Is Lonicera A Good Tree For Bonsai?

There are lots of different varieties of Lonicera and it is in fact a part of the honeysuckle family. A lot of these variants are dreadful for bonsai and do not deserve a second look. However, Lonicera Nitida is certainly worth your time.

Like most honeysuckles it is a fast growing evergreen shrub, but the main difference is that it looks very different. It actually has very small, compact leaves which are just perfect for bonsai. You will see these being used as little dense hedges in gardens.

You will hear it called shrubby honeysuckle or shrubby lonicera or box lonicera.  There are a number of variants that have these small leaves. The most popular for bonsai is the Lonicera Nitida, but the Lonicera Pileata can also be used.

Is Lonicera A Good Species For Bonsai??

Personally I have the Lonicera Nitida variety and it is very good for bonsai. (You can see its development in my Lonicera Bonsai Progression)

It is a fast, aggressive grower that is extremely tough. You can do anything to it and it will just keep growing. It also has the super small leaves that I have already mentioned. It responds well to bonsai techniques and you can very easily build a pretty cool looking tree. The species is easily found in nurseries as it is a common garden shrub and it is cheap.

It is not all perfect though. It can be difficult to thicken and the growth can often be long and leggy, but overall it is a good tree for bonsai. It is generally a small plant, so it is best suited for smaller style bonsais. It can be hard to find a really huge trunk, unless you dig out a very old hedge. I think this is why they are not more common in the bonsai world. I just think there is a lack of good material.

As for Lonicera Pileata, I have not used this, but I have it on good authority that it will work well for bonsai. As for any other type of lonicera or honeysuckle, I would approach it with caution, unless they have tiny leaves like the nitida, I have a feeling you will have a never ending battle with the leaf size and growth rate, which is not ideal for bonsai.

Is Lonicera Foliage Good For Bonsai?

The leaves on a lonicera are just perfect for bonsai. You can actually get a number of variants of Nitida that all have different colours of leaves ranging from fully green to yellow and all sorts of variegations in between.

Leaf Size

The leaf size is what makes lonicera so good for bonsai. It is naturally tiny and there are lots of them. Branches can be covered in these perfect little leaves and this makes it ideal for bonsai.

No matter what size tree you make it is always going to look in proportion and you are going to be able to build a tree with dense foliage.

Internode Length

It is not only the leaves that are small; the space in between them is also tiny. Lonicera naturally has very small internodes. Even on a bush growing wild in the ground, the internodes are still tiny. You don’t have to force this tree into being small with bonsai techniques. It is just set up perfectly for you.

Is Loniceras Growth Rate Good For Bonsai?

Lonicera is a pretty aggressive grower. It may only be a small bush, but it will really grow fast. It does have a habit of sending out lots of straight long, leggy growth and you will also find that it can take a long time for these branches to thicken. It is a small bush, not a large tree, so it doesn’t exactly grow in the same way. This is okay though, you can still manage the growth in way that is very good for bonsai.

However, it does mean you need to find some good material to start with. Getting a trunk with a lot of interest and thickness is going to be hard to find at a nursery or to grow from a cutting. Really you need to find a very old hedge and dig this out and use this as your starting point. If you do this you can end up with some incredible results. This is why they are not more common as bonsai. If we could source more good starting material I think they would be very popular trees.  

Response To Pruning

Lonicera responds very well to pruning and due to its long leggy growth, pruning is something you will need to do often. Repeated pruning will allow you to build very dense and compact foliage.

It can be very easy for them to become too dense and you may need to go in a remove some foliage to open the tree back up and let more light in to the inner structure.

Back Budding

If you are pruning a lot the tree will back bud a lot. It will send out new shoots all along the branch as well as where you have pruned.  You will find it will shoot new branches in the crotches and where other branches might be already growing. This can cause you to end up with a lot of T branches and just generally branches in areas you do not want, so you will have to remove these.

I have always found I only get back buds along the branch, not the main trunk. I have also found I do sometimes get die back, but I have not worked out if it’s from over pruning the top or the roots.

However, I have been told you can get the trunk to back bud, which makes sense. If people are digging these up from hedges they must be able to get back bud on the trunk. I’ve not seen it myself, but I will do more testing and come back to update this.  

Ramification

Its ability to back bud along with its tiny internodes and small leaves allow you to get a lot of ramification very quickly on a lonicera. You can end up with a really dense foliage pad very quickly and you will actually need to thin it out if it gets too dense.

Is Loniceras Styling Ability Good For Bonsai

You can style a lonicera in a number of different ways. They often are used in literati style due to their slim trunks. You can very easily build little pads of foliage, so can style them like a pine or juniper with little pads of foliage.

However, you can also style them more like a deciduous tree and make them look fuller. It will really depend on your material, but you can do a lot with them and they are very versatile for bonsai.

Wiring

Wiring will probably be needed to move your foliage pads into the position you want, but you may also find a lot of the straight growth will need some movement. You need to try and do this before the tree gets to stiff as the branches can easily snap from bending them.

You will never be able to wire out the foliage pads as they are too small. Trying to get wire in between the internodes is going to impossible. You are better to use clip and grow to build these areas to the shape you want.

Fall Colours

Lonicera is evergreen so you will not get much change. However, I have found mine to be semi deciduous so it will turn a deep purple colour and drop a number of leaves. This kind of happens in stages, so you do not rally get a nice overall display from the tree.

Is Lonicera Winter Silhouette Good For Bonsai

If your lonicera is holding on to a lot of its leaves you will not really get a winter silhouette.

I find I get enough leaves to drop where I can a good view of the structure and see what is going on and see where branches are coming from and can easily see what ones need removed. 

Is Lonicera Bark Good For Bonsai

The bark is very thin on lonicera and is almost like paper.

It will actually peel off when the tree thickens and new smooth bark will have grown underneath. This can look pretty cool and adds a lot of interest as it is cracking open.

This does make the bark pretty gnarly at times so you can easily hide scars. However, since it is slow to thicken, it can take a while for these to heal over fully.

Deadwood Opportunities

I have had a lot of die back with some of my lonicera trees and I have found that the dead wood can rot back pretty quickly. It is much better to remove this than keep it on the tree.

If you have an old thick trunk you could carve it to add a lot of character and interest. This would very well if you are growing small sparsely placed foliage pads around the tree. It could really make the tree look weathered from the elements and like it is barely surviving. 

Are Lonicera Roots Good For Bonsai

The roots on lonicera are very well suited for bonsai. They are naturally quite fine and can take some drastic pruning. Lonciera will root from cuttings very easily so it has no problem growing new roots.

Its root growth is very aggressive and they will very quickly fill a pot so it they will need worked on quite often.

Although they are a good root system to work with, I have not had much development of my trunk flare. They really do seem to take their time with thickening the trunk.

Is Lonicera Easy To Care For As Bonsai

You can’t really mess up with a lonicera. They are extremely easy to grow and care for. They are very aggressive growers and they do not need much encouragement to get them growing strongly.

You can read more in my Lonicera Care Guide.

Conclusion

Lonicera make great trees for bonsai. They can be a little difficult to develop from smaller plants, but if you have one with a thick trunk you are going to find they are very easy to turn into something great.

They respond well to work and due to their aggressive growth you can quickly build up some thick and compact foliage.