Box Honeysuckle

Lonicera nitida (Caprifoliaceae) is a dense, erect evergreen to semi-evergreen shrub native to Yunnan and western Sichuan, China. It grows 4 to 5 feet tall and up to 9 feet wide, bearing small, opposite, glossy dark green leaves (6 to 16 mm) that give it a boxwood-like texture. Creamy white, fragrant flowers (about 6 mm) appear in pairs, followed by small bluish-purple translucent berries.

Box honeysuckle tolerates full sun to shade and adapts to a wide pH range (4.5 to 8.5) on moist soil. It handles salt spray and moderate drought once established. The species takes shearing well and is popular for formal hedging, requiring trimming twice in summer. It blooms on old wood. Cultivars offer a range of foliage effects: 'Baggesen's Gold' (golden new leaves, 3 to 4 feet), 'Lemon Beauty' (cream-yellow margins, 3 to 6 feet), 'Red Tips' (burgundy new growth), and 'Silver Beauty' (silver leaf margins). Documented problems include powdery mildew, root rot, and aphids. Hardy in Zones 6 to 7.