Family: Buxaceae
Common Name: Box, boxwood

These evergreen trees and shrubs are mainly cultivated as hedges, screens or edging plants, and also as formally shaped container plants. The very hard wood is used in a variety of timber products. The small leaves are stiff and shiny, and the cream flowers are small and insignificant. There are about 70 species of box, native to Europe, the Mediterranean, South Africa, eastern Asia and the West Indies.

Species

B. balearica, zone 8, from the western Mediterranean, is capable of growing to 8 m (26 ft) or more and is best suited to warm climates.

B. microphylla, zone 6, and especially the form var. japonica, Japanese box, grows between 1 and 2.5 m (3-8 ft) high. There are numerous cultivars of B. microphylla which are much preferred to the species and they are commonly planted. The leaves are rounder and a paler green than those of English box. It grows well in cool zones and also suits warm areas better than B. sempervirens.

B. sempervirens, common or English box, zone 5, grows 2-9 m (6-30 ft). Numerous cultivars are available, including `Suffruticosa', a dwarf variety used for edging garden beds. These are the species most commonly grown but others are regularly grown in their country of origin.

Cultivation

Box does best in partial shade but it will tolerate full sun provided the soil remains moist. It can tolerate a range of soils, but the soil must be free draining. For hedging, the soil must be well dug and heavily enriched with organic matter to ensure that the plants will thrive. Space plants 30-50 cm (12-20 in) apart, except for the dwarf forms which should be planted 15 cm (6 in) apart. Pruning and shaping may need to be done several times during the growing season. Propagate from semi-ripe cuttings taken from early summer through to autumn. The species may also be grown from seed.

Climate

There are species for various climatic zones.