How to Prune the Lonicera Dropmore

Cut back the Dropmore Scarlet honeysuckle vine to a height of 18 to 48 inches in very late winter before any buds swell to reveal new leaves. Use bypass pruners to cut off all side vine branches from the main one or two trunklike stems that emanate from the ground. Make the cut 1/2 inch above a dormant bud. In mild-winter regions the leaves may persist across winter. Therefore, make pruning cuts above a dormant bud or leaf.

Trim dead, broken or errant vine branches anytime of year. Make the pruning cuts 1/2 inch above their attachment to a lower main vine or just above a pair of leaves or dormant buds.

Cut off spent, old clusters of flowers from vine tips across summer and fall to promote reblooming. This is called deadheading. Remove the withered flower heads at their stem base, just above the pair of leaves. New flowers emerge from buds just above this leaf pair.

Trim back any errant vines during the growing season to tidy the plant. Wiry stems that block views, create a tripping hazard or are starting to grow into a house eave, gutter or other undesired place may be trimmed as necessary. Cut back these branch-vines to any length you want, as new growth buds will sprout from just above the leaves where you made the pruning cut.