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Lonicera nitida Red Tips - Box Honeysuckle

Lonicera nitida Red Tips ®
Box Honeysuckle, Wilson's Honeysuckle, Boxwood Honeysuckle, Boxleaf Honeysuckle

4,5/5
6 reviews
2 reviews
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1 reviews
0 reviews

She seems much less resistant than the other lonicera nitida. The shoots of the received specimen were not pink.

Françoise, 29/01/2023

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This plant carries a 24 months recovery warranty

More information

Value-for-money
A new variety of honeysuckle with boxwood-like leaves and a more spreading habit than the standard type, adorned with splendid young purple shoots in spring. An evergreen shrub, easy to grow, very bushy, and tolerant of pruning, ideal for creating topiary or low hedges. Plant it in ordinary soil, in the sun, in partial shade, or even in shade.
Flower size
5 mm
Height at maturity
1.25 m
Spread at maturity
1.50 m
Exposure
Sun, Partial shade
Hardiness
Hardy down to -20°C
Soil moisture
Dry soil, Moist soil
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Best planting time March, October
Recommended planting time February to May, September to November
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Flowering time April to May
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Description

Lonicera nitida Red Tips is a new variety of Boxleaf Honeysuckle with a more spreading habit than the standard type, featuring splendid young shoots that are red to purple in spring. The red colour of the small leaves fades to shiny green in summer, and the foliage then takes on bronze shades in autumn due to the cold. This evergreen shrub is easy to grow and responds well to pruning.  More compact than the standard species, it is ideal for creating topiary or low hedges as an alternative to boxwood. It has faster growth, more colourful foliage, and proves to be more disease resistant.

 

The Red Tips Honeysuckle belongs to the Caprifoliaceae family. Its parent, Lonicer nitida, is a robust evergreen shrub native to the Chinese provinces of Yunnan and Sichuan. Red Tips is very easy to grow and hardy. It reaches an average height of 1.25 meters (4 feet 1 inches), but can grow up to 1.5 meters (4 feet 11 inches) if regularly pruned, even taller if left to grow freely. Its growth is quite fast, but it generally only requires pruning once per year depending on its growing conditions. The Red Tips Boxleaf Honeysuckle has a naturally dense and bushy habit, carried by fine and slightly arched branches. Its small, shiny, evergreen leaves are reddish-purple when they first emerge, green in summer, and more or less bronzed in autumn and winter. If left unpruned, it produces small, inconspicuous cream-white flowers in spring. The small purple fruits, toxic but appreciated by birds, are rarely seen in cultivation and only develop if the plant is not pruned.

 

Plant Lonicera nitida Red Tips in any well-drained soil that is not too dry, even chalky soil.  It prefers partial shade or light sun. Primarily a foliage plant, Boxleaf Honeysuckle tolerates severe pruning which should be carried out just after winter or after flowering. Allow 50 to 70 cm (19.7 to 27.6 in) of space between plants for hedge planting. This shrub is resistant to air pollution and also tolerates moderate drought once established. It is perfect for low hedges, large borders, or beautiful plant sculptures, trimmed 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.

Lonicera nitida Red Tips - Box Honeysuckle in pictures

Lonicera nitida Red Tips - Box Honeysuckle (Flowering) Flowering
Lonicera nitida Red Tips - Box Honeysuckle (Foliage) Foliage

Plant habit

Height at maturity 1.25 m
Spread at maturity 1.50 m
Habit Irregular, bushy
Growth rate fast

Flowering

Flower colour insignificant
Flowering time April to May
Inflorescence Solitary
Bee-friendly Attracts pollinators
Fruit colour violet

Foliage

Foliage persistence Evergreen
Foliage colour medium green

Botanical data

Genus

Lonicera

Species

nitida

Cultivar

Red Tips ®

Family

Caprifoliaceae

Other common names

Box Honeysuckle, Wilson's Honeysuckle, Boxwood Honeysuckle, Boxleaf Honeysuckle

Origin

Cultivar or hybrid

Product reference841461

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Planting and care

Plant Lonicera nitida Red Tips in partial shade or light sun, in a firm, well-drained, deep soil, even limestone.  The plant also grows in shade, but its foliage will be less colourful. Allow 50 to 70 cm (19.7 to 27.6 in) space between the plants when planting as a hedge. To keep it neat and compact, prune your hedge once or twice a year.  Lonicera nitida is resistant to atmospheric pollution and also withstands moderate drought once established.

Planting period

Best planting time March, October
Recommended planting time February to May, September to November

Intended location

Suitable for Meadow, Woodland edge
Type of use Border, Edge of border, Container, Hedge
Hardiness Hardy down to -20°C (USDA zone 6b) Show map
Ease of cultivation Beginner
Planting density 1 per m2
Exposure Sun, Partial shade
Soil pH Any
Soil type Clayey (heavy), Clayey-chalky (heavy and alkaline), Silty-loamy (rich and light)
Soil moisture Dry soil, Moist soil, Well-prepared soil.

Care

Pruning instructions A plant primarily known for its foliage, the Box-leaved Honeysuckle can withstand severe pruning, which should be carried out just after winter or after flowering.
Pruning Pruning recommended once a year
Pruning time March to April, August to September
Soil moisture Dry soil, Moist soil
Disease resistance Good
Overwinter Can be left in the ground
4,5/5
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