Dwarf Honeysuckle

Dwarf Honeysuckle (Lonicera nitida) is a clipping hedge, not a climbing honeysuckle. Tiny glossy leaves on dense twiggy growth take shears the way box does, and it grows fast enough to give a finished low hedge in a season or two. Left alone it reaches about 1.5m tall and 1.5m wide; clipped, most gardeners hold it between 0.5m and 1m.

Why you'll love it

• It takes a sharp edge. The leaves are only about 10mm long, so a clipped face reads as a solid green surface.
• Fast, for a hedge plant. It is genuinely quick off the mark, the main reason people choose it over slower formal hedging.
• Frost hardy. It handles real cold, so it works in cool temperate gardens where many evergreen hedges struggle.
• Tough on exposed sites. Salt, wind and drought tolerant once established, so it suits coastal and windy blocks.
• It shapes into anything. Low borders, a knee high path edge, balls and simple topiary all work.

Where it works best

Low clipped hedging and borders. Plant 50cm apart in a single row. That spacing closes over within a season and keeps the base furnished.

Topiary, shaping and screening. Small leaves and quick regrowth make it forgiving for a first shaped plant. Unclipped it screens at about 1.5m, which suits a courtyard divider; for anything taller, choose a genuine screening shrub.

One honest note: the small berries are toxic to cats and dogs. A clipped hedge rarely carries many, but it is worth knowing before planting.

Growing Dwarf Honeysuckle in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun gives the densest growth; part shade works but the plant stays looser. It belongs in warm temperate, cool temperate and Mediterranean gardens, not the tropics or humid subtropics, where the dense interior holds moisture and thins out.

Soil. Not fussy about type, but it wants drainage. Work compost through the trench before planting a run, and mulch 50mm deep, off the stems.

Water and feed. Weekly deep watering through the first summer, then it is drought tolerant. Feed a complete slow release fertiliser in early spring, and again in mid summer if you are clipping hard.

Pruning. This is the whole job. Clip two or three times between spring and autumn, keeping the top slightly narrower than the base so light reaches the bottom. It shoots freely from old wood, so a neglected plant can be cut back hard.

What to expect when it arrives

It comes in three sizes: tubestock as single plants, 140mm pots as a pack of ten, and 200mm pots as a pack of six. At 50cm spacing a pack of ten plants a five metre run and a pack of six plants three metres.

Expect young plants to arrive bushy but small, and to look like individual shrubs rather than a hedge for the first few months. Clip lightly from the first season, because early trimming builds density at the base. Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95 and a minimum order of $300 before delivery, and every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Read how to create a great hedge and keep it looking sharp.
• Compare options in our best hedging plants collection.
• Browse topiary and shaping plants for clipped forms.
• For cold gardens, see more frost hardy plants.

Common questions

Is this the same as climbing honeysuckle?

No. It shares the genus but not the habit: a dense twiggy shrub grown for clipped foliage, with insignificant flowers and no climbing stems.

How often does it need clipping?

Two or three times a year between spring and autumn for a crisp shape. Left unclipped for several years it opens up and goes woody at the base.

Are the berries safe for pets?

No. The berries are toxic to cats and dogs if eaten. Regular clipping removes most flowering wood, so a maintained hedge produces very few.

Will it grow in a subtropical garden?

It is not the right choice. Warm humid summers cause the dense centre of the plant to thin out. In subtropical and tropical gardens, pick a hedging shrub suited to humidity.