Is this Honeysuckle the invasive Lonicera Japonica?

Hi,

I took a cutting from a honeysuckle in a cottage I visited a few years ago. I didn't think anything of it but now I've been reading the Lornica Japonica is very invasive and I'm worried that this is the one I have and that if I plant it in my garden against a fence that it will take over?

I dont have a photo of any flowers yet but I have a photo of the leaves and the stems and hopefully you might be able to tell me if I have the invasive type?

Thanks
Craigh

 

Hello, welcome to GC. All anyone can say for sure is that it's Lonicera I don't think that japonica is any more 'invasive' than the other climbing varieties. A better word would be vigorous. Whatever it is, it will need a support to grow on (or through....) but it can be pruned to keep it within bounds.

 

I believe it is considered invasive in parts of the US and NZ, am sure we’ve had that discussion/confusion on the old GW forum. It’s certainly not invasive here in the Uk

 

I'd agree with the above that Lonicera isn't invasive here. You could restrict it's root growth by planting it and using a root barrier or paving around it. Some varieties are more vigorous than others but correctly pruned shouldn't prove a problem.

 

It certainly is invasive round here. We didn't have any until a few years ago and it's running rampant through everyone's gardens, front and back. It's a real nuisance as it's rooted in lots of place at the base of our hedges which are difficult to access.

 

Very mixed reviews. I dont worry about the size it will grow to because I have a huge garden and 6 foot fence with wires it can grow around but I worry more about it rooting elsewhere in the garden.

It concerns me because my mum had bamboo growing all over her garden which spread from her neighbours garden and it was absolutely awful and difficult to irradicate.

Has anyone else found that it's starts to grow elsewhere in their garden? Is that by underground runners or by seeding?

 

Lonicera propagates itself by layering. Long shoots lying on the ground will root all along their length. The simple answer is to keep the first 30cm or so of woody stem clear of new shoots. If any appear from below ground they're easily rubbed out when young. Then just tie in the top growth so it climbs rather than touches the ground.
Very occasionally the birds sow one of the black berries but again, easily pulled out when young.

 

I don't think it spreads underground and pops up everywhere like some bamboos, horsetail/marestail, Japanese knotweed etc. Stems rooting where they touch the ground is pretty common but easier to deal with if you keep an eye on it - either keep the stems off the ground or pull out any that root where you don't want them before they get too entrenched. Or pot them up and plant them somewhere else/give them away. Other things that do this include winter jasmine and brambles (brambles also get distributed by birds who like to eat the fruit so new seedlings come up in hedge and fence bases)

 

I think its more likely to spared via seed eaten by birds, I cant think its anymore invasive than lots of plants that produce berries.
I get all sorts of things popping up in my garden, but I wouldn't class them as "invasive".

Bamboo, is a different type of plant all together.

 

It is vigorous but I haven't found that it spreads like bamboo. It also responds well to hard pruning. When mine gets messy and woody at the bottom I cut it down and it grows back with young leafy growth lower down. Or you can just trim it to keep it where you want it.

 

My two-peneths:

There is so much “free” advice on the internet, especially on Facebook. If you have clicked a gardening suggestion, or follow a gardening group, Facebook kindly fills your feed with other gardening stuff. The problem is, they are mainly American pages - and don’t think that other countries exist, or have different climates, pests, etc. One of the better groups recently told me how to make a water feature to provide shelter and protection to the tree frogs in my garden.
.. Midwife toads? Yes! Tree frogs? No!

The advice given in these Facebook pages has especially to be taken with a pinch of salt when it comes to invasive species. These happen when species are transported around the world, to places where they have no natural predators. Eg grey squirrels, Himalayan balsam, cane toad, the ubiquitous rat… When the species is in its natural environment, they are normally at most “dominant” or “vigorous”.

 

I sussed that years ago @Sian in Belgium Always, always put 'UK' at the end of a Google search! That way you only get 50% American drivel

 

I'm still waiting for humming birds to appear on my Brug flowers.
After a while you just know if its US or UK advice.