Honeysuckle (Lonicera × heckrottii 'Gold Flame')
Enjoy the profusely fragrant, rose pink and yellow blooms of Lonicera × heckrottii 'Gold Flame' Honeysuckle, a vigorously growing vine perfect for porches.
Complete Plant Information
Overview
Lonicera × heckrottii ‘Gold Flame’, commonly known as Goldflame Honeysuckle, is celebrated for its intensely fragrant, tubular flowers that display attractive rose pink coloring with contrasting yellow interiors. This vigorous, twining vine or small shrub provides long-lasting color, blooming profusely from early summer into the fall. Gardeners highly value this cultivar for its aesthetic appeal and its ability to enhance outdoor living spaces with its perfume.
This highly ornamental Honeysuckle typically matures between 10 to 15 feet tall, making it an excellent choice for covering trellises, fences, or walls. While often grown as a climbing vine, Lonicera × heckrottii ‘Gold Flame’ can also be pruned down to maintain a denser, rounded shrub form if space is limited. Its blue-green oval leaves and reddish stems offer textural interest even when not in bloom.
Because of its low maintenance nature and extended flowering season, the Goldflame Honeysuckle is a rewarding addition to many landscapes. Ensure adequate air circulation to promote the best health for this beautiful specimen, which brings reliable performance across USDA Zones 5 through 9.
Fast Facts
- Plant Family: Caprifoliaceae
- Plant Type: Vine
- Hardiness Zones: USDA Zones 5-9
- Size at Maturity:
- Height: 10-15 ft
- Spread: 3-6 ft
- Bloom Time: June to August
- Bloom Description: Rose pink with yellow interior
- Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade
- Water Needs: Medium
- Maintenance Level: Low
How to Grow
Plant Lonicera × heckrottii ‘Gold Flame’ during the spring or fall in locations where it can receive full sun or partial shade. Optimal growth requires average, medium moisture soils that are fundamentally well-drained. For the best results, enrich the soil with organic matter, as this variety thrives in organically rich conditions.
Water needs are medium; maintain consistent soil moisture, especially when newly established, but avoid waterlogged conditions which can cause root issues. Fertilization is rarely required if the soil is initially rich. Good air circulation is crucial for this Honeysuckle to minimize the common occurrence of powdery mildew, especially during hot, humid summers.
In the northern reaches of its range (Zone 5), choose a sheltered spot, as winter hardiness may be inconsistent. While it may drop its leaves in colder areas, Lonicera × heckrottii ‘Gold Flame’ often remains semi-evergreen where winters are mild. Pruning can be utilized after the main flush of blooms to encourage secondary flowering or to shape it into a dense, free-standing shrub form.
Landscape Uses
The Goldflame Honeysuckle excels when trained vertically. It is perfectly suited for use on trellises, pergolas, or espaliers, especially near outdoor seating areas where the powerful fragrance of its blooms can be fully appreciated. Allow it to cascade over stone walls or grow up sturdy fences for a softer, more natural appearance.
Where space prevents extensive climbing, this plant can be successfully pruned back to serve as a small, rounded, free-standing shrub element within a mixed border. Its vigorous growth and continuous color make it an excellent structural backdrop or focal point in smaller garden beds around the home perimeter.
Consider pairing this fast-growing vine with later-blooming, different-textured plants that do not compete for the same resources. Its ability to tolerate some shade allows it to brighten areas that receive only morning sun.
Standout Features
Flower Qualities
- Showy
- Fragrant
Fruit Qualities
- Showy
Noteworthy Characteristics
Lonicera × heckrottii, commonly called goldflame honeysuckle, (possibly L. Americana × L. Sempervirens) is a twining vine or small shrub that features extremely fragrant rose pink flowers (to 1.5” long) with yellow interiors that bloom in terminal whorls throughout much of the growing season. The most profuse bloom occurs from June to August, with sparser bloom continuing into fall on new growth. Michael Dirr considers this to be “the most handsome of the climbing honeysuckles,” and the cultivar ‘Gold Flame’ is reported as a more vigorous selection with more intense flower color.
Tolerances
- Deer
- Black Walnut
Potential Problems
Lonicera × heckrottii ‘Gold Flame’ generally exhibits good resistance to serious insect or disease problems, contributing to its low maintenance rating. However, gardeners in humid climates should monitor for powdery mildew and minor leaf spots. Prevention relies heavily on ensuring excellent air circulation around the foliage, particularly when planting near walls or in overly dense configurations. If an outbreak occurs, applying horticultural oil or a fungicide rated for mildew control can help manage the issue.
Frequently Asked Questions
What hardiness zones is Honeysuckle suitable for?
This vigorous Honeysuckle, Lonicera × heckrottii ‘Gold Flame’, is reliably hardy in USDA Zones 5 through 9, though Zone 5 gardeners should ensure a protected site.
How large does Honeysuckle grow?
As a vigorous vine, Lonicera × heckrottii ‘Gold Flame’ typically reaches heights between 10 to 15 feet, with a spread of 3 to 6 feet. It can be pruned down to a 4-6 foot shrub if desired.
When does Honeysuckle bloom?
The most colorful and fragrant display for this variety occurs from June to August, featuring stunning rose pink flowers that reveal a yellow interior upon opening.
What sun exposure does Honeysuckle need?
For the best abundance of its flowers, provide full sun to part shade exposure. Too much deep shade can reduce flowering performance.
Conclusion
The Lonicera × heckrottii ‘Gold Flame’ Honeysuckle offers exceptional ornamental value through its extended season of deeply fragrant, richly colored flowers and relatively easy care requirements. This versatile plant adapts beautifully as an upright vine or a dense shrub, making it useful in many landscape settings. Before planting, confirm your region falls within USDA Zones 5-9 and choose a location with good air flow to enjoy this handsome variety.
Design Ideas
When using Goldflame Honeysuckle in landscape design, focus your placement near human activity to capitalize on its profound fragrance. Planting near patios, entryways, or beneath open windows ensures maximum sensory impact throughout the summer. Because it is a fast grower, it serves perfectly as instant screening or to cover utilitarian structures like air conditioning units or sheds.
For a classic cottage garden aesthetic, pair Lonicera × heckrottii ‘Gold Flame’ with later-blooming perennials that offer contrasting textures, such as large-leafed Hostas in the partial shade areas or climbing roses trained on nearby supports. Ensure companions do not shade the lower portions of the Honeysuckle too heavily, as sunlight helps maintain dense lower foliage.
If using this vine over a stone wall, plant groundcovers or creeping thyme at the wall’s base to soften the edge where the vine terminates. This application helps link the vertical structure to the horizontal plane of the garden bed, creating a cohesive visual flow.
Wildlife Benefits
The tubular flowers of this Honeysuckle are highly attractive to long-tongued pollinators, most notably hummingbirds, which seek out the rich nectar produced throughout the long blooming season. While the primary ornamental appeal is the bloom, the small, inedible red berries that follow can offer minor food sources for late-season birds.
Planting Lonicera × heckrottii ‘Gold Flame’ near native flowering shrubs provides a succession of nectar resources from early summer well into fall, supporting local pollinator populations through periods of heavy foraging. Its dense vining habit also offers excellent cover for small birds seeking shelter.
