The Etruscan Honeysuckle is known as a 'scandent shrub', which means that it has an upright shrub-like form when young and later becomes a climber as it grows taller. It can reach 4 to 6 metres in height, but will usually take on the height of whatever has provided it with support in the local habitat. Support from another large shrub is important, so planting it close to wild olive, myrtle and pistacia, for example, are common ways of using it in the landscape or garden, and it will grow very well as part of an informal mixed hedgerow. It forms a large flowering shrub when in flower, but otherwise blends in with the foliage of the supporting shrubs. Alternatively, it will grow well on any support such as a pergola or chain link fence.

It is deciduous, fragrant and very drought tolerant once established. The beautiful flowers are important to many insects, including pollinators and nectar robbers. The fruit, a cluster of conspicuous bright red round berries, provides food for birds and small mammals. It is largely maintenance free, other than taking care not to destroy the main stem during overzealous winter maintenance of any supporting planting. The stem will grow into a fairly strong woody truck when it is old, but the stem of a young plant in winter can be easily hidden or difficult to distinguish and may be accidentally cut off as a weed. If it is not cut too close to the ground it will grow back.