Plant a few honeysuckle vines and they will quickly cover the wall; when they bloom, mosquitoes stay far away.

Honeysuckle (Japanese honeysuckle) is a medicinal flower very familiar to everyone, often seen in some flower teas or traditional Chinese medicines. When consumed, it has the effect of clearing heat, and growing it at home also gives it some mosquito-repelling ability.

Honeysuckle is a relatively easy-to-survive flower with very strong vitality; with frequent pruning it can even be made into a bonsai. In summer, you will see dense honeysuckle blooming among the branches and leaves, giving off a faint floral fragrance. Its branches are spreading in nature, able to climb onto some nearby supports, and it can also be used as a hanging green plant.

The time for planting honeysuckle is generally in early spring before it sprouts. It can be planted on a balcony with good light orientation. Prepare a relatively large flower pot in advance and put one to two small seedlings into the pot. The potting soil is best a relatively fertile mixed soil. Before putting the soil into the pot, do the base fertilizer work well, and after the honeysuckle seedlings are potted, water them thoroughly.

Honeysuckle can also be planted in the ground in a courtyard, preferably two to three plants, as one clump in the ground. Apply some fertilizer on the surface of the soil and water it to dilute it, helping the roots absorb the nutrients. For watering ground-planted honeysuckle, river water, rainwater and the like can be used; tap water is best after settling. However, only when honeysuckle reaches its flowering period should the amount of watering be reduced, so as to extend the flowering period.

Ground-planted honeysuckle should either have a flower trellis set up or be planted by a wall corner; anywhere that allows the branches to spread is fine. Otherwise, after the honeysuckle matures, the branches will have nowhere to climb and will occupy the ground. During the vigorous growth period of honeysuckle, you will find that its branches spread very quickly and can grow into a green wall in a short time, so proper pruning is necessary. In the following spring, prune off the slender-growing branches and add an appropriate amount of fertilizer, so as to promote thicker and stronger branch growth, extend the flowering period, increase the abundance of blooms, and thus achieve a certain mosquito-repelling effect.

Honeysuckle has strong propagation ability and can adapt to many propagation methods, such as: cuttings, sowing, layering, division, and so on. Among them, the simplest is the cutting method. In seasons with abundant rain, using the cutting method makes it easiest to survive; under conditions with sufficient moisture, new roots can grow in two weeks.

The layering method is not very suitable for potted plants. If used for ground planting, it can still be adopted. Pick and take down some rooted nodes of the honeysuckle. Generally, potted honeysuckle can bloom in the second year.

The above lists the number of honeysuckle plants for home potting and ground planting, the related propagation methods, and the points to note in care. I hope these bits and pieces of small knowledge can help flower lovers who grow honeysuckle.