Although Alpine honeysuckle is native to the mountains of central European, where it prefers full sun, it nevertheless thrives when planted in shadier spots. A fairly low and dense shrub, the leaves – large for a honeysuckle - are a shiny dark green on their upper surface. In shape they are oval-lanceolate with short stalks, the under-surface paler and hairy when young. The small flowers, long-tubed, are yellowish, the bract often reddish, as are the ovary bracteoles. The flowers are usually in pairs at the end of a stalk.
The shiny red berries, 12-13mm in diameter, like small cherries, are produced in pairs, gleaming brightly against the green foliage. This hardy shrub is thus rather colourful and as it also grows well in partial shade there is always a place for it in gardens of all kinds.