Lonicera nitida

Lonicera nitida

Common name: box honeysuckle

Family: Caprifoliaceae

Leaf: Tiny, opposite, glossy, ovate, dark green leaves (up to 1/2" long), reminiscent of some of the leaves of boxwoods. Foliage may take on purple tinting in winter.

Flowers: Fragrant, creamy, white flowers (up to 1/4" long), bloom in late spring

Fruit: purple-black berries (up to 1/4" across), mature in fall.

Habit: dense, spreading, evergreen to semi-evergreen shrub

Form: mounded

Height: 5-8'; Spread: 4-7'

Culture: Easily grown in humusy, organically-rich, medium moisture, well-drained soils in full sun to part shade. I hot summer climates, plants typically perform best in part shade. Some drought tolerance once established. Prune as needed after flowering. Hardy in USDA zones 7-9, becoming semi-evergreen around USDA zone 7. Easily grown from cuttings. In USDA zone 6, it would have to be planted in a protected location with good winter mulch. Can be very effectively sheared into a dense hedge. 

Uses: evergreen border, hedge, woodland gardens, slopes or banks

Origin: SW China