Native Plants

Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?

A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.

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Monday - August 08, 2011

From: Pflugerville, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Pruning, Vines
Title: Pruning time for Lonicera sempervirens from Pflugerville TX
Answered by: Barbara Medford

QUESTION:

Dear Mr. Smarty Plants, When does the Wildflower Center prune its Lonicera sempervirens?

ANSWER:

From our Head Gardener, Julie Marcus:

We really don’t prune ours, but you could lightly prune it to shape or train it just about any time when it is actively growing. I probably wouldn’t prune it past the middle of Oct. 15 so as to not encourage any new growth that might not have time to harden off before the first frost. You can cut it back to the ground in late winter if you need to really get it under control.

From the Image Gallery

Coral honeysuckle
Lonicera sempervirens