Goldflame honeysuckle

Lonicera × heckrotti ‘Gold Flame’

The propensity of the tropical oranges, rich yellows, and vivid pinks of Lonicera ebb and flow over time as the flowers emerge and fade. Spring 2026 at UC Davis.

Summary

In the trade both ‘Gold Flame’ and ‘Goldflame’ are found as cultivar names, with Goldflame honeysuckle and Gold Flame honeysuckle as common names, respectively. (Dirr, Perry, Missouri BG) Originating in the late 19^th century, Lonicera × heckrottii is an interspecific cross of unknown origin, with accepted parents thought to be US Southeast native L. sempervirens, and L. × americana which despite the name is actually a hybrid of two European species. However, Kew’s Plants of the World Online lists the parentage as L. caprifolium, L. etrusca, and L. sempervirens, with L. etrusca being one of the parents (with L. implexa) of L. × americana. Further muddying the waters, in the Manual of Woody Landscape Plants, Dirr contents that plants sold as Mardi Gras™, Pink Lemonade™, and ‘Summer King’ are actually rebranded ‘Goldflame’/‘Gold Flame’. (1998) For the sake of simplicity, we’ll stick with ‘Gold Flame’/ Gold Flame as those names are used by the Missouri Botanical Garden and North Carolina State Extension Service.

History and nomenclature aside, the ‘Gold Flame’ is an interesting plant with quite a few unique features. Uniquely, relative to the landscape plants in general, is the presence of connate leaves where the bases of the opposite leaves are fused, wrapping around the stem and offering a unique symmetry similar to the wings of a bird. The foliage has a dark green abaxial surface with the underside possessing a bluish-grey coloration similar to oxidized copper. As the leaves move in the wind the coloration offers a sense of contrast adding depth to the plant. The bicolored flowers offer several different shades. Botanically classed as a spike, the buds begin as punchy dark pink which fades to a lighter pink contrasting with the interior of the corolla which is cream to yellow. Complementing the pantomime of color is the sweet, tropical fragrance emitted by the blooms. This is a semi-deciduous plant, functionally an evergreen plant where temperatures stay above 20°F.

South Coast REC Results & Discussion

        The ‘Gold Flame’ performed acceptably throughout the trial with little change in appearance. Its leaves were waxy and faded green, oftentimes having blackspots throughout the first year of the trial. The stems were waxy and divided from a main, woody branch that connected to the thicker core branches of the vine. It usually required maintenance to keep the vines stuck to the trellis, as it tended to spread outwards like a bush. During maintenance of this plant, the softer, waxy stems were easily broken, requiring caution when tying them to the trellis.

        For the first five months of the deficit trial, individuals performed acceptably and only covered about less than half of their trellises. They also displayed relatively stable blooming of pink flowers with bright yellow pistils. Due to this stable blooming, pollinators such as bumblebees were often spotted around these vines. Blooming gradually declined into the winter and then resumed in late summer and early fall. Shortly before blooming again, the foliage and overall appearance suddenly declined as dead foliage and flowers detracted from its visuals. These dead foliage and flowers were blackened and stuck to the plant rather than falling off. In addition to these, many individuals declined, and bare branches formed. Once the vines began blooming again, their foliage greatly improved, and the vines pushed out growth, with some covering the majority of the trellis. In the 2025 Summer Open House, participants rated the vines on higher treatments as being extremely visually appealing, but these ratings decreased to just below acceptable in the 2025 Fall Open House.

University of Arizona Results & Discussion

        In 2025, ‘Gold Flame’ performed below the acceptable minimum overall appearance rating of 3.0 at the UA for most months and for the average annual overall appearance. Foliage color changed from light green to light yellow, appearing chlorotic and developing marginal leaf burn symptoms as the season progressed. With few exceptions, no flowers were observed. The size of individual plants varied and the highest average trellis cover was 42% under medium irrigation and lowest cover at 18% under the low irrigation. Although some plants covered the trellis partially, ‘Gold Flame’ is not recommended for the lower altitudes in Arizona in full sun due to the persistent low quality foliage and leaf burn.

University of California Davis Results & Discussion

At UC Davis there was a lot of variability in performance of  ‘Gold Flame’, specifically how the plants changed over time rather than differences between individuals. This was also observed in Open House responses. During the trial older foliage tended to drop in the winter though a noticeable amount persisted, the remaining foliage taking on purple coloration as temperatures dropped. As temperatures warmed foliage changed to green, and coral colored stems emerged from the buds, twining around the trellis. Intermittently in the winter and early spring, trial staff wove in older shoots and guided new growth in an attempt to cover the trellis. Ahead of the data collection in May, pruning was done to remove older growth where the foliage had become brown and lent a ragged appearance to some plants. Several times throughout the growing season trials staff pruned out older foliage in an effort to improve appearance. ‘Gold Flame’ was very popular with piercing/sucking insects with the resultant damage often weighing on foliage quality, and thus overall appearance scores. The plants flowered freely, and researchers observed gentle roars as hummingbirds zoomed towards the flowers. Walking though the field in the morning, trials staff would be stopped in their tracks by the fragrance wafting off the plants, periodically crossing rivers of scent while traversing the field.

To sum up the open house responses the flowers really seem to make (or break) this plant. The color combination and fragrance are key features that redeems ‘Gold Flame’. The insect damage and persistent old foliage were common foliage quality concerns mentioned at the June Open House that were echoed again in September. However, for all the negative comments about foliage quality and appearance, more people commented positively on the flowers. The difference between the 80% and 20% mean overall appearance scores at the June Open House, 4.2 vs 2.6, respectively exemplify this duality. When the plants are in their prime, their flowers can cover all manner of sins, and they are an awesome addition to the landscape. However the plants will cycle out of flower, the old foliage becomes an eyesore and the whole package looks a bit bedraggled. Yet with some pruning here and there, the cycle can be reinitiated, spurring new growth and flowers.

Retrospectively researchers at this site think the plants should have been sheared in late winter rather than performing limited pruning with hand shears. With the twin goals of gathering aesthetic and cooling data, researchers pruned cautiously to preserve as much canopy as possible in an effort to see if the trellis could be covered. As ‘Gold Flame’ is not deciduous in this climate, a hard shear at the end of winter could have performed a functionally similar outcome.

University of Washington Results & Discussion

Lonceria ‘Gold Flame’ struggled at the UW site. This taxon is semi-evergreen in the Seattle climate, and displayed the best foliage quality in early spring after spring leaf out, prior to beginning the aesthetic ratings. Some deadwood was present after the winter, which was pruned out to increase appearance and promote growth. During the treatment period, ‘Gold Flame’ struggled with powdery mildew, aphids, leaf drop, and a sparse growing habit. While individuals were consistently pushing out new growth, this taxon was unable to maintain a full or even canopy cover. Some individuals were fairly patchy, with lots of leaves and clustered near the top of the plant. The highest flowering rate was observed in June, with some flowers continuing to bloom throughout the summer. The flowers were very beautiful and individuals of this taxon often attracted hummingbirds to our plot. Open house participants were not a fan of ‘Gold Flame’ and it received poor ratings. In the Seattle climate, this taxon may perform higher in part-shade. There were no significant aesthetic rating or growth differences across irrigation treatments during the deficit trial, however, the high treatment shows slightly higher growth rate. Due to no irrigation treatments meeting the 3.0 threshold for overall appearance rating, this ‘Gold Flame’ is not recommended for Seattle when grown in full-sun.