Honeysuckle bonsai

[ducreamious]

Hey everyone. There's a honeysuckle in my yard. Not sure what type. Bonsai material? Seems to have cool roots and potential with the thick trunk and bending style. How would you guys chop it and plan for the future? or is it not even worth the time?

 

[19Mateo83]

They can make sweet bonsai. @The Barber just collected a massive one.

 

[Shogun610]

They make great bonsai , also welcome traveler to the woodland realm. The elves bang their tambourines and scurry to bring you gifts of welcome @HorseloverFat

 

[Cmd5235]

They’re not bad. I’ve collected multiple.

Couple things to keep in mind- they really don’t heal over wounds, especially large ones. Aggressive chops are met with back budding, but you need to position them to cover the wounds.

Along the lines of growth, wire early or only shape by pruning. They get very hard quickly, and branches break easily.

Also, get ready for sucker city. They like to throw shoots from all over and the roots. I find that if I rub them off for a few years, they mostly stop- but advantageous shoots can grow fast, and if you don’t pay attention, get away from you.

 

[Eckhoffw]

Yeah. @HorseloverFat , we miss you.

Many varieties of honeysuckle have small leaves, and are used as hedging plants.
They are super tough and ramify easily.

I believe They send up lots of sucker shoots from the base, especially when pruned. (the one in my yard certainly did). So expect that.

I’d dig that up for sure.
I would then cut it back to that low right branch swooping up.
Nice!

 

[ducreamious]

Yeah. @HorseloverFat , we miss you.

Many varieties of honeysuckle have small leaves, and are used as hedging plants.
They are super tough and ramify easily.

I believe They send up lots of sucker shoots from the base, especially when pruned. (the one in my yard certainly did). So expect that.

I’d dig that up for sure.
I would then cut it back to that low right branch swooping up.
Nice!

Thanks. I'll send an update once I get it out of the ground.
I'm going to buy some bonsai soil before that though.

 

[ducreamious]

They’re not bad. I’ve collected multiple.

Couple things to keep in mind- they really don’t heal over wounds, especially large ones. Aggressive chops are met with back budding, but you need to position them to cover the wounds.

Along the lines of growth, wire early or only shape by pruning. They get very hard quickly, and branches break easily.

Also, get ready for sucker city. They like to throw shoots from all over and the roots. I find that if I rub them off for a few years, they mostly stop- but advantageous shoots can grow fast, and if you don’t pay attention, get away from you.

Thanks for the heads up!

 

[The Barber]

Most likely amur honeysuckle, be sure to seal all cuts well, they rot really really fast!

Here's the one I collected last month.

 

[Colorado]

If that was in my yard, I would have already collected it!

 

[ducreamious]

Most likely amur honeysuckle, be sure to seal all cuts well, they rot really really fast!

Here's the one I collected last month.
View attachment 534924

Alright. I'll get some of that cut sealant. That is an epic looking tree.

 

[The Barber]

Alright. I'll get some of that cut sealant. That is an epic looking tree.

You can use plumber putty from any hardware store. Non toxic, works well.

 

[19Mateo83]

I didn’t have time to properly respond earlier, I believe most of the key points have already been covered by others. It can be challenging to get the internodes to reduce but you can chop them back hard and they will keep on going like nothing happened. They can definitely take a beating and once established are almost impossible to kill. They root fairly readily too. My little Japanese one had almost no roots at collection and was basically ripped from the ground the day prior to me bringing it home.

 

[ducreamious]

Thanks for info. It's crazy how strong their root systems sound. That's probably why they're considered invasive by me.

I didn’t have time to properly respond earlier, I believe most of the key points have already been covered by others. It can be challenging to get the internodes to reduce but you can chop them back hard and they will keep on going like nothing happened. They can definitely take a beating and once established are almost impossible to kill. They root fairly readily too. My little Japanese one had almost no roots at collection and was basically ripped from the ground the day prior to me bringing it home.
View attachment 534981View attachment 534982