'Goldflame' Honeysuckle in a Container

Growing Vines in Containers

• Plant honeysuckle in a container at least 12 inches in diameter. If you want to give your honeysuckle room to grow before you have to re-pot, go bigger with a 21-inch diameter or larger pot. "Goldflame" honeysuckle is a vigorous climber that will find and attach to a nearby trellis growing up to 15 feet tall. Position the planter at the base of the trellis before filling it with soil. Once you fill a large planter with soil it will be heavy and difficult to move.

Container Shrubs

• Just because a "Goldflame" honeysuckle vine will climb, it doesn't mean it has to. With regular trimming, you can keep this climbing vine as a 4- to 6-foot-tall flowering shrub. Prune "Goldflame" honeysuckle to the desired shape and size in early spring using a pair of pruning shears. After pruning, dip your tool blades in a mild bleach solution to sanitize the tools. Use 1 part regular bleach to 3 parts water.

Potting Soil and Planting

• Use planters that have holes in the bottom for drainage or you will end up with waterlogged soil and root rot problems. Use a pre-mixed general-purpose potting soil to grow "Goldflame" honeysuckle. Add potting soil to the bottom of the planter and then place the honeysuckle shrub on the soil. Check the level. The base of the stem should be level with the top of the container. Adjust the soil in the bottom as needed until your honeysuckle is sitting on the soil at the right height. Fill in the rest of the pot around the roots with more potting soil.

Care

• Water right after you plant to dampen the soil and get the roots well seated in the container. Then water regularly when the top 1 to 2 inches of potting soil starts to dry out. Containers tend to dry out more quickly than garden beds, so check the moisture regularly. Fertilize "Goldflame" honeysuckle in containers every two to three weeks using a general-purpose fertilizer, for example, a 24-8-16, at a rate of 1 tablespoon in a gallon of water for each plant. Pour the diluted fertilizer over the soil at one of your regular waterings.

Pests and Problems

• Other than aphids, "Goldflame" honeysuckle doesn't suffer from any significant pest problems. Wash off aphids as you find them, looking under leaves where aphids can hide. If you get a heavy infestation, spray the affected areas with a pre-mixed horticultural oil. "Goldflame" honeysuckle can suffer from some diseases like leaf spot and powdery mildew. To prevent disease problems, the plants should have air circulation and get some sun through the day.