Pruning Winter Honeysuckle

Winter honeysuckle flowers on the previous season's wood, producing its fragrant white blooms from late winter into spring. Prune immediately after flowering finishes, in April or May, to avoid cutting off next year's flower buds. If you prune in autumn or winter, you'll remove the stems that carry the current season's blossom. This shrub has a naturally arching, somewhat sprawling habit and doesn't require heavy pruning to stay healthy. The main aim is to keep the plant tidy, encourage vigorous new growth, and prevent it becoming too congested. Use clean, sharp secateurs or loppers for stems up to about 2 cm thick; a pruning saw is useful for older, thicker branches. Start by removing any dead, damaged or diseased wood, cutting back to healthy tissue or to the base if necessary. Then take out one or two of the oldest, woodiest stems at ground level each year; this rejuvenates the shrub and makes space for younger, more floriferous growth. Thin out crossing or rubbing branches in the centre to improve air circulation and light penetration. You can shorten wayward shoots by up to a third to maintain shape, cutting just above an outward-facing bud. Avoid shearing the whole plant into a formal shape—winter honeysuckle looks best with a loose, informal outline. If an old, neglected specimen has become overgrown, you can renovate it by cutting all stems back hard to 30–50 cm in late spring, but expect little or no flower the following winter as the plant recovers.