Lonicera sempervirens in clay soil?

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Hobbzz2 Green Bay, WI Apr 24, 2020

Hello everyone. I'm getting a Lonicera sempervirens "major wheeler" soon and I'm wondering if all the generic descriptions on the web saying they tolerate clay soil are accurate? Does zone matter for this issue? I'm in zone 5a. Plant will be on the east/northeast side of the house and will get full sun most of the day. Topsoil is very heavy and retains water and about a foot down it's solid clay. If I need to amend my soil, what should I use and how far down should I go? Thanks!

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ViburnumValley Scott County, KY(Zone 5b) Apr 24, 2020

Hi Hobbzz2:

Hello from someone who has "roots" nearby. My dad and his family hail from Kewaunee. Go Pack!

I grow more than a few Lonicera sempervirens here in KY on pretty thick clay soils, albeit it is a zone warmer than Green Bay.

I would either create a somewhat raised area to plant the vine into. A couple ways to do this include:

**a low (6") rise of additional soil to ensure that water runs off of it

**create a "box" to contain additional soil to raise the elevation.

Loosen the soil below either of these options. The Red Honeysuckle will grow into the soils that it prefers, and your poorer drainage should not defeat the initial establishment of this plant.



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Hobbzz2 Green Bay, WI Apr 25, 2020

Thanks for the help! I drive to Kewaunee/Algoma frequently during the warm months to photograph the milky way over Lake Michigan, it's a nice area.

For either of those options, should I just use the top soil from the yard (not the solid clay of course), or purchase/mix something that drains better?

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ViburnumValley Scott County, KY(Zone 5b) Apr 25, 2020

I'd use the top soil from the yard, and feel free to top-dress the planted area with compost or other organic matter. The best way to gradually convert thicker clays into more loamy "garden soil" is through addition of composted organic matter. The soil organisms do all the rest of the work (worms, etc.) in working things around for such permanent plants.

I would say different for vegetable gardens, containers, or other intensely managed sites. This is not that - as far as you've mentioned. Your Red Honeysuckle (like a large shrub, or a tree) needs to live in the greater soil volume that exists, so you shouldn't create a really sharp break in that soil volume. Adding the organic matter will encourage all the soil fauna to work with you to better the environment for all the things living there.

One of my Red Honeysuckle blooming today...

Thumbnail by ViburnumValley Thumbnail by ViburnumValley
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Hobbzz2 Green Bay, WI Apr 26, 2020

Very nice. Thank for the help!

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pokotadisa Apr 30, 2020

Quote from ViburnumValley :
Hi Hobbzz2:

Hello from someone who has "roots" nearby. My dad and his family hail from Kewaunee. Go Pack!

I grow more than a few Lonicera sempervirens here in KY on pretty thick clay soils, albeit it is a zone warmer than Green Bay.

I would either create a somewhat https://nox.tips/ https://kodi.software/ https://luckypatcher.cam/ raised area to plant the vine into. A couple ways to do this include:

**a low (6") rise of additional soil to ensure that water runs off of it

**create a "box" to contain additional soil to raise the elevation

Loosen the soil below either of these options. The Red Honeysuckle will grow into the soils that it prefers, and your poorer drainage should not defeat the initial establishment of this plant.





If I need to amend my soil, what should I use and how far down should I go? Thanks!

This message was edited Apr 30, 2020 9:49 AM

This message was edited May 2, 2020 3:40 PM

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