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Curly honeysuckle is a decorative liana with beautiful flowers of white, yellow, pink, orange and red shades. Used for decoration in the form of hedges, fences, arches and other structures. It is distinguished by its simplicity of maintenance and rather good winter hardiness, which allows it to be grown in almost all regions of Central Russia.
Description of curly honeysuckle
This plant belongs to the category of climbing shrubs, reaching a height of 4-5 meters. Usually they are planted near fences and other supports to which the shoots cling. Leaves are dark green, ovoid. Saplings bloom in the third year of life. Climbing honeysuckle flowers appear throughout the summer and early autumn (in the south - until October).
They are distinguished by a two-tone color - raspberry on the outside, and yellow on the inside, with a pleasant aroma. Fruits - inedible red berries, are formed at the end of summer.
Curly honeysuckle has an average winter hardiness (zone 5), withstands frosts down to -25 ° C. Suitable growing regions are:
- middle band;
- Volga region;
- Black earth;
- southern regions.
It is difficult to grow such a culture in the Northwest and very difficult in regions with severe winters (in the Urals, Siberia and the Far East).
Types of curly honeysuckle
There are more than ten types of climbing honeysuckle, among them the most frost-resistant are common in Russia. Descriptions and photos of varieties suitable for growing in Russia will help you choose the best option.
Honeysuckle
Winter-hardy honeysuckle, growing up to 6 meters.
Caprifoli produces red-yellow flowers with a pleasant aroma.
Closer to autumn, red berries form on the vine, which also adorn the site.
Brown
Another variety that grows up to 5 meters in height. Produces abundant orange and red flowers that last 3-4 weeks.
The Brown variety has a high winter hardiness.
Hekrota
Liana up to 4 meters in height with tubular, very fragrant flowers of yellow and pink shades.
Hecrot does not form edible fruits, but blooms for a very long time
Bedspread
Another winter-hardy curly honeysuckle. Differs in numerous bright flowers and interesting black fruits.
Veil is characterized by early flowering, which begins in May and lasts until July.
Korolkova
An unpretentious variety of climbing honeysuckle with light pink, delicate flowers. After flowering, lasting two weeks, spherical fruits of a bright orange hue appear on the shoots, which ripen in early September.
The Korolkov variety grows up to 3 m in height
Tatarskaya
Low shrub (no more than 3 m) with abundant, highly branched shoots. Numerous flowers give a pleasant scent.
Tatar honeysuckle is a good spring-summer honey plant, producing light honey and dirty yellow pollen
Gerald
Evergreen climbing honeysuckle, characterized by high winter hardiness. Gives small flowers of white and yellow shades.
This variety of honeysuckle is notable for the fact that the foliage does not fall off even during wintering.
Alba
Curly variety with abundant white flowers. Used in landscape gardening design.
The variety is suitable for vertical and horizontal landscaping
Curly honeysuckle in landscape design
Since decorative honeysuckle belongs to climbing plants, it must be tied to a support and used in landscape design in the following options:
- hedge - for these purposes, for example, honeysuckle is suitable;
- decorative arches in the center of the garden;
- green roof over the recreation area;
- decoration next to the entrance;
- green wall.
In garden design, climbing honeysuckle goes well with various perennials: stunted conifers, loosestrife, garden balsam, anemone and others.
It also looks great in single plantings on open, manicured lawns.
Honeysuckle and other climbing plants are often used in pergolas
Planting and caring for climbing honeysuckle
For breeding, curly honeysuckle is purchased in proven nurseries or stores. It is best to choose two-year-old seedlings with bare roots. They should be sufficiently developed, healthy in appearance, without external damage. They are planted in spring, when the snow has already melted, but the buds have not yet swollen.
Landing dates
When choosing landing dates, there are two main options:
- Early spring, until the buds awaken, before they swell.
- In late autumn, when the main leaf fall has already passed.
You can choose any period. Many gardeners believe that it is the spring planting that is best suited for most regions of Russia. As for the southern regions, climbing honeysuckle can be planted here even in mid-October.
Where to plant curly honeysuckle
When choosing a place to plant honeysuckle, you need to pay attention to several points:
- The climbing culture is very fond of bright sunlight, so the preferred place for it is an open, well-warmed area.
- The soil should be fertile and light enough. If the soil is depleted, organic matter and mineral fertilizers must be applied during planting.
- The reaction of the soil should be neutral - curly honeysuckle does not like acidified soil. In this case, you can add slaked lime in the amount of 200-300 g per 1 m2 or wood ash in about the same amount.
Landing rules
The technology of planting curly honeysuckle is standard:
- They clean and dig up the site.
- A planting pit is formed with a depth and diameter of about 50 cm.
- Lay a layer of drainage 10-12 cm (you can take fragments of bricks, rubble and other small stones).
- Spread a mixture of garden soil with compost (in equal proportions), add 50 g of superphosphate and 200-300 g of wood ash.
