OVE OVER!!!Okay, all you backyard gardeners! I've got a couple of honeysuckle bushes that I planted to give the birds a place to land before coming to my feeder. They started out as little bushes that were below the top of the fence. I watered them and kept them going the first year. Then I kind of forgot about them.
Fast forward 6 years . . . they are monstrous!!! I have casually trimmed them a couple of times, but this spring they have lives of their own. Small deer can hide in them, and look at the blue spruce trying to escape from the advances of Grand-daddy Honeysuckle!!
Problem is, I think I need a chain saw to prune them. And the one on Mary's side (bottom) is growing over the fence and invading her new tree
.
Pam, I already posted on your blog asking for help. Do you or any of my loyal readers have advice about when to prune these and how far back to cut them? Reply quickly . . . before it's too late!
As you can see, it's raining here this afternoon. I'm off to the sewing room to work on David's t-shirts and Katy's Dora the Explorer outfit. Rainy Sundays are good for stuff like that.
Ta Ta!
6 comments:
I'm not even going to make you laugh with a suggestion. You know I don't have a clue. :)
Okay, you have to be brave. They need "rejuvenating" pruning. Like buttefly bushes, you can be aggressive and cut them down to 5-6 inches of the crown each year - that's if you want to really keep them from taking over and don't want them to get too leggy. I cut my butterfly bush to 6 inches tall each spring and by summers' end it's 5-6 feet tall.
If you aren't that brave or like the privacy it gives, prune them after flowering or early fall to about 3 buds of the newest growth.
Good luck!
Okay, I can be brave! But what do you mean by the "crown"? Is that the main stem where things start to split into several branches? Should I do it now or wait until later in the season?
Honeysuckle are considered an invasive species by naturalist and park rangers. They have a program to erradicate honeysuckle from all natural areas. Honeysuckle is an import from Japan, I think. The problem is that honeysuckle does exactly what it has done at your house--take over everything!
I would rent a chain saw, cut it down, and treat it with a strong herbicide. I would then talk to a naturalist for ideas to replace it with a indigenous species that provides the birds cover and a resting place, but doesn't have the invasive properties of honeysuckle.
Bonnie
Me again,
"English teacher" is right - they are invasive and on the weed list. If you have one in your garden though I think it's okay. The problem arises with them when they take over woodlands and natural areas because they shade out indigenous species - a bit like rhododenrons do in England (also now considered a "weed"). I inherited a honeysuckle shrub in my garden and I like the privacy it gives but I'm ruthless when I prune it - you have to be.
I'll be interested to see what you do ...
WOW! Thanks for the info and advice! I will get this monster under control.
What really ticks me off is that I BOUGHT this at some garden store! I paid money for something that will ultimately eat Pittsburgh if I don't take care of it.
HI-YAH! Ruthless cutting, here I come. I have to check out my tools. I don't own a chain saw . . . .
Post a Comment