A great replacement for box – Lonicera nitida

My favourite replacement plant for Common box has to be Lonicera nitida. It can take a good tight clipping and forms great shapes that hold up well. It is a species of perrenial shrub of the honeysuckle flower with insignificant flowers and is cometimes called box honeysuckle. The only trouble is that it can a little brittle and not so pliable as Buxus sempervirens but it grows so well and quickly that it doesnt really matter. I don’t particularly care for the golden or yellow cultivars apart from the variegated variety which would look good in the right place.