- 1). Select a site in your yard or garden with full sun, or partial shade if your honeysuckle is still potted. Make sure the site has well-drained soil you can keep moist. Study the spot during the day to see if and when it receives full sun. Honeysuckle exposed to full sunlight will bloom more profusely.
- 2). Install any trellis or arbor you'd like your honeysuckle to climb before planting it. Installing it after planting may damage the plant. Follow the manufacturer's directions for your trellis or arbor. Ground depth and bracing requirements vary depending on style and size.
- 3). Dig a hole the size of your honeysuckle's root ball and two to three times as wide. Place the hole 6 to 12 inches from the trellis/arbor. If your soil is poor, add some compost to what you've dug out of the ground. Gently place the plant in the hole, and place half of the soil back in. Water the soil and let it drain to get rid of air pockets. Place the rest of the soil in the hole. Water thoroughly.
- 4). Place a layer of compost around the base of your honeysuckle every season during the spring. Top the compost with a 2-inch layer of mulch to reduce weeds and help retain moisture. Water your honeysuckle several times a week during the summer if your area receives less than 1 inch of rainfall per week.
- 5). Tie your honeysuckle to its arbor or stake when it grows tall enough. Use a strong stretchy material that won't cut into the plant's branches, like stretch cotton.
- 6). Prune the honeysuckle lightly after it blooms in the summer. Until it becomes established, do not prune it all the way to the ground. Once it reaches maturity, at 2 years or so, prune back more aggressive varieties like Japanese honeysuckle all the way to the ground during winter months. Otherwise, they will grow out of control.
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