In article ,
Charlie Pridham wrote:
"Ian Macdonald" wrote in message
...

I have a Honeysuckle (Lonicera Periclymenum Belgica) in a large pot and it
has thrived since I planted it in late Spring. It is now to a height of
over 10 feet.

Unfortunately over the past 3 weeks the leaves have started to become very
unhealthy and are thinning out from the bottom of the plant and this
thinning is moving up at a steady rate.

I would consider that to be normal behavior for a pot grown honeysuckle,
especially in late summer, try fairly ruthless deadheading and it will come
back into growth later.

My soil-grown ones do it, too, and normally recover. I am thinking
of replacing them with something else, but need to consider what.
In one case, it faces north-east, and gets NO direct rain, but can
run its roots under a block paved drive which does. The problem
seems to be that L. japonica and L. periclymenum respond to heat and
drought in summer by dropping leaves, as do a good many plants. It
doesn't cause them serious trouble, but makes them less decorative.
And, as you say, they resprout as the weather cools and wettens,
even if I don't prune them back, but do so more vigorously if I do.

Another plant that does it is Punica granatum (pomegranate), and that
can take quite serious heat and drought! But forgetting to water a
pot plant of it does make it unsightly.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.