Will honeysuckle regrow?

Cheers Alan,

I think I will go for cutting it back.  The arch was probably my favourite bit of the garden but it was only a cheap one so may be better putting up something stronger rather than repairing the old one as I think at some point it would just fall over again.

Definitely won't be tonight that it gets cut back as I am (nearly) home alone with the youngest asleep upstairs.  I will need to do something soon though as the old arch is leaning across the path at about 45 degrees and I need to get past it to get to the chickens each day!  My mum said her honey suckle has grown back ok after she cut it back when it got mildew.  I also need to make sure I've got time to tidy up afterwards.  The ivy I cut back the other week is still lying on the ground under the tree stump it was growing from!

I really mistreat one of my honeysuckles. It's one I acquired from the previous owner of my house. She left it behind - it was in a garden centre tub and was quite small.  I transplanted it to a bigger tub and shoved it underneath my conifer hedge, then forgot about it. That was 6 years ago.  I don't water it, I think the roots must by now have gone through the plastic tub into the ground. It is now rampant, having twined itself all round the hedge. When it's in leaf and flower it is beautiful.

There shouldn't be any problem with it growing back even if you cut it right back. It will probably make it grow stronger!

I love the stuff.  Sometimes when I go down to shut the chickens in and its in flower I stand under it for ages looking for moths and other bugs while enjoying the scent.

Stoat, it has a 50/50 chance....try not to take it down to ground level - if you can clear out the damaged sections and leave yourself with 4 or 5 strong strands to restart with on a stronger frame - you can shorten them to about 2ft.  

Caroline in Jersey

Thanks Caroline, the arch has bent a bit above the ground so if i cut it down to that height it may have a decent chance.  If the worst comes to the worst I could buy a new plant but I bought the current plants when we moved in so it would  be nice to keep it going

Hi Stoat, it should grow, as our pergola came down several years ago, and the honeysuckle has grown.

It is due for a trim when the weather is warmer.

Feel sure it will regrow if you leave at least 3 foot of stem.years ago we had one where we lived in a pot and it got really big,when we moved we wanted to take it with us but to our dismay found it had put roots out of the bottom of pot into a crack in the concrete.We cut it off and now is a big bush at the back door where a Blackbird always nests.

Really easy to grow new ones if you take some berries that fall off and put in a big pot with  a inch of soil on top and leave overwinter then in spring lots of seedlings come up.

Yeah, cut it back to approx 18inches to 24inches. Do it soon cos sp is rising now weather is warmer. Sprinkle some bone meal round the base, (not on stems tho) and keep it watered. It will take a while to cover your new arch, but it will deffo grow back. We had a President Clematis, it got chopped up and burried, still grew back, better than before. Good luck.