‘Graham Thomas’ and ‘Gold Flame’ Honeysuckle - Amazingly Fragrant
‘Graham Thomas’ Honeysuckle in Bloom
Honeysuckle. The quintessential scent of summer. There is nothing like strolling along a wooden path in the evening and being bathed in a nectar-filled perfume. An unmistakable aroma which can begin a game of ‘where are you’ to find the source of the fragrance and enjoyment in sampling the floral contents. The honeysuckle genus ‘Lonicera’ contains hundred of species with varying aromatic intensities. My search for some of the most fragrant types led me to (2) varieties of interest: Lonicera periclymenum ‘Graham Thomas’ and Lonicera heckrottii ‘Gold Flame’.
Intoxicating Scent
For fragrance, hardiness and growth, look no further than Lonicera periclymenum ‘Graham Thomas’. The L. periclymenum species are some of the most aromatic honeysuckles one can obtain as this is your common honeysuckle vine most frequently seen rambling through trees, bushes and fence lines. With so many varieties, ‘Graham Thomas’ impressed me the most by receiving the 1993 Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit!
While ‘Graham Thomas’ honeysuckle is more commonly known in the UK, within the US it is a fairly infrequent variety better known to those who desire to seek it out through specialty nurseries. The cultivar has a nostalgic story as it was discovered by the late renown horticulturist Graham Thomas in the 1960s during a stroll, growing in a hedgerow located in Warwickshire. The variety is noted to have a more pale yellow and fragrant flower than typical honeysuckle with a longer blooming habit.
Desiring to add the variety for growth up a downspout trellis near our patio and breezeway, I came across a small starter plant on Etsy and planted the exciting addition next to our outdoor patio fountain.
First Year ‘Graham Thomas’ Planting
When first planted, the little guy was only a few inches tall but has flourished in the new location and put on at least 2 feet of growth within 3 months. As Lonicera enjoys locations where roots are shaded however tops are sunny, this appears to be an ideal spot for the transplant, receiving a good 5-6 hours of partial sun daily.
While wishing for it to grow even faster has no effect, I had the lovely opportunity to connect with a fellow gardener of talent through Instagram, Debbie, to give me a better understanding of what to expect over the years!
Instagram: The_Wildlings_Garden
Location: UK
Debbie: We received our Graham Thomas from a local nursery and it has been growing for 23 years! It started off as a normal-size climber and has gotten exponentially bigger. It receives semi-shade and originally was growing up a pergola but we then moved an old shed and pulled it over the roof. I do not prune it but the bees and birds love it!
Instagram: The_Wildlings_Garden
Location: UK
Debbie: It is truly an amazing honeysuckle! I have not had any problems with powdery mildew and have always wanted the garden to be wild and heavily scented. The scent in the evenings is amazing!!
From Debbie’s pictures, it is clear the variety is an outstanding choice and I am so excited about the future potential for our small vine to turn into a inspiring specimen over the years! If you are interested in seeing how Debbie’s continues to grow, feel free to follow her on Instagram by clicking here: The_Wildlings_Garden
In my search for another fragrant honeysuckle to add with ‘Graham Thomas’ to our downspout trellis, I researched several other varieties but came across Lonicera x Heckrottii ‘Gold Flame’ at a local nursery when it was in bloom.
‘Gold Flame’ Honeysuckle
Seeing the variety in person instantly sold me! Lonicera x Heckrottii is a hybrid cross between L. x americana (American Woodbine) and L. sempervirens (Coral Honeysuckle). The flowers are a pale pink which fade to a creamy yellow and bloom in profusions throughout the summer season with wonderful aromatics. After planting the newest addition in early spring, a few weeks passed and there appeared to be a slowing in it’s growth and bloom frequency.
Upon closer inspection, the tender new growth and blooms were inundated with aphids and shortly thereafter, powdery mildew also started to form! What a pain. I initially thought I could control the aphids with a steady stream of water to hose them off however they proved too numerous and no ladybugs were to be found to help me out. Luckily, I had an unused bottle of neem oil at hand and began the weekly to bi-weekly applications. Slowly but surely the oil safely eradicated the aphid army however powdery mildew remains an ongoing battle.
