By Alanbates
United Kingdom
i live in a very chalky area and planted two types of honeysuckle about three years ago. they struggle to flower and the leaves get some sort of blight and turn black . What am i doing wrong?
- 14 Mar, 2010
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Honeysuckle does grow virtually anywhere, but you get much better results for the climbing varieties if the soil is humus rich, moist but well drained. You don't say whether yours are climbing varieties, but I'm assuming they are - are they planted somewhere too shady? Or too close to the fence or wall (i.e., with less than a foot between the base of the plant and the wall)? Some varieties are more prone to mildew and leaf spot, and aphids do rather like new honeysuckle shoots. The trick is to make the conditions better so that the plant is more resilient and they do need to be fed and watered during dry spells. Best conditions for climbers are heads in the sun, feet in the shade, rather like clematis. As I don't know which honeysuckles you're referring to, nor what conditions they're planted in (re light, position, etc) it's not possible to answer more specifically than that - more info?
14 Mar, 2010