Help with Climbers!

[Maggiethecat]

I planted honeysuckle about 6 weeks ago, put in horizontal wires along the fence and used short bamboo canes to help train the stems up.
The plant is growing nicely but is not attaching well to the supports and is very floppy!
Help please.

Have you tied it onto the support?

Yeah you need to tie it in. It doesn't stick or twine quickly like ivy, peas or bindweed. I have a three year old honeysuckle and I'm still tying it in to where I want it to go.

Yes I have tied it in but thought that’s it’s going to start to grip for itself eventually. Not expecting to tie every step of the way!

It definitely needs it for longer than 6 weeks!

You are being too impatient. It will hold itself up eventually, but 'eventually' means in about 2 - 3 years not 6 weeks.

Honeysuckle doesn't grip, it sends out long twisty stems which twine around anything available. So that means that it doesn't hold on as it goes along, it holds on as and when the long stems grow.

When the plant is established, ie it has a good deep root system, the long stems can grow quite fast. But until then, yes you need to tie it in for the first few years.

Ok, I understand better now.
I also bought climbing roses recently and gather that the principle will be the same for them too.
Other than ivy, is there anything for fence coverage that climbs and that requires less guidance in the early stages?

I’ve got clematis that needed feeding through the holes in our wooden trellis but didn’t need tying on very much. Difference is it will die back and come again next year whereas honeysuckle doesn’t so that is covering the fence all year (but only flowers for a bit)

Ivy sticks to the surface so needs no help. Clematis, and sweetpeas send out little tendrils which will wrap themselves around a trellis or wire, they don't need too much help, but I'd still tie the main stems of a clematis in every year and definitely a new plant. Rose, honeysuckle, climbing hydrangea, jasmine will weave in and out of a trellis or round a wire, but do need tiying in or weaving through. Everything will need your attention to make it go where you want it and not just be a bushy mess

Bushy mess here!