Pruning Honeysuckle
When and how — Lonicera periclymenum
Prune your honeysuckle in February and March — the optimal month is usually March.
The next pruning window is February next year.
When to prune?
The climber honeysuckle is pruned in February and March.
Climber pruning is about structure and keeping space against the support.
Pruning climbers does two things: keeps the plant on its support and lets light and air through. Timing depends heavily on species, and flowering season points the way. Spring-flowering clematis (Group 1, e.g. Clematis montana) is pruned immediately after flowering in May or June; summer-flowering clematis (Group 3, e.g. Clematis viticella) is cut back hard to 30 cm in March. Climbing roses are thinned in February, keeping the horizontally-trained main stems and shortening side-shoots to two or three buds. Wisteria needs two prunings a year (July and winter) — without them it simply won't flower.
How to prune honeysuckle
Honeysuckle requires only light pruning to keep it healthy and within bounds. The best time is February or March, just before new growth begins. Pruning at this time allows you to see the framework clearly and avoids cutting off the current season's flowering shoots, as Lonicera periclymenum blooms on both old and new wood during summer and late summer. Start by removing any dead, damaged, or diseased stems entirely, cutting back to healthy wood or to the base. Next, thin out congested growth in the centre of the plant to improve air circulation and reduce the risk of powdery mildew, a common problem in crowded, shaded tangles. Cut out about one in three of the oldest, woodiest stems at ground level to encourage fresh, vigorous growth from the base. This also prevents the plant becoming a bare, leggy mass at the bottom with all the flowers out of sight at the top. If your honeysuckle has outgrown its space or become unruly, you can prune more drastically. It tolerates hard renovation: cut the entire plant back to 30–60 cm above ground level in late winter. You'll sacrifice one season's flowers, but the plant will regenerate strongly. Use clean, sharp secateurs for stems up to pencil thickness and loppers or a pruning saw for anything thicker. After pruning, tie in the remaining or emerging stems to their support and apply a general-purpose fertiliser and a fresh layer of mulch to fuel regrowth.
Common mistakes
✗ Skipping the July prune on wisteria
Wisteria flowers freely only if you cut the long whippy shoots back to 5–6 buds from the main framework in July. Skip it and you get plenty of leaf and almost no bloom.
✗ Pruning all clematis the same way
Clematis are divided into Group 1, 2 or 3 — each pruned differently. Group 1 not at all (flowers on old wood), Group 2 lightly in February, Group 3 hard in March. Always check the group before you reach for the secateurs.
✗ Letting climbing roses grow vertically
A climbing rose trained horizontally flowers along its entire length. Trained vertically it only flowers at the top. Plan this from planting time with your support.
Combine with feeding
In March you can combine pruning with feeding — efficient, and you only disturb the plant once. Read the full care guide for honeysuckle →
Too late this year? Here's what to do
Better to wait than prune at the wrong moment. The next optimal window is February next year. Until then: leave the plant alone — only remove dead or diseased wood (which you can do year-round).
