Lonicera nitida Lemon Beauty - Box Honeysuckle

Lonicera nitida 'Lemon Beauty', or Boxleaf Honeysuckle, is an evergreen shrub that is highly ornamental with its small green leaves irregularly margined in lemon yellow and glossy appearance.  These plants are very resistant to cold and poor soils and are low maintenance. Particularly useful for creating low hedges or topiary, it brightens up the somewhat dull areas of the garden and enhances large slopes while keeping weeds in check. It offers an interesting alternative to boxwood as it is faster growing. Under these conditions, it is really difficult not to find a place for this plant in the garden!

Lonicera 'Lemon Beauty' belongs to the Caprifoliaceae family and is native to the Chinese provinces of Yunnan and Sichuan. It is really easy to grow and very hardy. With a bushy and spreading habit, it reaches a height of 1m (3 ft) and spreads up to 1.20m (4 ft). Its growth is slower than that of other Lonicera nitida. Its dense and bushy habit will be maintained or accentuated by regular pruning.  Its small, tough, evergreen leaves are a glossy, medium green colour marginated with bright yellow to cream yellow shades. It is not uncommon for the foliage to take on splendid pink hues in winter. If left unpruned, it develops thin and flexible branches that sometimes take on a twisted appearance. The small, unappealing, white-cream flowers appear in spring. The small purple fruits, toxic but appreciated by birds, are rarely seen in cultivation.

The Boxleaf Honeysuckle 'Lemon Beauty' is very useful for creating low or medium height hedges. It can be shaped into topiary, planted in containers on a patio, or left to grow freely in a woodland. It can also be planted on a large slope as groundcover, at a density of 1 to 2 plants per square meter. Its bushy habit and the bright variegated leaves make it very decorative in a rockery. Accompany the bright color of its foliage by associating this plant in a border or rockery with other colourful plants such as lavender, creeping Ceanothus, dogwoods, Coronillas, and shrubby Lavateras, or use it to illuminate a duller area of the garden. You can also train it against a trellis.