- If the soil is not very fertile, you can add rotted manure.
- Mix thoroughly and root the seedling. In this case, the root collar should remain on the surface, i.e. it is not necessary to deepen too much.
- Water abundantly and lay a layer of mulch made of straw, peat, spruce branches or other materials at hand.
In the first season, a young curly honeysuckle seedling should be immediately tied to a support. Then it will go up in the desired direction, which can be adjusted as needed.
Curly honeysuckle must be tied to a support (for example, to an arch)
Watering and feeding
In care, curly honeysuckle is not capricious, so a novice summer resident will be able to cope with its breeding. In the first season, it requires abundant watering - you can add a bucket every 10 days, and in hot weather - weekly. If it rains, no additional watering is needed. When a prolonged drought sets in, water is given regularly, and the soil is loosened and the seedling is sprayed.
As for fertilizers, it is not necessary to give them in the first season. Starting next year, it is recommended to regularly feed for lush flowering and confident growth. Fertilizers for climbing honeysuckle are given three times per season:
- At the end of March or at the beginning of April, a complex mineral fertilizer is applied in 2 tbsp. l. per 1 m2.
- In early summer, 10-15 days before flowering, it is useful to add any organic matter, for example, an infusion of chicken droppings.
- At the end of August, 1 glass of wood ash (200 g) per 1 m2 is introduced into the soil. It will not only provide the climbing honeysuckle with nutrients, but also prevent possible acidification of the soil.
This will provide the tree with trace elements and also protect the soil from rapid drying out.
Pruning curly honeysuckle
Usually, honeysuckle is pruned in early spring. To do this, take a pruner and remove all damaged, as well as dry, frozen shoots. It is also useful to carry out a shaping haircut, shortening all protruding branches by 1/3 of the length.
Honeysuckle easily tolerates such pruning - the bush can be formed annually, removing unnecessary shoots. A sanitary haircut is carried out as needed, and a stimulating one (removal of old branches) - once every 3 years, and only on adult plants (over 6 years old).
Wintering
Shrub varieties of climbing honeysuckle tolerate winter well enough and do not need special shelter. Vines are less resistant to frost, so in late autumn they are removed from the supports and laid on the ground and a large layer of straw, hay or spruce branches is thrown over, and spandbond or other insulation is placed on top.
How to propagate curly honeysuckle
Decorative honeysuckle at home can be propagated in any convenient way:
- seeds;
- layering;
- dividing the bush;
- cuttings.
One of the simplest methods that gives good results is layering.
The procedure begins in mid-spring, when the snow has completely melted, and at night the temperature will not drop below +5 ° C.
The algorithm of actions is as follows:
- They dig a small trench 10-15 cm deep.
- One of the shoots is carefully bent to the ground and placed in this trench.
- Fix with pegs and sprinkle with earth.
- Water regularly to keep the soil moderately moist.
- They are fed along with the rest of the plant.
In the fall, ready-made layers are obtained, which can be carefully separated and transplanted to a permanent place (the root collar should remain on the surface).
Reproduction of curly honeysuckle by cuttings is also carried out in the spring. Several shoots 10 cm long with two internodes are cut, grown in a moist substrate under glass. A month later, a greenhouse is opened for constant ventilation, and in the fall they are planted in open ground.
Pollinators of curly honeysuckle
Climbing honeysuckle is a partially self-fertile variety. This means they need to be cross-pollinated or they will produce much fewer flowers. Therefore, it is better to plant 3-4 honeysuckles of different varieties on the site, for example:
- Tatar;
- Gerald;
- Telman;
- Alba and others.
You can plant not only decorative, but also fruit varieties. For example, grape honeysuckle will give not only vines, but also delicious fruits.
Diseases and pests
Ornamental curly honeysuckle copes well with diseases and pests, but sometimes it can suffer from a strong infestation of aphids. In this case, it is recommended to use folk remedies or insecticides, for example:
- a solution of wood ash or baking soda;
- infusion of onion peel;
- Biotlin;
- Karate;
- Confidor and others.
In rare cases, the vine is affected by various fungal infections, for example:
- ramulariasis;
- cercosporosis;
- powdery mildew.
They can be determined by external signs - various extraneous formations appear on the leaves. These can be spots of a dirty brown color, "powdery" bloom, swellings, bumps.At the first symptoms, the foliage of the climbing honeysuckle should be completely treated with fungicides. Bordeaux liquid, Maxim, Topaz, Fitosporin and others are used.
A mealy bloom is a characteristic sign of fungal infection in curly honeysuckle.
Conclusion
Climbing honeysuckle is a good replacement for hops and other plants, which are significantly inferior in their decorative qualities. This is a lush, beautiful liana that will successfully fit into the design of any garden. The plant is distinguished by its undemanding care, so both an experienced and a novice gardener can grow it.
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