Family Caprifoliaceae
Garden Origin.
Received the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit.
- Vigorous deciduous climber with large, oval green leaves.
- Glowing golden red-flushed flowers bloom July to frost.
- Easy to grow in any soil, full sun or partial shade.
Golden honeysuckle ‘Tellmanniana’ bursts with large trusses of brilliantly hot, soft, golden-red-flushed tubular flowers in summer. Reaching 4m high, 1m wide in 5–10 years, its profuse, show-stopping July flush is followed by sporadic flowering until frost.
Warming wind chilled North Norfolk coastal gardens or shady Suffolk cottage garden arbours, pollinators also appreciate its blooms. They feast with gusto on their pollen, and birds descend on its red burgundy berries in autumn.
Its twining stems cloak large, oval, and sometimes round leaves, encircling the stems. Vigorous yet manageable, Lonicera x tellmanniana can be relied upon to quickly scramble over pergola arches, walls, and trellises in traditional English gardens. Its dense foliage makes the perfect backdrop for the explosion of golden blooms, charming gardeners and making an important habitat in wildlife gardens.
Care Tips for Golden Honeysuckle Tellmanniana
- Soil and Sun: Grows in any well-drained soil; full sun or partial shade for best blooms.
- Planting: Plant in spring or autumn; mulch roots with compost annually. Provide trellis or pergola support.
- Watering: Water thoroughly in first season; tolerates dry conditions once established.
- Pruning: Prune lightly after July flush to encourage later blooms, again in late winter to shape.
Tellmann’s golden honeysuckle is tough and easy to grow, making a rewarding and hardy choice for any UK garden. Its brilliant colour is useful for its deep richness, lacking other varieties’ white and pink tones. It makes a less obvious choice for Mediterranean gardens, where it adds a bold mass of orange to a riot of colour.
Planting Suggestions for Lonicera x tellmanniana
Make an opulently orange arbour surrounding display. Add herbaceous species in borders around any supporting structure bearing the cascades of Lonicera x tellmanniana’s blooms. Add Agastache ‘Kudos Mandarin’, Kniphofia ‘Nobilis’, Helenium ‘Moerheim Beauty’, and Echinacea ‘Marmalade’ for a zesty spread of flowers.
Tellmann’s golden honeysuckle has a vigorous twining habit unsuitable for mixing with other climbers. If you have a series of arches or a large enough wall to give it its own space, purple and blue climbers create a rich and exotic colour combination with it.
Plant Wisteria ‘Kyushaku’, ‘Yae-kokuryu’, and Akebia quinata nearby. Their deep purple/blue colours and the Chocolate Vine’s rich purple, voluminous blooms will make a dizzying, scented colour combination with it.
