himalayan honeysuckle white flowers

NewBoy2

? Do I wait until the white flowers have bloomed before cutting back my 6 foot tall plant

I started this off from seed 5 years ago for the bees.

? Do they only feed on the white flowers and so I should wait until they have all gone

? Which bits appear first...berries...flowers

On the web it says various heights....Cut back to 6 inches and cut back to 2 foot and other heights

At the end of Winter and / or early Spring

? Is anyone an expert please

punkdoc

Flowers before fruits.
Cut back late winter OR early Spring.
You can cut back to any height you like. I usually cut back to about 12 inches. 

NewBoy2

Thanks for your support Doc.........I will wear it always !!

Silver surfer

Presume you are talking about  Leycesteria formosa ..common name Himalayan honeysuckle

By now I  would have expected a  shrub 6ft tall to have flowered.
White flowers are followed by the berries.
The bees will only feed on the white flowers. 
Tough as old boots it will survive pruning now or in the spring.

treehugger80

i leave mine till it gets tatty before i cut it back, last year it was under a drip from our greenhouse roof and got encased in thick ice, this year its 6 foot tall so i don't think the cold phased it in any way!

NewBoy2

Silversurfer

Yes it is the same plant. I have only seen about 3 white flower heads and it is 5 foot tall and 9 foot long.

I reduced its height last year by 2 foot

If its the white flowers that the bees need I will wait until they are out

This Summer I have been planting several different types of plant and Phacelia to give our little friends as long a time as possible to feed

I haven't seen many birds in the hedge but it is right out in the open

The photos are wonderful and thank you for answering the question fully

nutcutlet

you can prune this by cutting some of the older stems back to the ground. More will come. If you are cutting stems back by 2 foot you may be removing the flowers. There will be no more flowers before next year but the birds will enjoy the berries.

Silver surfer

I agree with Nutcutlet...your Leycesteria formosa should be weighed down with the berries just now. I fear that by trimming it at the wrong time you chopped of the flowering stems.
It is probably too cold now to get fresh new flowers.
Pic below was taken on 5th Sept several years ago.

Bees....wonderful that you are thinking about them.
Phacelia is a gorgeous flower and should be good for all insects.
Don't forget to plant things that flower very early in the year...such as Hellebores, Pulmonaria, Aconitum, Primroses etc etc
It is amazing how bumble bees appear on warm days very early in the year.

JennyJ

It flowers on the current season's growth (like Buddleia) so best pruned in early spring before it gets going - hard as you like, it grows fast.  If pruned later in spring or in summer, it will regrow but most likely won't have time to flower before autumn sets in.

Papi Jo

punkdoc said:

Flowers before fruits. 

@punkdoc Now you are an expert.

NewBoy2

I pruned a year ago abd only have a few white flowers now but lots of berries.
Might it be that I have not noticed the white flowers and now have the resulting berries