Honeysuckle and other varieties of decorative honeysuckle in landscape design

Curly honeysuckle honeysuckle can decorate a gazebo or arch, disguise an unsightly stump or hide an old fence. The lush flowering bushes of this plant attract birds that destroy pests in the garden. We'll tell you how best to use it honeysuckle honeysuckle in landscape design.

Plant characteristics

There are many types of decorative honeysuckle (Lonicera). Among them there are both curly, and shrub plants. Climbers combine the best qualities of decorative vines. They are beautiful from spring to autumn due to their bright blooms and lush greenery.

Attention! All types of climbing honeysuckle, with the exception of the aggressive Japanese variety (L. japonica), are characterized by restrained growth and are easy to shape.

Honeysuckle blooms from May to mid-summer, and some varieties bloom in the fall. Liana height reaches 5-6 m. Flowers grow in clusters at the ends of branches. There are many shades of them - from pale pastels to deep reds. Most varieties exude a strong aroma reminiscent of jasmine. It attracts butterflies and bees.

In the second half of summer, small red or orange fruits appear in place of the flowers.. U decorative honeysuckle they are inedible.

This is interesting! Translated from Latin, caprifolium means “goat leaf.”

The oval-shaped leaves grow opposite each other and sometimes cluster around the stem, forming oblong cups.The foliage is usually blue-green, but some varieties exhibit dark green and copper hues.

Features of care

The liana easily wraps around any strong support. Where space allows, the bush grows freely. To form a plant, take into account the following features:

1. The support for the vine is well strengthened in the ground before planting. Working with a support after the bush has grown will lead to damage to the roots and death of the plant.
2. After regrowth, the vines are placed on a support to suit your taste. Strips of fabric or other suitable material are used to secure individual branches.
3. As they grow, the branches become woody at the base. Trimming 1-2 vines close to the ground encourages new growth.
4. Most plants form flower buds on the current season's growth. Therefore, pruning promotes more luxuriant flowering.

The best time for formative trimmings - late autumn or early spring. At the same time, remove weak or damaged stems. If you want to completely renew an old bush, in early spring, trim the plant at a height of about 50 cm from the ground.

Honeysuckle in landscape design

The demand for honeysuckle in landscape design is due to its high decorative properties and unpretentiousness. Planted in early spring, the vine grows well in a sunny area or in partial shade., but in the latter case the flowering will be less lush. The plant is hardy and does not require complex care.

At the same time, honeysuckle not only decorates the garden, but also attracts butterflies, bees and birds - the gardener’s natural assistants.

Solitaire planting

Beautifully flowering liana suitable for vertical solitaire plantings. Vines with fragrant flowers and bright greenery will decorate a fence, arch, entrance, gazebo or terrace.Honeysuckle is used to disguise an unsightly wall of a house or outbuilding.

If there is no suitable vertical support, the vines are spread along the ground, creating a luxurious floral carpet. Without support honeysuckle grows low - 30–100 cm in height. If you do not allow the vines to grow and trim them periodically, you end up with cushion-shaped thickets that densely cover the ground. They fill the space between garden paths, creating a low-maintenance shrub lawn.

Reference. Honeysuckle is grown on hillsides where it is necessary to prevent soil erosion.

Hedge

Lianas planted along the chain-link mesh quickly grow, turning into a hedge. An unsightly stone or concrete fence around the home area is hidden behind such a screen.

In large areas, honeysuckle walls divide the garden space into independent zones and corners. Such a fence surrounds a children's playground, creates a secluded area for relaxing or receiving guests, and hides a neighbor's property.

Creepers spread along a trellis can disguise an unpresentable structure or decorate the facade houses, pillars, old stumps, dried trees, etc.

On the trellis

Growing on lattice trellises is another successful option for using honeysuckle in landscape design. Such a composition can not only decorate the area, but also zone it or hide unsightly buildings from view.

Compatibility with other plants

To create complex compositions of colors and scents honeysuckle is combined with other flowering vines: clematis, climbing roses, jasmine, hydrangea, actinidia, climbing nasturtium. Gets along well honeysuckle and coniferous crops, but does not like the proximity to red and black currants.

Features of using different types and varieties

We will tell you about the most common types and varieties of decorative honeysuckle, the features of their use in landscape design.

Honeysuckle

The leader among all varieties of climbing honeysuckle - Honeysuckle (Lonicera caprifolium). This is a climbing shrub vine up to 5 m long. Young shoots are bare, light green; on old vines the bark is light brown, peeling off in longitudinal stripes.

The leaves have a pleasant bluish-green color. The flowers are tubular, up to 5 cm long, collected in inflorescences. The upper leaves, fused in pairs at their bases, form single disc-shaped formations under the flowers. After flowering is completed, orange fruits appear in place of the flowers.

This is interesting! Honeysuckle was first brought to Russia from Europe in the second half of the 19th century. Back then, garden gazebos were decorated with flowering vines.

Honeysuckle blooms magnificently and for a long time, exuding a delicate aroma.. Flower colors vary from pastel shades to purple and violet.

The unpretentiousness and versatility of honeysuckle explains its popularity and among modern landscape designers. Lianas decorate fences, arches, and walls of houses; they are used for zoning areas.

Tatar

Tatarian honeysuckle (Lonicera tatarica) is a deciduous shrub 1–3 m high. Gardeners value it for its lush, dark greenery and long-lasting blooms throughout June. The flowers are painted in white, pink, soft crimson shades and are arranged in groups. The fruits are red or orange, spherical, formed in July–August, inedible.

