Wilson's Shrubby / Box Honeysuckle

• Common name: Shrubby Honeysuckle, Box Honeysuckle, Wilson's Honeysuckle
• Latin name: Lonicera nitida, which the RHS now lists as Lonicera ligustrina var. yunnanensis
• Sold as: Bareroot plants at 30/40cm. Pot-grown at 30/40cm
• Hedge height: Up to 2m, or 3m if you accept a looser top
• Size if left unclipped: 3.5m tall and 3m wide, over 10 to 20 years
• Spacing: 3 plants per metre in a single row
• Leaves: Evergreen, small, glossy and dark green
• Flowers and berries: Tiny, fragrant cream flowers in spring. Sparse, glossy blue-purple berries in autumn
• Best soil and site: Any well-drained soil, chalk included. Full sun or partial shade
• Clipping: Any time from spring to autumn
• Use: Formal hedges and topiary
• Hardiness: H6, hardy through the British winter
• Delivered: Bareroot, November to April. Pot-grown, all year when in stock. Collection from Castle Cary also available

Shrubby Honeysuckle is an evergreen hedge plant with tiny, glossy dark green leaves that clips into a dense formal hedge or topiary, up to about 2 metres tall. It grows in any well-drained soil in sun or partial shade, and can be clipped at any time from spring to autumn.

Wilson's Shrubby / Box Honeysuckle

Lonicera nitida is known as 'the poor man's box (Buxus)', an unfair description that sums up only a little of what Wilson's Shrub Honeysuckle does best: providing a really bushy, evergreen hedge of tiny, dark glossy green opposing leaves that can be clipped closely into a very dense hedge, and is perfect for topiary.

Although part of the honeysuckle genus, its off-white flowers in Spring are weeny and hard to see, but still fragrant enough to add some value.

It'll look good as a formal clipped hedge up to two, maybe three metres tall. After that, it can tend to look straggly at the top, but that shouldn't put you off: it makes up for it by staying bushy at the base.

Browse our selection of evergreen hedging plants, our full range of hedging, or climbing honeysuckle vines instead.

Growing Shrub Honeysuckle

It grows in any half decently drained soil, no matter how bad. It's widely planted in car parks and other urban areas with nasty, dry, compacted soil.

It grows reasonably quickly, sending out long whippy shoots, so we would clip it twice a year while it's reaching the desired height to ensure dense growth throughout.

Lonicera nitida can work surrounded by perennial grasses or in a cottage garden scheme: a little shaggy and unkempt, left to its own devices, it has a charm of its own.

It's very easy to "layer", which means pinning low stems to the ground so that they root. It'll typically layer itself if left to its own devices, which helps to keep the base of the hedge really thick and bushy even when neglected.

History & Trivia

Brought over from China by Ernest Wilson (1876 to 1930), one of the greatest plant hunters, who worked for James Veitch. He travelled round the world bringing back Clematis armandii, Berberis and many other plants without which our gardens would be bereft. Perhaps his most amazing find was the Actinidia deliciosa vine in China, now known as the kiwi fruit.

At Osborne House in the Isle of Wight, Queen Victoria's garden contained Lonicera nitida topiary stags emerging from a bedding of pelargoniums and Festuca glauca.

Anyone with an interest in bonsai should give it a try, it's an ideal species for a beginner.

Planting Companions

Common Box is the plant it is compared with, and its range is linked above. Green Privet and Yew also clip into formal hedges. Dust bareroot roots with Rootgrow as you plant.

Why Buy Hedging from Ashridge

Hedging is not a sideline here: your Shrubby Honeysuckle is grown for us as hedging by specialist growers. Bareroot plants are lifted to order while dormant and guaranteed for 12 months. Ashridge has sold plants since 1949 and is a Which? Best Plant Supplier 2025.

Frequently Asked Questions

How tall does a Shrubby Honeysuckle hedge grow?

It looks good clipped at up to 2 metres, or 3 at a stretch, after which the top turns straggly. Left unclipped, the RHS gives it 3.5 metres in height and 3 in width.

How often should you clip it?

The RHS says you can clip it at any time from spring to autumn. We clip twice a year while the hedge is growing to height, because the long whippy shoots need it to stay dense.

Is it the same as Box?

No. It is a Honeysuckle with tiny, glossy leaves that clips as closely as Box, which is why it is called the poor man's Box.

Why has the Latin name changed?

The RHS now lists the plant as Lonicera ligustrina var. yunnanensis and treats Lonicera nitida as a synonym. It is the same plant under either name.

Will it grow in poor soil?

Yes, as long as it drains. It is widely planted in car parks and other places with dry, compacted ground. The RHS asks only for well-drained soil in sun or partial shade.

Does it flower like other Honeysuckles?

Not showily. The RHS describes tiny cream flowers in spring and sparse, glossy blue-purple berries in autumn. The flowers are hard to see but fragrant.

When are the plants delivered?

Bareroot plants are delivered from November to April, while they are dormant. Pot-grown plants can be delivered and planted in any month when you find them in stock.