Boxwood

Boxwoods are very common shrubs in the landscape. University of Memphis Director of Landscape Joellen Dimond gives all the details. Boxwood are evergreen, and they have small leaves so they are considered a fine textured plant. Boxwood do flower in the spring and although the flowers may not be obvious, some are fragrant.

Boxwood like well-drained soil and even moisture, and once established can tolerate dry conditions. If the roots are kept too wet they will become diseased or attract harmful insects, and Joellen lists some of them. The insects are easy to take care of if boxwood get them. Boxwood are shallow rooted and like to have undisturbed root systems, plant them where you won’t be regularly digging.

There are a few major types of boxwood. Microphylla boxwood include the Korean, little leaf, and Japanese boxwoods. They are more cold hardy. They prefer zone 6 and 7 but will live in zones 4 to 9. They get about 3-4 feet around. Sempervirens boxwood more commonly called common box or English boxwood, can grow to 20 feet tall. Sempervirens also includes the dwarf boxwoods.

Joellen then talks about some of the history and historical uses of the boxwood.

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Related Resources:
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Boxwood Culture and Diseases - Including Boxwood Blight
Pruning Boxwoods