Honeysuckle - can I hack it back?

[PinkOboe]

It’s a shrubby one rather than a climbing one. The innards are all dry and bare with leaves on the ends. It was here when we moved in 8 years ago and I’ve not done anything to it in that time so it’s quite old

I’m always hacking mine back, it either dries up at the bottom and looks awful or romps away swamping everything else.
It’s hard to do any significant damage to honeysuckle.

Oh good. That’s what I want to hear. Is it a good time now or should I wait...?

This honeysuckle was severely pruned last September. So, yes, you can hack it back.

I’m going in... wish me luck

Good luck. Have you got GPS, in case you’re never seen again?

Mines like that too, but it will just be sticks if I cut it back now and I don't want the garden to look that bare!

Just been into the garden. As it has been a hot day the scent of the honeysuckle is heavenly.

Take out about one third of the oldest main stems at the base to encourage new young shoots. Repeat next year and the year after, so after 3 years you will have got rid of all the really old woody stuff.

You can actually take it all right back to the base and it will probably re-shoot, but it will take 2-3 years to get any real growth and longer than that before you get flowers again.