Quick Guide: summer, hardy, semi-shade, height: 6m/20ft, width: 3.6m/12ft

The deciduous climber Lonicera periclymenum, better know as woodbine,1 or honeysuckle, is a familiar sight in the wild, twining it's stems in strong bands around anything in reach. The cultivated varieties will do the same in the garden, given wires, trellis or an old tree to scramble over. The beautiful tubular flowers have a delicious fragrance.

GROWING Plant from autumn to spring in any type of well drained soil, previously enriched with humus. Honeysuckles like their roots in shade and the tops in sun. Give a light mulch of well-rotted compost each spring. Prune after flowering. If necessary to remove old wood.

PROPAGATION Take l0cm/4in stem cuttings in summer and place in peat/sand mixture in a cold frame. When rooted, pot up individually and set outside. Transfer to the flowering site in the late autumn.

VARIETIES 'Serotina' (late Dutch honeysuckle), bushy habit, flowers red outside, cream within; `Belgica' (early Dutch honeysuckle); red and yellow flowers appear in late spring. These planted together will provide flowers for a six month period.

POSSIBLE PROBLEMS Leaf spot; powdery mildew.