How to Prune Honeysuckle Plants

Overview

Honeysuckle is a great addition to a landscape for its fragrant blossoms, easy maintenance and rapid growth that can provide privacy on a wall or fence. Honeysuckle can be difficult to control and shape with pruning. Here are some tips to keep in mind when pruning honeysuckle shrubs.

Step 1

Prune honeysuckle during winter, its dormant season, and only if it is well established.

Step 2

Prune back with the shears any dead or broken honeysuckle branches, as well as those that are leaning away from the support system or are becoming tangled with other other vegetation. If the honeysuckle is growing on a wall, make sure it is not growing up and around windowsills or in cracks. If it is, remove it. Use a ladder if necessary.

Step 3

Use the pruning shears to cut back about half of the top of the honeysuckle, which will take the most time. Leave 1 to 2 feet of the honeysuckle up from the base; cutt back to the first lateral bud that is within this area. Try to leave more of the older growth and cut away the newer growth, so you will have more blossoms the following season.

Step 4

Water the honeysuckle immediately after you are finished pruning. Cutting it back will dehydrate and stress the plant, so it will need generous watering right away. Next, layer 1 inch of mulch around the base to deter weeds. This will also conserve water.