Powdery Mildew
As it turns out, ‘Gold Flame’ is known for it’s susceptibility to aphids and powdery mildew where as ‘Graham Thomas’ is not. This has been true to form as I have not noticed any yellowing or leaf drop from the ‘Graham Thomas’ starter plant where as the powdery mildew war with ‘Gold Flame’ wages.
In reaching out to fellow talented gardeners on Instagram, I connected with Cat who was so kind to share with me how her ‘Gold Flame’ honeysuckle has been doing!
Instagram: Littlegreenguru
Location: Southern Coast of the UK
Cat: Living in the southern coast, about a mile from the ocean, my climate is a bit of a microclimate similar to Zones 9b or 10a where our temperatures never really get above 82F in the summer and lower than 28F in the winter. My yard is a typical UK garden, approximately 42ft x 22ft, and is south-facing. With houses on both sides, privacy is important hence where the honeysuckle has come in! Looking for a climber that was easy to maintain, relatively quick growing with the bonus of flower and scent, I decided on the semi-evergreen variety of Gold Flame that has a wonderful hot pink/yellowish coloring that would go well with the rest of my plants on and near my trellis. I bought my Gold Flame as a small potted plant in 2018 and unfortunately it was the worst timing ever - we were having a heatwave and the poor honeysuckle sat hot and stressed in a pot, finally becoming inundated with powdery mildew. It was a sad case indeed. When I finally planted it, I was not sure if it would survive, but I crossed my fingers and gave it as much TLC as possible (aka a little manure and a feed plus good watering in the hot, fall season).
Instagram: Littlegreenguru
Location: Southern Coast of the UK
Cat: I planted it in an obelisk to support it - to be honest I planted it in a very awkward place, as it does not really have anywhere to go but with such a small garden I was limited. But to my surprise, this year it has really picked up - happy, healthy growth with an increase in stems and now some wonderful flowers about to bloom. It likes the southern facing warm aspect and I have hopes it will continue its growth throughout the year and I can start to trail it back over the trellis for a bit of coverage (and privacy). I have not seen any significant pests or pest damage and I do not use any pesticide or artificial fertilizer. It is a perfect plant for insects - mainly bumblebees, butterflies and moths. Maybe it will produce berries this year which I am sure will be eaten by mice etc. It is only a small plant but its a survivor and I cannot wait for it to bloom!
So while it seems pests and fungus affect ‘Gold Flame’, I also connected with another avid gardener who has seen an amazing recovery of his Loncerica periclymenum after it was also affected by aphids.
Instagram: Markyj81
Mark: Lonicera periclymenum, sometimes called late Dutch honeysuckle I believe, is my variety which was affected by aphids the year prior which caused me to cut it back to nothing but a stump. Pictured is 12 months of growth and it has just started flowering which smells amazing!
I really appreciated Cat and Mark’s insight as to how their honeysuckles are doing! If you are interested seeing updates on their honeysuckles, be sure to follow them on Instagram here: Littlegreenguru and Markyj81.
Should you consider the addition of a honeysuckle vine to your landscape, I would first and foremost encourage consideration of location for full vining/climbing potential and proximity of fragrance. While Lonicera periclymenum varieties provide some of the best aromatics, most varieties are known to grow on average 3 meters, or almost 10 feet (if not more), per season. Flowers occur on new growth so if the vine is in a location requiring frequent pruning, bloom limitation could occur.
Full to partial sun is best, whereas locations with higher amounts of sun and greater ventilation can lessen the likelihood of a fungal infection. Roots enjoy a shaded location with steady amounts of moisture however do tolerate drier conditions well once fully established. Within the US, Lonicera does well in Zones 4-9 with even warmer climates imparting a partial to evergreen growth habit.
Twining Habit
‘Gold Flame’ - Before Powdery Mildew
‘Gold Flame’ - Blooming In the Midst of the Mildew Battle
As the summer season presses on, I have my fingers crossed ‘Graham Thomas’ may send out some flowers and hopefully Gold Flame’s powdery mildew will be eradicated with continued neem oil applications. It is exciting to see the daily growth in the vines which literally can be measured in inches!
Are you growing a variety of honeysuckle or considering it for your garden? Have any tips on maximizing growth or preventing fungus? I would love to hear from you! Feel free to share a comment below or send me an email here!