Lonicera, Gold Flame Honeysuckle

'Goldflame' honeysuckle is an attractive non-fragrant twining honeysuckle that looks and performs a lot like the fragrant European woodbi...Read Morene, L. periclymenum, also called Dutch honeysuckle. But why not choose the fragrant honeysuckle?

Neither is invasive in N. America. Both rebloom repeatedly from early summer till frost.

The Royal Horticultural Society has awarded this cultivar its coveted Award of Garden Merit.

Several similar looking species seem to be frequently confused in commerce, including L. x heckrottii, L. periclymenum, L. x americana, and L. caprifolium.

Bayer Systemic Rose and Flower Care will take care of any aphid problem, but at the same time it will poison any butterfly, honeybee, or hummingbird attracted to the flowers. A horticultural oil in winter will smother overwintering eggs, and a commercial insecticidal soap in spring will help control the spring population explosion without killing all the beneficial insects.

Honeysuckles are more prone to aphids in full sun, and more prone to powdery mildew in shade. They're more prone to both in the southeastern US than in the north.

This is often said to be a hybrid between L. sempervirens and the European hybrid L. x americana. Dirr has serious doubts.

I have grown Goldflame for years, both in the mountains on northern CA and the heat and humidity of OK. It's my favorite honeysuckle. ...Read MoreI love it for the compact, easy care habit and the incredible bloom period, being one of the first to start in spring and continuing right up to Thanksgiving.
I noticed that other people have had an aphid problem with it, and so did I at first. It was really extreme, with aphids totally coating the blossoms and all but destroying the plant. Seriously nasty! However, a treatment of Bayer Systemic Rose and Flower Care solved it quickly and easily. I scratch it in around the base in the spring, as soon as the flower buds begin to form, and water it in. Sometimes it will need a 2nd treatment in a few months, because of the extremely long blooming period, but often one treatment will do it.
I have never had a problem with powdery mildew on my plants, so I'm no help with that one. The worst problem I had recently is that they grow on a chain link fence. Anyone watching the climate reports last summer would have seen the amazing number of days we had in OK that were in excess of 110 degrees. The metal fence got so hot that it nearly cooked all the plants that were touching it. Still, the Goldflame did survive and is budded up and beginning to bloom now.

I planted it 7 years ago and have never had a problem with mildew or aphids. It is partially shaded and does well in the hot, dry air. B...Read Moreirds love it and it does have a pleasant, mild aroma.

Love this plant. I did have problems with powdery mildew during our hot, humid summers, but sprinkling the base with Bayer Rose & Flower...Read More care took care of the problem. I have 2 of these growing up a trellis on the back of my garage. They get morning sun and afternoon shade and bloom beautifully. I have another in full sun all day long on a fence in the front lawn and it does just as well.

I have had good and bad years with Gold Flame so I selected neutral. This has been its best year since I got it two or 3 yrs. ago...no ap...Read Morehids and no powdery mildew. It is blooming like crazy and the scent in early morning and later in the P.M. is just heavenly. Mine is in sun until about 2pm. I water enough to keep the roots moist but not wet. I have organic matter worked in to the soil and topped with mulch. I have been feeding it with half strength fertilizer this spring. It seems from what I have read that it needs more TLC than the Coral Honeysuckle which was hit very hard by aphids this year. In good years, It puts out an absolutely beautiful floral display. BTW, this spring before the blooms started to develop, I did spray it with a homemade spray from boiled grapefruit rinds and a few drops of dish soap to thwart any aphid attacks. I don't know if that is why I haven't had any aphids or not but it didn't seem to hurt.

Very nice vine, had really high hopes for it. Unfortunately in a period of about a month and a half they went from lush and green to comp...Read Moreletely overtaken by mildew and scrappy looking. Many leaves started getting purplish spots, eventually turning fully purple then yellow. If I were to prune every problem leaf there would only be a few leaves left. Later this week they will be dug up and replaced.

Im in a very dry place, it had tons of breeze, dripline watering system down by the roots, 50/50 full sun/shade, alkaline soil adjusted down to slightly acidic. I hate to see them go but Im out of ideas. I would not buy this plant again.

It didn't make in through our Quebec winter (-20 to -30 degrees at times, with high winds). Zone 4a.

Nothing but good to say about this plant. Have had it 4 years now and have it with a Dreamweaver pink climbing rose and love it!!

I've had my honeysuckle "gold flame" for 2 years now and have had a lot of problems with aphids and powdery mildew. I have yet to find a...Read Morenything that actually helps this plant! I finally tried horticulture oil that a staff member at one of our local nurseries suggested and it worked better than anything else I have tried. I absolutely love the flowers on this vine, but I'm tempted to give up. Any suggestions would be welcomed!

Pros: I bought two Honeysuckle 'Gold Flame' vines from Parks about 2 years ago. They are healthy; the flowers are beautiful. I've not ...Read Moreexperienced mold others complain of.

Cons: This honeysuckle was advertised as extremely fragrant. That is why I made the purchase. To the contrary, there has not been a trace of fragrance from them.

mwperry

This is a very striking honeysuckle, but I too have problems with powdery mildew and aphids. I also don't find the fragrance nearly as p...Read Moreervasive as Halls.

I am glad to hear that I am not the only one with a powdery mildew problem. It is not quite as bad as it was last year so I decided to k...Read Moreeep the plant. Last year it was completely disfigured.

I'm not sure why the hardiness zone is not including up to 10b. This is my zone and it grows beautifully over here!
Yes, it is pro...Read Morene to aphid infestations, but it subsides by summer (I found out by experience but this has been confirmed in one of my hort. books too).
It is a gorgeous vine and well worth the effort! I have it growing in a pot in full sun. Full sun is a must for this plant.

I have grown this vine (the same one) in a large container (3 foot high huge pot) for 4-5 years. I started it in a partially shaded loca...Read Moretion but it was prone to powdery mildew and black spot so I moved it to a full sun location.

Even in the full sun, it is still prone to powdery mildew (no, I don't water it at night or water the leaves at all). It's also prone to aphid infestations.

I love the fragrance, and the flowers are lovely, but the time and money spent trying to keep it looking lovely aren't really worth it.

Or so I thought anyway, until this year. I had aphids this spring. Used the garden hose to get rid of them. Since then, no problems and it's blooming like crazy. No sign of black spot or powdery mildew. Perhaps it's the drier than normal weather we've had this summer. Whatever the reason, it's just thriving and gorgeous. I've done nothing to it this year--no pruning, no fertilizing--except for knocking off the aphids and watering it. I've added a picture of it so you can see how lovely it is when it's doing well.

I love the flowers and fragrance of this plant, which is NOT invasive, but hate the powdery mildew that overtakes it each year. It is in ...Read Morepart sun. I may move it to full sun and see if that helps.

I planted my goldflame on a trellis posted aside my garage in partial shade. For some reason it grows bushy rather than like a vine but ...Read MoreI don't mide. The flowers are flashy but even better are the vivid leaves. This vine has grown alot since I purchased it.

I grew a honeysuckle on a white board fence in a suburb of Atlanta, Georgia, that was sold to me as 'Gold Flame,' but the flowers were di...Read Morefferent that the ones shown by hczone6. Mine had paler, tricolored flowers--pale pinks, purples and light golden yellow--more yellow than the other two colors, so I thought that gave it its name. My plant was beautiful, with deep blue-green leaves and had masses of flowers, but nothing with this intensity of color. And it wasn't even planted in full sun. In fact I worried that it would have enough sun to flower, but we wanted it by the driveway so you could smell the fragrance as you got out of the car.