Boxes
Botanical name: Buxus
Boxes
Botanical name: Buxus
Description
Boxes comprise a genus of shrub plants that are popular as evergreen hedges. They grow slowly and are easily pruned to make an attractive border for a garden or walkway. The wood is fine-grained and does not splinter. It is excellent for carving and is a preferred source for making chess pieces or wood blocks for printing.
Species of Boxes
Common boxwood 'Graham Blandy'
Common boxwood 'Graham Blandy' is a versatile and hardy boxwood cultivar which is known for being very reliable. It was named for Graham Blandy, who funded the Blandy Experimental Farm where this cultivar was created in 1949. This cultivar grows quite slowly but thrives both in pots and as a hedging.
Boxwood
Boxwood (Buxus sinica var. parvifolia) is a hardy shrub that grows up to 61 cm tall and 91 cm wide. Boxwood is hardy and survives in colder climates. This species grows best in the shade. It has shallow roots, and should be cultivated in isolation from other species.
Common boxwood
Common boxwood is a perennial plant native to Europe, Africa, and Asia. The plant's specific epithet sempervirens stands for "always green." The plant produces non-showy, creamy yellow flowers that are fragrant. The bark and leaves of the plant were once used to manufacture perfumes and extracts.
Common boxwood 'Latifolia Maculata'
Common boxwood 'Latifolia Maculata' has a common name that translates from the Latin as 'stained'. This is appropriate since this hybrid has blotched white, yellow, and green leaves in contrast to the plain green leaves of its parent boxwood. The attractive leaves make this a popular garden shrub that grows best in partial or full shade.
Common box 'Suffruticosa'
Common box 'Suffruticosa' (Buxus sempervirens 'Suffruticosa') is a compact and slow-growing cultivar of common boxwood (Buxus sempervirens) and is considered a dwarf variety. This plant has soft, glossy leaves that can withstand most environmental conditions in gardens, beds, and containers, but needs extra care during the winter months. 'Suffruticosa' comes from an Italian word referencing the woody base and shrubby upper branches.
Common boxwood 'Elegantissima'
Common boxwood 'Elegantissima' is a Common boxwood cultivar bred to have more adorning leaves than the classic Common box. Unlike the parent plant that features solid green leaves, the breeding resulted in a cultivar with green leaves variegated with creamy-yellow margins on their edges.
Chinese box 'Justin Brouwers'
Chinese box 'Justin Brouwers' is a cultivated plant from the boxwood family bred to be a small round bush. Its small size differentiates it from other plants in the genus, along with its tiny leaves and white flowers. Other species have noticeably larger leaves and flowers. In gardens, it is often used to create low borders.
Common boxwood 'Blauer Heinz'
The cuteness of common boxwood 'Blauer Heinz' is unsurpassed by other boxwood varieties. This dwarf boxwood cultivar is much smaller compared to its parent plant, the Common boxwood, which can grow to the size of a small tree! Common boxwood 'Blauer Heinz' is admired for its form, texture, and color that lasts all year long.
Chinese box 'Nana'
A compact, low-growing variety of boxwoods, chinese box 'Nana' is distinct for its small stature and evergreen foliage. Cultivated as a hybrid of other boxwood variants, this cultivar was named after the Japanese word for "small" due to its manageable size. Chinese box 'Nana' is popular for its year-round value, bright green color, and extreme ease of care.
Common boxwood 'Green Velvet'
Common boxwood 'Green Velvet' is a compact Boxwood known for its luscious, dark green leaves that retain their color through the winter. It is a cross between the common boxwoods, B. sempervirens and B. microphylla var. koreana. The name indicates the stunning green tones of the foliage. Ideal for adding wintertime greenery to the partially shaded spots in your garden.
Japanese box 'Faulkner'
Japanese box 'Faulkner' is a versatile and popular evergreen shrub. It is known for its glossy, dark green leaves and compact growth habit. In traditional Japanese gardens, it is used for topiary and hedging. The wood of Buxus microphylla is commonly used in Japan and China for woodblocks and small carvings.
Japanese box
Japanese box (Buxus microphylla) is a dwarf evergreen shrub native to Japan and China. This species is also called the Japanese box. Japanese box is often planted in ornamental hedging. One cultivar of this species is often grown as a bonsai tree. In Japan, japanese box wood is used to make a hanko, or printing stamp seal.
Chinese box
Chinese box (Buxus sinica) is, unsurprisingly given its name, native to China. It is a useful ornamental shrub that has a dense growth suitable for hedging and screen plantings. The name *sinica* is Latin for China. The *box* part of the name may reflect the plant's historic use as wood for making boxes.
Korean box
Korean box is a popular ornamental shrub with shiny green leaves all year round. It is often used for topiary and hedges, and its wood is highly valued for its strength and fine texture. The plant is toxic, especially the seeds, so care should be taken around pets and children.
Boxwood
Boxwood is a slow-growing, broadleaf evergreen shrub that produces small, non-showy flowers. It is a versatile plant to add to a garden that can grow in a container, along a border, or as an edging or hedge. It can also be used as an accent, grown in small groups, or mass planted.
Balearic box
The Balearic boxwood is a monoecious tree or shrub up to three meters high. Its leaves, somewhat larger than those of the common boxwood, are oval and bright, sometimes showing a reddish or yellowish color. It blooms in spring and can be reproduced from seeds or from cuttings. Like other Mediterranean species it is able to regenerate well after a fire.
Scientific Classification
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