skip to main content

Perennials Vines

Can a honeysuckle vine be pruned to have a tree like shape?

Sue Hughes Zone 6b in Pittsburgh

6 months ago

Can a honeysuckle vine be pruned to have a tree like shape?

I've seen it done with Wisteria.

I'm going to give it a try with honeysuckle, and see if I can accomplish this.

Anyone else ever attempt this?

Any advice?

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (3)

cecily 7A
6 months ago
An umbrella trellis would work.
Sue Hughes Zone 6b in Pittsburgh thanked cecily 7A
woodyoak
6 months ago
We have both a Chinese and Japanese wisteria pruned as trees. We also have a couple of honeysuckle vines - which we grow as vines on chainlink fences. The honeysuckle’s stems are far less woody/thinner than the wisteria stems so need a constant support structure - even the wisterias needed sturdy supportin their first 5 years or so! If you want the honeysuckle to be more tree-like, start with a honeysuckle shrub rather than a vine. That will be more sturdy and easier to keep pruned to a couple of woody stems. Or design and have built a sturdy metal tree-shaped climbing frame for the vine.
Sue Hughes Zone 6b in Pittsburgh thanked woodyoak
Related Discussions
Pruning/Training a HoneySuckle Vine
Q
Comments (8)
I have found some honeysuckles to be stronger twiners than others. If that one is a good twiner, it will probably have no problem twining around the pole and climbing on its own. If it is a weak twiner, it may need tying in. Do the stems look straight or are they turning/sort of corkscrewing as they grow taller? If they are turning, all you probably need to do is to let them get to 3-4' and then just wrap them around the pole - make sure you wrap them in the direction they want to twine in!
...See More
Pruning Avocado Tree for shape/balance?
Q
Comments (2)
No answer?!? I would just say you don't want new growth getting hit by a frost, but so far it doesn't look like we are going to get hit by a particularly frosty winter. A little prune isn't going to hurt, maybe back to where the first branch from the end occurs. The plant is very young, so not too much. The professionals prune right after picking the crop but before the new growth and flowers appear in spring, so sooner rather than later.
...See More
Pruning an apple tree to create a columnar shape
Q
Comments (9)
You can't prune an open canopy, spreading tree - like most apples (and most other trees as well) - into a columnar form very successfully - the tree will fight against you. Columnar apples are bred specifically to have that very narrow, pole-like habit, but non-columnar forms will not lend themselves to this type of treatment readily. I doubt even the spurring types will respond favorably. OTOH, any type of apple, if started young enough, can be trained into an espaliered form and these can be great space savers as well as being maintained at a low height that is very unlikely to shade out much of anything. How to espalier fruit trees.
...See More
advice on springtime pruning and shaping a tree.
Q
Comments (7)
Do you know by chance what type of Valencia orange you have? mine was just labelled Valencia.. Yes I agree with pulling that right side branch up by wire instead of pruning. You don't want fruit like mine which is near the very base of the plant . When you leave fruit on a young tree it will always pull the branch down from wherever it originally sat.
...See More
Sue Hughes Zone 6b in Pittsburgh
Original Author
6 months ago

cecily 7A I've been gardening for decades and never heard of umbrella trellis before- so looked it up and that's a great idea.

woodyoak so true the woody stems are so much thinner in honeysuckle which i have to consider. I love honeysuckle when it grows on chainlink...reminds me of my old neighborhood where I rescued this bit of this honeysuckle from before they tore it all down.

Related Stories

GARDENING 101 Key Pruning Terms to Help You Shape Up Your Garden

By Noelle Johnson Landscape Consulting

Learn why heading back, crown raising and other practices are essential for your plants’ health and beauty

WINTER GARDENING How to Prune Your Fruit Trees in Winter

By Noelle Johnson Landscape Consulting

Garden chores may slow down this season, but pruning your fruit trees now means healthier plants that will produce more

GARDENING 101 When Should You Prune Your Trees and Shrubs?

By Noelle Johnson Landscape Consulting

Pruning keeps plants healthy. Find out the best time to cut back flowering trees, needle-bearing shrubs and more

GARDENING GUIDES Great Design Tree: Australian Tea Tree

By Annie Thornton

A living sculpture with an unmistakable appearance, this coastal native creates an intriguing landscape scene

LANDSCAPE DESIGN Pretty Trees for Patios, Paths and Other Tight Spots

Choose trees for their size, shape and rate of growth — or shape them to fit your space. Here's how to get started

GARDENING AND LANDSCAPING Crazy for Fruit Trees

By Marianne Lipanovich

Whether a single citrus or a mini apple orchard, even the smallest landscape space can bear deliriously delicious fruit

OUTBUILDINGS 12 Fun Backyard Forts Grown-Ups Can Love, Too

By Becky Harris

Kids might use them for secret meetings, but the word is out on these tree houses and playhouses that consider adult design tastes

LANDSCAPE DESIGN See 5 Unexpected Ways to Use Vines

By Falon Mihalic

Vines can grow over slopes, trail off pergolas and add seasonal color to the garden

HOUZZ PRODUCT NEWS Landscape Pros Share 12 Favorite Trees for Containers

By Marianne Lipanovich

Experts share the trees and tree-like shrubs they use to create a lush garden look in a yard big or small

LANDSCAPE DESIGN 12 Trees Landscape Designers Love for Containers

By Marianne Lipanovich

Turn to these trees and tree-like shrubs to create a lush garden look in a yard big or small

Sponsored

39 Reviews

Ohio's Kitchen Design Showroom |11x Best of Houzz 2014 - 2022

More Discussions

A Year of Bulbs

86

Has your “Blue Fortune” emerged yet??

15

Mysterious Elephant Ear Plant

5

What is your favorite blueberry bush variety?

1

Japanese willow new growth completely green

3