Where honeysuckle grows well: conditions, varieties and regions for growing in Russia

Honeysuckle is one of the most unpretentious shrubs, found everywhere in our country. The huge variety of species allows it to be used both as a garden berry and as an element of landscape design. This shrub grows up to 3-5 m in height; its slightly elongated, oval, pubescent leaves below look beautiful. During flowering, it emits a very pleasant and healthy aroma, especially in the evening. There is only one edible species, but it has many breeding varieties.

Gardeners willingly grow this shrub to obtain healthy berries. At harvest time, honeysuckle is literally covered with blue, blue or purple fruits with a matte coating. You can collect up to 5 kg of berries from one bush. Where it grows wild and by residents of which regions it is cultivated - read on.

Where does honeysuckle grow in nature?

This shrub is distributed throughout the northern hemisphere. But it is most common in Southeast Asia and the Far East.

The plant is undemanding to climate, soil, and the proximity of other plants. Botanists count more than 250 species of honeysuckle, but not all of them are suitable for food; some are poisonous. For example, the well-known wolfberry among the people is also honeysuckle.

Reference. During the Great Patriotic War, the leaves of the bush were used in the treatment of wounds and for dressings.

In which regions

Honeysuckle grows best in the northern regions of Russia, the Far East, the North Caucasus, the Urals and Kamchatka. Depending on the region of growth, shrubs differ not only in appearance, but also in the content of vitamins and minerals in the berries.

The healthiest varieties grow in Siberia and the Far East. They contain a high content of elements that help fight the manifestations of atherosclerosis. Fresh, frozen or grated with sugar, the berry effectively lowers blood pressure. The content of vitamin C in fruits is comparable to its amount in lemons. Fruit juice made from ripe berries quenches thirst well.

The taste of the berries varies depending on the region of growth.. The further north you go, the more sour it is; in the southern regions it is sweeter. Not everyone loves honeysuckle for its characteristic bitterness. But it is not felt at all in berries ground with sugar.

Honeysuckle is very useful not only for hypertension. It strengthens the immune system due to its high content of ascorbic acid and silver. Berries and leaves of the bush normalize the activity of the gastrointestinal tract.

Reference. The plant easily tolerates frosts down to -50°C

When treating colds, berries and leaves help reduce fever and remove sputum. They are even used in the treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis.

For heart patients, honeysuckle is useful because it strengthens blood vessels and cleanses them of cholesterol deposits. Berries stimulate brain activity, improve memory, and relieve stress.

In what area

This unpretentious plant feels great in any conditions. Honeysuckle tolerates sun and partial shade well. Grows in separate groups and under trees.Even under power line supports, where dandelions don’t even want to live, honeysuckle is common.

This is interesting! This plant is not found in the wild of the southern hemisphere. But restless settlers brought honeysuckle seedlings to New Zealand, and they took root there perfectly.

It grows well in wetlands and mountain slopes. In steppe regions and salt marshes, some types of edible honeysuckle are found, and wolfberry grows everywhere - in the forest, city squares, and pastures.

There is a feature of honeysuckle that has not yet been confirmed by botanists, but has been noticed by geologists: it willingly settles where there are deposits of silver and copper. Due to the presence of these elements in the soil, the berries contain many useful substances.

Traditional medicine uses honeysuckle as part of complex therapy to treat many diseases. For example, for pneumonia, enteritis, diabetes, arthritis.

Read also:

When and how to plant honeysuckle in the fall.

Transplanting honeysuckle to a new place.

Where does honeysuckle grow in Russia: the most suitable regions and varieties

The shrub is unpretentious in care, so gardeners are happy to grow it on their plots. Honeysuckle is used as a wind-protective plant to create landscape solutions - gazebos and arches entwined with shrubs look great and give coolness.

As a garden plant, zoned varieties of honeysuckle are grown everywhere - from Kaliningrad in the west of the country to the Kuril Islands and Kamchatka in the east, from the polar regions of Yakutia and Komi to subtropical Sochi and the high-mountainous Caucasian republics.

Reference. Honeysuckle produces not only tasty and healthy berries. The entire bush is used for medicinal purposes - leaves, bark, flowers, roots.

The best large-fruited varieties for garden plots:

• Altair grows well in the middle zone, the berries do not fall off even after full ripening, produces up to 2 kg of yield per bush;
• Kingfisher – one of the best varieties for Siberia, up to 4 kg of large (2-3 cm long), sweet fruits are collected from one plant;
• Leningrad giant – a very productive variety with large sugary berries for the northern regions, Siberia and the Far East;
• Silginka – for the southern regions, since it is resistant to droughts and return frosts, the berries are stored for a month after harvest without loss of quality.

The best varieties of honeysuckle for the northern regions were bred by breeders from Vladivostok and Komsomolsk-on-Amur. Since the mid-20th century, they have created more than 100 varieties.

Honeysuckle is most cultivated by residents of Siberia, the Far East and Kamchatka. This is due not only to the enormous benefits of berries, but also to the fact that it is not easy to grow many other fruit bushes in harsh conditions. And honeysuckle tolerates frosts well, blooms and ripens earlier than all others. Already in June, throughout the taiga, honeysuckle berries turn blue like aquamarine splashes.

The shrub tolerates transplanting from the wild to a garden plot excellently. This is exactly how the first cultivated honeysuckle appeared. In Europe, this shrub was used back in the time of Carl Linnaeus to decorate parks and squares. True, for the sake of beautiful and dense foliage and flowers, and not for collecting harvest.

Europe added honeysuckle to the list of commercial berries only in 2018. And now there is a real boom there: residents of Germany, France, England, Belgium and other countries are actively buying healthy fruits. The demand for them increased especially sharply after the death of blueberry plantations due to frost.Even Canada, the USA and Japan are on the list of honeysuckle importers.

Dwarf varieties are best suited for growing at home. The most famous is Japanese honeysuckle. In the homeland of the plant, it is grown as a bonsai, and the berry blooms and bears fruit well.

Residents of Russia can easily grow this berry in any climatic conditions. And for those who do not have their own plots of land, it is recommended to plant honeysuckle on the windowsill. Some low-growing varieties grow well at home and bear fruit abundantly.

This is interesting:

Frost-resistant early ripening honeysuckle variety “Lakomka”.

Early ripening resistant honeysuckle variety Vasyuganskaya.

Conclusion

Honeysuckle is a very unpretentious plant found throughout the northern hemisphere. It grows equally well in the taiga and steppe, in the sun and in the shade of trees, in the mountains and in swamps. Only one type of honeysuckle is edible, but there are many different varieties. The enormous benefits of berries have long been known to traditional and folk medicine. And Russian gardeners grow honeysuckle from Kamchatka to Murmansk.