Honeysuckle

annbaptist

Hi. I would like to plant honeysuckle in pots to go on a patio area against an 8 foot fence.  How big would the pots need to be? I have some about 12 inches deep.  Would they be big enough? Thanks

Dovefromabove

Hi @annbaptist  and welcome to the forum 😊 

I’m afraid that honeysuckle is rarely successful in even very large containers ... much much bigger than a 12” deep pot. 

Honeysuckle is a plant of damp woodland fringes and hedgerows, where it has its feet in a cool deep damp rootrun and its head in the sun. 

When grown in pots it almost invariably suffers from powdery mildew and the leaves turn yellow then black and mildew and then they all fall off. 

Tell us a bit about the fence ... the direction it faces ... some photos would be great ... then we might be able to suggest some alternative options for you 😊 

annbaptist

That’s a shame if I can’t use pots. The fence is West facing. Thanks 

bertrand-mabel

My father had 2 honeysuckle plants in pots on the outside of his flat in 1976.

When he died we took them over and in 1978 we planted them out in our new home/garden.

They are still with us and are brilliant.

Don't give up if you have only an area where you can use pots.

He did and we ended up with some fabulous plants.

Dovefromabove

So they were in pots for 2 years?  That’s not very long. 

😊 

annbaptist

Thank you. I will try pots. Maybe I need to get bigger than what I have though.

Marlorena

You could also consider dwarf Honeysuckles of which there are a few to choose from..

... look up Lonicera periclymenum 'Strawberries and Cream'... 'Blonde and Beyond'.. both to about 3 feet... or the taller 'Clavey's Dwarf' to about 5 feet..  all good for pots.. maintenance required in the long run, as with all pot plants.. 

annbaptist

Thank you. I’ll check them.

borismrdja

mine are second year in
living well and are currently in full flower 
i grow them in 200l plastic barrels mixed with other plants (one is with wisteria and spring bulbs, one with newly planted Grape vine and White buddleia and third with Parthenocissus quinquefolia in a smaller 80l container

time will tell for how long i can keep them thriving, with just mulching annually and feeding&watering often.

my2c: 
 I wouldn't try planting them "permanently" in anything that hast less than 2ft of depth+ space for future mulches & daily watering  

bertrand-mabel

@Dovefromabove my father had them in pots for at least 5 years before he died and then we took them on.

annbaptist

Think I need bigger pots then