Common Name: honeysuckle
Type: Vine
Family: Caprifoliaceae
Zone: 5 to 9
Height: 10.00 to 15.00 feet
Spread: 3.00 to 6.00 feet
Bloom Time: June to August
Bloom Description: Rose pink with yellow interior
Sun: Full sun to part shade
Water: Medium
Maintenance: Low
Flower: Showy, Fragrant
Attracts: Birds, Hummingbirds, Butterflies
Fruit: Showy
Tolerate: Deer, Black Walnut
Culture
Easily grown in average, medium moisture, well-drained soils in full sun to part shade. Best in organically rich soils with good drainage. May be grown as a twining vine or pruned back to form a dense shrub. Needs good air circulation to minimize potential powdery mildew problems. Plant in a sheltered location in USDA Zone 5 where this plant may not be reliably winter hardy. Although deciduous in the St. Louis area, it is semi-evergreen in warmer winter climates.
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. Flowers may be followed by inedible red berries in autumn. As a vine, it typically grows to 10-15’. It can also be pruned as a small rounded free-standing shrub to 4-6’. Oval blue-green leaves (to 2” long) and reddish stems provide additional ornamental interest. Michael Dirr considers this to be “the most handsome of the climbing honeysuckles.” This plant is commonly called goldflame honeysuckle, but that common name has become overly confusing since the introduction of the cultivar L. × heckrottii ‘Gold Flame’.
Genus name honors Adam Lonitzer (1528-1586), German botanist, the author of an herbal (Kreuterbuch) many times reprinted between 1557 and 1783.
‘Gold Flame’ is reportedly an improved variety described herein, the Missouri Botanical Garden has elected to use the common name of everblooming honeysuckle for both plants as a way of avoiding semantic confusion. ‘Gold Flame’ is reportedly a more vigorous variety with more intense flower color. It is most frequently seen as a twining vine that grows to 10-15’, but may be pruned as a rounded, free-standing shrub growing to 4-6’. Extremely fragrant tubular, rose pink flowers (to 2” long) with yellow interiors bloom throughout much of the growing season in terminal whorls. The most profuse bloom typically occurs from June to August, with sparser bloom continuing into fall on new growth. Flowers may be followed by inedible red berries in autumn. Oval blue-green leaves (to 2” long) and reddish stems provide additional ornamental interest.
Problems
No serious insect or disease problems. Powdery mildew and leaf spots may occur, particularly in hot and humid summer climates such as the St. Louis area.
Uses
As a vine, it is perhaps best grown on trellises or espaliers, especially on or near porches or patios where the fragrant bloom can be enjoyed. Also may be grown on fences or sprawled over stone walls. As a small shrub, it can be effective in small locations around the home or in shrub borders.