Gold Flame Honeysuckle

The perfect quick cover for garden floor or any vertical structure, L. heckrottii produces wonderfully fragrant, bright bicolored blooms from late spring all the way till frost. Irresistible to hummingbirds and very profusely borne in large clusters, they fill the garden with sweet scent and soft color. Whether you want to create a formal espaliered vine, blanket an unsightly fence, or cover poor dry soil, this Goldflame Honeysuckle is the solution.

L. heckrottii is a cross of L. sempervirens x L. americana, with a very fast growth rate and superb adaptability to adverse conditions. It tolerates just about any type of soil, and thrives in those problem areas most plants shun. Give it full sun or very light shade and it will reward you with thousands of blooms over many years.

The flowers are about 1 1/2 inches wide, with outer petals of pink, inner circles of creamy yellow. They open from pink buds and are carried in clusters all over this climber, which reaches 12 to 20 feet long and 3 to 6 feet wide, usually within a single season. Boasting the sweet honeysuckle scent that is the essence of summer for so many of us, this Lonicera is a quick and easy way to create a cottage garden ambience in any sunny setting.

Untroubled by most pests and diseases, and left alone by deer, this twining vine prefers conditions on the dry side, but is very adaptable to stress. Its blooms are followed by bright red berries that songbirds adore, adding a fourth season to its appeal. Give it room to grow and it will repay you richly. Zones 5-9; Sunset zones 3-24, 30-35.