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I have a few honeysuckles planted in borders and I imagined they’d gradually cover the walls. But now I notice the bulk of their growth is on top while the lower parts remain sparse.

Is there a trick to make them denser in lower parts? Or do the lower parts need to be covered by another plant altogether?

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retrography
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  • Do you know which variety of honeysuckle you're growing? Are they growing in sun, shade, or part sun? Are the lower parts of the vines in more shade than the upper parts? What part of the world do you live in? – Jurp Mar 30 '23 at 18:27
  • I’m in the Netherlands and this must be hall’s prolific or similar. They are mainly shade plants and they are on east and north-looking walls. Of course they take more light on top, but one of them has no direct sunlight whatsoever and still shows the same behavior. – retrography Mar 30 '23 at 19:22

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I believe that several plants are needed. When a plant reaches good light, it no longer grows leaves in the shade. Plant several plants, and train them so each lives at a different height

Polypipe Wrangler
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  • How do you keep them constrained to a specific height without too much visual disturbance? – retrography Mar 31 '23 at 16:28
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    Regular pruning, if I remember correctly. You have Lonicera japonica cultivars; you might be better off if you can find cultivars from the North American Lonicera sempervirens. A popular cultivar is 'Major Wheeler', but I don't know if you can get it in the EU or if you want to remove the varieties you already have. So, this is a comment rather than an answer. – Jurp Mar 31 '23 at 18:52