Pheasant Berry

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

AKA Leycesteria formosa or Himalayan honeysuckle.


Anybody else have this? I have several but the constant pruning out of dead wood does my head in. Do you cut out all the dead tips and branches or has anybody just left it. Mine are quite mature and woody.
Should I really just prune the whole thing back to ground level in Spring rather than trying to salvage the 7 or 8 foot stems?

my3cents

Is it in full sun or partial shade. I've always taken them to be woodland or woodland edge plants.

I have what I think is a golden form in partial shade behind other plants and I don't think I've touched it in 10 or more years, its only about 5 foot tall.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

I have them in all kinds of situation. They grew easily to eight foot and flower well, but the amount of dead wood and dead tips at this time of year leaves them untidy looking.

my3cents

Brysen Scary Popover wrote: »

I have them in all kinds of situation. They grew easily to eight foot and flower well, but the amount of dead wood and dead tips at this time of year leaves them untidy looking.

I've never thought of them as tidy plants, another reason I think they should be relegated to the woodland.

standardg60

It flowers on new wood so can be cut completely back to around a foot in spring.

Prefers to be in full sun..it's seen a lot in woodland eg. Masseys because as it's name suggests it was originally planted around stately homes as cover for pheasants. Like Buddleia it tends to grow everywhere now.

I haven't seen the golden form for a long time.

my3cents

RHS suggest partial shade https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/10061/Leycesteria-formosa/Details .

BBC plant finder says full sun http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/plants/plant_finder/plant_pages/477.shtml

If you consult enough sources you can always find one to agree with you

standardg60

Very true..and I've certainly seen enough growing to agree partial shade is fine!

macraignil

Brysen Scary Popover wrote: »

AKA Leycesteria formosa or Himalayan honeysuckle.


Anybody else have this? I have several but the constant pruning out of dead wood does my head in. Do you cut out all the dead tips and branches or has anybody just left it. Mine are quite mature and woody.
Should I really just prune the whole thing back to ground level in Spring rather than trying to salvage the 7 or 8 foot stems?

Bought one almost four years back and never pruned it back properly. Cut a few of the branches growing into a Myrtle I put next to it in the first winter as I would have hoped the Myrtle would grow over the Leycesteria but still waiting for that. It's growing on the edge of a wooded area next to some shrubs and small trees I planted so there are plenty of other things to look at when it goes a bit untidy.

Just checked on it there now and it's looking good with fresh growth already covering most of the old stems. It's currently over 2 metres wide and tall and looking healthy despite growing right next to solid rock. It's sandwiched between the Myrtle, a philadelphus, a ceanothus, a self sown ash tree, a lilac tree, a Himalayan strawberry tree and the rock so not worried about it getting out of control. Knew it was going to be somewhere difficult to get something to thrive and its done great with no work on it at all.

looksee

They can get out of control, I had to dig mine up as it was spreading all over the place and coming up in places I didn't want it. I like it as a shrub though, very attractive flowers. It will grow pretty much anywhere, seems to like partial shade, and the old canes should be cut right out after flowering. You can savage it, its hard to damage it! It will root very happily from a bit of twig/cane left in water for a few days.