Lonicera nitida Hohenheimer Findling - Box Honeysuckle

The Lonicera nitida 'Hohenheimer Findling' is distinguished by its exceptional vigor and low, spreading habit, making it particularly useful for low hedges and ground cover plantings. It is a bush less than one meter tall with beautifully arching branches adorned with glossy green foliage, decorative in all seasons. Its resistance to pruning and shady exposures, as well as its rapid growth, make it an interesting alternative to boxwood. Hardy, robust, and not demanding as long as it is planted in well-drained soil, use it to vegetate difficult spaces such as slopes and large, slightly dry, shaded areas!

The Lonicera nitida 'Hohenheimer Findling' is a hybrid of bush honeysuckle also known as boxleaf honeysuckle, belonging to the caprifoliaceae family. Its parent, L. nitida, is a robust evergreen shrub native to the Chinese provinces of Yunnan and Sichuan.

The variety 'Hohenheimer Findling' is very easy to grow and quite hardy. It reaches an average height of 1 meter (3 feet 4 inches) with a width of 1.5 meters (4 feet 11 inches). Its growth is rapid, but it generally requires only one pruning per year depending on its growing conditions. The 'Hohenheimer Findling' bush honeysuckle has a low, spreading habit, almost creeping, carried by vigorously arching branches. Its small, tough, glossy evergreen leaves remain shiny green throughout the year. If left unpruned, it develops small, cream-white flowers that are quite discreet but pleasantly fragrant in spring. The small, purple, toxic fruits, which are rarely observed in cultivation, only develop if the plant is not pruned.

Plant Lonicera nitida 'Hohenheimer Findling' in any well-drained soil that is not too dry, even limestone. It prefers partial shade or dappled sunlight. As a foliage plant primarily, boxleaf honeysuckle can tolerate severe pruning, which should be done just after winter or after flowering. Allow 50 to 70 cm (19.7 to 27.6 in) of distance between plants for hedge plantings. This shrub is resistant to air pollution and also tolerates moderate drought once established. It can be used to create low hedges, large borders, ground cover for steep slopes, or beautiful plant sculptures, pruned into balls or pyramid shapes, both in the ground and in pots. This boxleaf honeysuckle can also be left to grow freely in woodland areas. You can also train it against a trellis.