There’s no denying that Japanese honeysuckle is charming, with its vanilla and cream blossoms, its intense perfume, and its habit of draping itself attractively over arbors and fences. But this beauty is also a beast. Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica) and its cultivars, including Hall’s honeysuckle (L. japonica ‘Halliana’, pictured here) are extremely invasive across most of the United States and parts of Canada.

Damage
This aggressive perennial vine and ground cover, which is evergreen in the south and mid-Atlantic regions, has invaded woodlands, wetlands, and meadows in all but a handful of U.S. states. It threatens native plants as well as the wildlife that depends on those plants. Japanese honeysuckle chokes saplings and shrubs by girdling trunks, and forms dense mats that kill other plants by blocking sunlight. It spreads by roots, seeds (which are carried for miles when birds eat the berries), and runners (stems that root where a leaf node touches the ground).
 
Control
Don’t plant Japanese honeysuckle (the species or any cultivar). If you have one and you’re determined to keep it, cut or mow it each year before it sets seed and keep it well away from trees and shrubs. To remove a small vine, pull it out by hand, making sure to get all pieces of the root. To remove large patches, mow at least twice a year (in July and September) and use a systemic herbicide that contains the active ingredients glyphosate or triclopyr. Be careful not to splash the herbicide on nearby plants.

Alternative
Replace your beast with trumpet honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens), a beautiful native vine with coral flowers loved by hummingbirds and butterflies.

 —Photo courtesy of the Kemper Center for Home Gardening at the Missouri Botanical Garden