Golden Honey Locust

Golden Honey Locust (Gleditsia triacanthos 'Limegold') is the shade tree for a garden that also wants light in winter. It grows quickly to about 8m tall and 5m across, with fine ferny foliage that opens a bright golden lime in spring, softens to green over summer, and colours once more before it drops. This selection is thornless, which the wild species is not.

Why you'll love it

• Dappled shade, not a blackout. The tiny leaflets filter sunlight rather than blocking it, so lawn and garden beds still grow underneath.
• Golden spring foliage. New growth opens a bright lime gold that lights up a lawn for weeks before easing into green.
• Winter sun where you want it. Being deciduous it lets the low winter sun reach the house, then shades it again through summer.
• Thornless and clean. No thorns to work around, and the fine leaflets break down on a lawn instead of needing raking.
• Genuinely tough. Frost hardy, drought tolerant, wind firm and heat tolerant, which is why it is planted on street verges and open paddocks.

Where it works best

Shade tree. A single tree over a lawn, patio or seating area gives filtered summer shade across a 5m canopy. Allow 4m to 5m from a building.

Driveways and avenues. Plant 6m to 8m apart for an avenue, so each crown develops an even shape without crowding its neighbour.

Feature planting. The gold spring flush makes it a genuine focal point in a lawn or a large front garden, particularly set against dark evergreens.

Growing golden honey locust in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun brings out the strongest gold in the new growth. It suits warm temperate, cool temperate, Mediterranean and arid gardens and is frost hardy, so cold inland and southern districts are well within range. Humid tropical gardens suit it least.

Soil. It takes almost anything: clay, sand, alkaline ground and compacted verge soil. Drainage still helps, so break up a wide planting area rather than digging a narrow hole, and mulch 75mm deep clear of the trunk.

Water and feed. Deep soak weekly through the first two summers, after which it is largely self sufficient except in long droughts. A complete slow release fertiliser in early spring for the first few years builds the frame quickly.

Pruning. Prune in winter while the tree is bare and the structure is visible. Remove crossing limbs early and select a single leader; after five years there is very little left to do.

What to expect when it arrives

It is grown in 30L and 90L pots. A 30L tree is a slender young specimen, usually a couple of metres tall, and it establishes quickly because the root system is large relative to the top. The 90L is a semi advanced tree with real caliper and presence on day one, and it is the choice when you want usable shade within two or three summers rather than five.

A deciduous tree delivered in winter arrives bare of leaves. That is normal, and winter is in fact the easiest time for one to travel and establish. Delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Advanced and large stock is freighted at cost, and every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Compare options in the deciduous tree range.
• Browse other plants for autumn colour to layer beneath it.
• The best canopy trees for shade and how to choose.
• Trees for lining a driveway in Australian conditions.

Common questions

Is it really thornless?

Yes. The wild honey locust carries formidable thorns on the trunk and branches, but this is a selected thornless form bred for gardens and street planting.

How fast does it grow?

Quickly for the first few years, often 60cm to 1m of height a season with water and feed, then it slows as it approaches its mature 8m.

Will the roots lift paving?

Honey locust roots are strong and shallow enough to be worth respecting. Plant at least 4m from paths, driveways and slabs, and further again on reactive clay.