Buxus

Plant Image Data Base

Buxus

Boxwood

(Buxaceae - Box Family)

FEATURES

Form

miniature to large shrubs, depending upon species, hybrid, or cultivar; all modern hybrids are miniature to small shrubs
small versions slowly grow to 2' tall by 2' wide, whereas larger versions mature after many years at 15' tall by 15' wide
upright oval to upright rounded growth habit
slow or very slow growth rate

Culture

full sun to full shade
best performance occurs in moist, well-drained, rich soils with a cool root zone in partial shade, but it is highly adaptable to average to poor soils, soils of various pH, drought, and heat (as long as the heat and drought occur in a shady location)
propagated primarily by rooted stem cuttings
Box Family, with a variety of physiological, pest, and disease problems, most of which are minor and either do not occur, or have minimal ornamental impact (such as leaf rolling with Boxwood Pysllid)
abundantly available in container, ball and burlap, or field pot form (although often sold out in mid-season)
site in a somewhat protected shady location for best year-round performance (mulch to protect the shallow roots from Winter freeze/thaw cycles and Summer drought, and site away from an open area that is exposed to Winter wind and sun, due to Boxwood being a broadleaf evergreen that is sometimes subject to winterburn and stem dieback)
responds very well to periodic shearing for very formal situations

Foliage

ranging from medium green to dark green, evergreen, opposite, elliptical, and from 0.5" to 1" long, depending upon species, hybrid, and cultivar
short petioles lead to a grooved midrib
foliage on some forms may turn a drab olive or yellowish-brown in Winter and be rather unattractive

Flowers

cream-colored inflorescences in late April and early May occur primarily on established shrubs, being noticeable but not showy
somewhat malodorous or pungently fragrant (depending upon personal perception) and attracting many bees

Fruits

ornamentally insignificant black seeds occur within brown capsules and are often not seen

Twigs

green, thin, four-sided, and eventually turning light brown

Trunk

usually not applicable; on larger specimens, several trunks are usually present, but foliage and stems usually cover them all the way to the ground

ID Summary

ovate to elliptical, small, broadleaf evergreen foliage is dull shiny to glossy, in various shades of green and densely covering the many thin stems, with the shrub having an overall rounded to upright growth shape, but easily shearable into different shapes if so desired

Function

formal or tightly informal shrub, usually reserved for shady conditions and commonly used as a hedge, foundation planting, edger, or facer shrub
can also be used for formal gardens, topiary gardens, or English gardens, as it responds very well to shearing

Texture

very fine texture
very thick density

Assets

grows very well in shady conditions
dense broadleaf evergreen foliage
can be sheared into a formal hedge, shrub, or topiary
usually maintains a dense, formal appearance even without pruning (low maintenance)

Liabilities

very slow growth
relatively expensive
foliage may burn on some forms or species in severe Winters, especially at the stem tips
malodorous inflorescences occur on established, relatively unpruned specimens
some cultivars or species have unattractive brownish-yellow foliage in Winter

Habitat

zones 5 (actually variable from 4 to 6, depending upon type) to 8
the various species are native to Korea, Japan, or the Mediterranean region; many modern cultivars are actually hybrid selections

Alternates

small evergreen shrubs (Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Nana', Picea abies 'Pumila', Rhododendron yakusimanum 'Mist Maiden', Taxus x media 'Everlow' (if sheared), Thuja occidentalis 'Hetz Midget', Tsuga canadensis 'Gentsch White', etc.)
small deciduous flowering shrubs that tolerate shady conditions (Clethra alnifolia 'Hummingbird', Fothergilla gardenii, Itea virginica 'Henry's Garnet', Rhododendron 'Delaware Valley White', etc.)

Variants

Buxus microphylla koreana - Littleleaf Boxwood or Korean Boxwood - grown for its hardiness from zone 4 through zone 9, but its miniature foliage usually turns a very unattractive, dead-looking yellow-brown in zones 4 to 6 Winters

Buxus microphylla koreana 'Winter Gem' - has the lightest green foliage color of all the Boxwoods, with new, relatively large foliage emerging lime-green on yellowish stems and maturing by mid-Summer to medium green, with minimal leaf margin burn in Winter; also the fastest growing of all the modern Boxwoods, and often needs to be sheared twice in a growing season if maintained in a formal shrub appearance or as a formal hedge; very popular in zones 4 and 5; 'Winter Gem' may actually be a selection of Buxus microphylla koreana 'Wintergreen'

Buxus sempervirens - glossy, larger, dark green Winter foliage is popular in Southern regions with many cultivars, but usually only cold hardy from zones 6 to 8

Buxus sempervirens 'Vardar Valley' - the standard cold-hardy cultivar for this species, which matures at 3' tall by 5' wide and is hardy through zone 5, very popular

Buxus microphylla koreana x Buxus sempervirens - the "Green Series" consists of Canadian hybrids developed in Southern Ontario of these two species, useful from zones 5 to 8:

Buxus 'Green Gem' - 2' tall by 2' wide
Buxus 'Green Mound' - 3' tall by 3' wide
Buxus 'Green Mountain' - 5' tall by 3' wide, naturally pyramidal, an alternative evergreen to replace the overused Dwarf Alberta Spruce (Picea glauca 'Conica'), which is very prone to disease and pest problems with age
Buxus 'Green Velvet' - 3' tall by 3' wide, very popular in zone 5

Translation

Buxus is the Latin name for Boxwood.
microphylla translates as "little leaf".
koreana translates as "from Korea".
sempervirens translates as "always green".

Purpose

Boxwood, with its many forms, is an exquisite, slow-growing, fine-textured, dense evergreen shrub or hedge for shady areas, moderately expensive for its size due to its slow growth rate (and therefore relatively long time period to reach saleable sizes).

Summary

Buxus is perhaps the best of the broadleaf evergreen small formal shrubs, available in several forms and excellent when properly used in shady conditions as a specimen, edging, or hedge shrub.