Box Honeysuckle

Box honeysuckle is the small-leaved, dense evergreen shrub that has quietly become one of the most useful hedging and edging plants in Western Washington, a boxwood alternative with tiny, glossy leaves that respond to shearing with the kind of tight, formal regrowth that makes clipped hedges and parterres possible. It grows three to six feet tall with a mounding to arching habit, and the small, creamy-white flowers in spring are fragrant but nearly invisible against the foliage. Native to China.

In Western Washington, box honeysuckle thrives in sun to part shade and handles the range of soils common to residential sites. It is faster-growing than boxwood and recovers more quickly from hard pruning, which makes it practical for formal hedging where quick establishment matters. 'Baggesen's Gold' is the golden-leaved selection, brightening shaded borders with chartreuse to gold foliage. No significant disease or pest concerns are tracked, and it avoids the boxwood blight issue entirely. The only management need is regular shearing to maintain the form, left unsheared, it becomes loose and arching. For a dense, small-leaved evergreen hedge or edging plant that is faster and cheaper than boxwood, box honeysuckle is one of the best alternatives.