Lonicera nitida Twiggy - Box Honeysuckle

Lonicera nitida 'Twiggy' is a unique variety with its shiny, light green to golden yellow foliage on reddish young shoots that has the advantage of withstanding scorching sunlight! It is a small compact, evergreen shrub with a spherical habit, ideal for borders, low hedges or groundcover, which is bright and easy to grow. Resistant to pruning and with rapid growth, even in shadier positions, it is a good alternative to boxwoods. Left unpruned, it is equally beautiful with its gracefully arched branches, and subtle but sweetly scented spring flowers, followed by berries appreciated by birds. It is a perfectly hardy shrub that can be planted in sun or partial shade in well-drained soils, even slightly poor or dry soil. However, its foliage will be more colourful in the sun and in richer, moister soil.

Lonicera nitida 'Twiggy' is a hybrid of shrub honeysuckle also known as boxleaf honeysuckle, belonging to the Caprifoliaceae family. Its parent, Lonciera nitida, is a hardy evergreen shrub native to the Chinese provinces of Yunnan and Sichuan.

The 'Twiggy' variety is very easy to grow and very hardy. It reaches an average height of 80 cm (31.5 in) with a width of 1 m (3 ft 4 in). Its growth is quite fast, and it generally requires pruning only once per year depending on its growing conditions. This 'Twiggy' shrub honeysuckle has a compact spherical habit, with slender, erect and slightly arched branches. Its small, glossy, persistent leaves are reddish when in bud and light green to golden yellow for the rest of the year. If left unpruned, it develops small cream-white flowers, which are quite inconspicuous but pleasantly scented in spring. The purple fruits, toxic but appreciated by birds, are rarely seen and only develop if the plant is not pruned.

Plant Lonicera nitida 'Twiggy' in any well-drained and not too dry soil, even limestone. 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 atmospheric pollution and also tolerates moderate drought once established. It can be used to create low hedges, large borders, groundcover for steep slopes, or beautiful plant sculptures, trimmed into spheres or pyramid shapes, both in the ground and in pots. This boxleaf honeysuckle can also be left to grow freely in woodland areas.. It can also be trained against a trellis. This variety is particularly sought after for bonsai cultivation due to its restricted growth.