Erika Leaman's Lonicera nitida

[Erika_Leaman]

Late autumn, 2024. I dig out a Lonicera nitida / box honeysuckle out from a clients garden. Threw the stump into the compost heap.
A few weeks go by, some days off work because the ground is frozen solid...

...that stump is looking at me....

So it comes home with me.



Day by day the remaining branches get cut off down to one... photo below February 2025.


May 2025

 

[Erika_Leaman]

May 2025, after branch reduction:


Over the summer it flushes out vigourously again, simular to the post above. Then shaped again, mainly focusing on chosing primary branches. I don't have any photos of this.

Over the rest of 2025, I learnt that lonicera nitida doesn't seem to even consider to heal wounds, I'll have to do some dremel work and carve out hollows which I've no problem with.

My main concern is knowing that there is so much more root mass below what is pictured here... it weighs a ton.

Also you can probably see that there's a side stem, I need to figure out if this is another tree or attached....

 

[Erika_Leaman]

Today, February 2026.

Again I want to emphasise that this has had a huge flush since the last photo I posted. And has been trimmed back drastically.

Time for a repot.

Quite a quantity of feeder roots.


Removing the mess of fused roots, trying to reduce the depth of the roots from the top downwards to expose the flair. And from the bottom, cutting back thick downwards growing roots.



I figured out that second trunk is attached to the root, I cut it down. Over time I'll nibble it back flush.

I also dug out a whole bunch of field soil from the center. A few stones trapped in there too.
Whole process took about 2 hours

 

[Erika_Leaman]

Planted it in a seed tray. It's maybe abit cramped at the rear.

Photo with my hand for scale.



Next steps. Let it flush again and harden before continuing to develop branching.