Question
We have 12 year old honeysuckle vines growing at the bottom of a hillside in our backyard. They have intertwined with acacia shrubs(yellow flowers)which are ABOVE the honeysuckle. We have been tempted to remove the 5 foot high honeysuckle but heard it was a bear and would come back anyway. If we leave it alone it will continue to envelope the acacia and no doubt take over. What are your suggestions?

Answer
Hi Chris,

If the acacia is important to you then you will need to remove the honeysuckle as it will eventually shade out and kill the tree.Honeysuckle is extremely difficult to control once established. It requires a lot of digging, time and muscle to completely erradicate it. Any small piece that is left will resprout. Brush killers are an option but they will kill anything they land on so if you use them make sure the spray doesn't get on desirable trees and shrubs. The best method of controlling honeysuckle is not to let it get established in the first place although that is sometimes easier said than done.

Regards,

Vito