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Boxwoods are extremely easy to grow evergreen shrubs botanically known as Buxus. They are a densely growing shrub with stiff branching and dark green, oval shaped leaves. Some varieties can easy be trained into tree form, topiaries and often pruned into imaginative and very formal shapes such as pyramids, cones, tiers, cubes, and spheres. These can even be sculpted into animal shapes though it can be a bit of a hassle to constantly trim them to remain in these unusual shapes. If left un-clipped some cultivars tend to grow softer and billowy.
Boxwoods, like most evergreen shrubs, prefer acidic soil, rich in loam and well draining. They take equally well to sun or shade but in hot climates shade is required to keep the leaves from burning or the color from fading in the sun. Unfortunately, they are often attacked by nematodes if grown in hot humid tropical regions. Some cultivars need protection from severe winter winds and experience some winter burn on leaves during exceptionally harsh winters even when planted within their hardiness zones.
Buxus Microphylla Japonica, the Japanese Boxwood, hardy to zone 6, has a compact form and tiny leaves one third to 1 inch long. Leaves are bright green with round tips. They don’t look very pretty during fall and winter, however, when leaves turn brown or bronze. Though it grows very slowly 4-6 feet tall it can be maintained as low as 6 inches for border edging. The Japanese Boxwood is the only one that actually can tolerate alkaline soil and dry heat. The cultivar “Compacta” is perfect for the rock garden and topiaries as it is an extra-dwarf plant very slow growing with little baby leaves. Other good cultivars to try are “Green Beauty” which holds its color a bit better in summer sun and winter cold, “Kingsville Dwarf” a very compact and slow grower and “Winter Gem” the hardiest of the Japanese Boxwoods.
Buxus Microphylla Koreana, the Korean Boxwood, grows even slower and lower than the Japanese with tinier leaves one quarter to half inch long and is hardy to zone 5.
Boxwoods are more often than not grown as hedges and to line flower beds in the case of the English Boxwood, Buxus Sempervirens “Suffruticosa”. These are often seen in perfect, neat rows all around the perimeter of herb gardens, annual and perennial beds or just lining walkways and garden paths. The English Boxwood grows 4-5 feet high but can be maintained lower if desired. They have rather small leaves and have a dense form and texture. Their slow growing habit makes them perfect for planting close together and for edging flower beds. There is the regular dark green leafed varieties and also a variegated form which has foliage edged in silver.
“Newport Blue” is a low grower as well and slightly different with foliage of a bluish green color. For the hardiest Boxwoods for zones 4-9, “Vardar Valley” is a good choice. It grows 2-3 feet tall with a spread twice as wide and dark green, densely packed leaves.
The American or Common Boxwood, Buxus Sempervirens, grows quite a bit bigger and can make a very impressive single specimen when planted in the lawn. They grow 15-20 feet high and equally wide and can be pruned into tree form. These monster Boxwoods have a medium sized, lustrous, oval shaped leaf in dark green. These are the cultivar used at Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square Pennsylvania, the summer home of the wealthy industrialist and philanthropist Perier Dupont. They have an acre devoted to these giant shrubs trained in marvelous geometric shapes and fancy designs.
When planting Boxwoods amend the soil with compost and plant as you would any other shrub. For a formal hedge or for lining a flower bed, space the plants no more than 1 foot apart. If a row of these are planted 2-3 feet apart they can be shaped into individual globes, cones or cubes for a very pretty edging but they look fine as individual specimens or as container plants. The use of mulch is recommended to keep plants from heaving out of the ground during the freeze and thaw cycle in some cold winter areas. Other than that, Boxwoods are a very easy plant to have in your yard. They take care of themselves.
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Author Bio Box: Glory Lennon
 Please visit http://www.helium.com/user/32782 for more amusing garden lessons, short stories that tickle the funny bone and intriguing Novel excerpts.
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