In landscape design, Tatarian honeysuckle is used for landscaping city ​​streets and garden plots.Bushes in hedges and multi-level compositions are especially attractive. The plant is a good honey plant.

Shapochnaya

Cap honeysuckle (Lonicera pileata) does not grow long vines and does not entwine supports, but forms compact bushes up to 1.3 m high. This evergreen or semi-evergreen shrub came to Russia from China. Suitable for growing in the south and middle zone.

Cap honeysuckle has beautiful not only flowers, but also fruits - red or violet-purple. In landscape design, the shrub is used as a creeping ground cover plant. It looks especially good in the foreground in a composition with conifers. Single bushes are planted on alpine hills and lawns.

Curly

Curly, or German, honeysuckle (Lonicera periclymenum), or forest bean, prized for its sweet-smelling flowers, especially fragrant in the early morning and late evening. They are thin, medium-sized, painted in delicate pastel colors with yellow, pink or purple hues. The fruits are bright red, inedible.

In terms of unpretentiousness, this species is not inferior to honeysuckle, but is more thermophilic.. It is grown in almost all regions of Russia, except the north. The vines reach 4–6 m in length. The plant blooms in May–June. Gardeners use decorative varieties of forest beans when decorating hedges, shrubby lawns, gazebos, and arches.

Coral

Coral or evergreen honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens) flowers are distinguished by amazing beauty. During the flowering period, clusters of scarlet tubes with yellow centers are formed on the bush. This is one of the most striking representatives of decorative honeysuckle. However, the aroma of these flowers is not as intense as, for example, honeysuckle or hazel bean.

The botanical name of the plant translates as “evergreen honeysuckle”, but this native of the southeastern United States remains evergreen only in the southern regions of its range.

Brown's honeysuckle

Lonicera brownii is a semi-evergreen hybrid obtained from crossing evergreen (L. sempervirens) and rough (L. hirsuta). Scarlet flowers with an orange center and a light aroma delight the eye from late spring to early autumn.

Attention! Brown's honeysuckle, due to its low growth, is suitable for decorating low hedges and borders. It is grown as a separate bush, in a dense group on the lawn, or as a lining at the base of tall trees.

Vines grow up to 2 m long. In winter, most of the leaves do not fall off, remaining under the snow. The flowers are thin, trumpet-shaped, up to 5 cm long. The color varies from orange-yellow to red and purple, the flowers are yellow inside.

Blooms Brown's honeysuckle twice per season - at the beginning of summer and autumn. It wraps around supports weakly, without them it grows bush-like, up to 1 m high.

Honeysuckle Gecrotte

This plant (Lonicera heckrottii) has large, bright flowers., resembling flames. Blooms all summer. The buds are carmine, but once they open they turn pink, tinged purple on the outside and golden yellow on the inside.

Honeysuckle Gecrotte — strongly climbing hybrid with vines up to 4 m long. The leaves are elongated, up to 7 cm long, dark green, bluish below. The culture loves warmth; when grown in central Russia, flowering is not as abundant as in the south.

Long vines are suitable for decorating high arches, fences, gazebos, and walls of houses. The plant is used as a ground cover shrub for turfing empty slopes.

Yellow

Yellow honeysuckle (Lonicera flava) - weakly climbing species of shrub. The shoots grow up to 3 m long. The leaves are bright green, broadly elliptical, up to 8 cm long, leathery, bluish-green below. The upper leaves grow together at their bases into one oval disk.

The flowers are bright, orange-yellow, with an intense aroma, collected in capitate inflorescences at the ends of the shoots. They form in June and last for about 20 days. In the southern regions, the crop overwinters without shelter.

Small yellow honeysuckle vines are good for design of low mesh fences, hedges, borders, and the base of tall trees.

Japanese

Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica) differs from relatives in rapid growth (annual growth is 1–1.5 m). Lianas grow up to 6 m long. It is important to note that this aggressive shrub crowds out all nearby plants.

This species is valued for its lush flowering and pronounced aroma.. Japanese honeysuckle Kansas is good in the design of large areas, where it is used both in vertical gardening and as a ground cover plant. The Halliana variety is unpretentious and blooms even in poor conditions. soils and in partial shade.

Reviews

Here are a few reviews from gardeners who grow ornamental honeysuckle on their plots.

Irina, Shkolny village: “I grow honeysuckle honeysuckle, variety Alba. I planted it a couple of years ago, and now every year it pleases us with beautiful blooms and an incomparable aroma. Suitable for both vertical and horizontal landscaping. In my case, it’s the arch at the entrance, where Alba feels very comfortable.”.

Valentina, Volgograd: “Several years ago I bought a root of Kansas honeysuckle and use it in the design of a seating area in the garden. During her first summer she grew 5 m tall.Moreover, I did not immediately put up the support, and the vines curled around themselves and everything that was around. It turned out to be a wonderful decoration for the far corner of the garden.”.

Nadezhda, Anapa: “I remember this plant from childhood. At our dacha, honeysuckle curled around the walls of the house. My bed was next to the window, and in the morning I woke up to a fresh breeze with an unusually sweet aroma. Now that I have my own home, I also planted this wonderful loach in the garden and I don’t regret it one bit. Honeysuckle care is minimal, but the effect is amazing. Watering, tying up - that’s all she needs.”.

Conclusion

Climbing varieties of honeysuckle are a good choice for decorating gazebos and arches, fences and tree trunks. Lush flowering pleases the eye and fills the air with a magical aroma. In addition to decoration, the plant also performs useful tasks in landscape design - it places bright accents and disguises unattractive objects on the site.