invasive honeysuckle vines are difficult to get rid of--mowing makes them grow back more lush, burning isn't allowed in many areas, and simple pruning doesn't kill them either. But if honeysuckle vines are allowed to grow out of control they will attempt to take over a garden or wooded area.

Step 1

Identify and tag honeysuckle in the summer months when the vines are producing flowers. Tie bright yarn or flagging tape to the main trunk of the vine. It is not recommended to cut back honeysuckle in the growing months because the plant will react to pruning by growing back more vigorously. However, the plant may be easier to identify in the summer.

Step 2

Prune honeysuckle with shears in autumn when surrounding plant life has gone dormant, but before a hard freeze. Use a hacksaw if the vines have gotten too thick for normal pruning shears. Remove vines from surrounding trees or shrubs they may have climbed over.

Step 3

Spray stumps of the honeysuckle vine with Roundup herbicide to kill the plant. Be careful that over-spray does not drip onto desirable plants.

Step 4

Plant desirable plants or shrubs in the spring where the honeysuckle was removed to help prevent any overlooked parts of the vine from growing back.