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Boxwood (Buxus)
[BUKS-us]

Evergreen Perennial Shrub in the Buxaceae Family
 

About Boxwoods

Commonly known as “Boxwoods,” these hardy, prunable, evergreen shrubs are a staple across much of the US. Boxwoods are happy in part shade to full sun (if watered enough) and can grow up to 9” a year, making them a smart option for privacy plantings or anyone who just really loves to prune things. Boxwoods will grow from 1 foot to 20 feet high, depending on the variety and growing conditions.

Boxwoods don’t have to be pruned, but their small, glossy leaves are so dense that you can prune these shrubs heavily without exposing bare branches. Because they’re evergreen, they offer year-round color and texture, privacy, windblock, and the faint but inescapable smell of cat pee (just kidding, that’s only the dwarf English variety ‘Suffraticosa.’)

Buxus ‘Glencoe’ is a reliably cold-resistant variety developed in the Chicago Botanic Garden in Glencoe, Illinois (shop local, baby!)

Buxus ‘Green Mountain’ is a cone-shaped variety of boxwood that offers bright green foliage and grows slower than most other varieties.

Buxus ‘Green Velvet’ is a short, dense, rounded, winter-hardy variety that retains a vibrant green throughout the cold season.

Buxus ‘Wilson’ is another local legend (developed in Hampshire, Illinois) that turns bluish-green during the warmer months and transitions to a very dark black-green in the cold season.

Buxus sinica var insularis ‘Winter Gem’ turns a bronzed color in the winter, but greens up quickly in early spring.

Pros

  • Evergreen
  • Fast-growing
  • Prunable
  • Deer and rabbit resistant
  • Part shade to full sun tolerant

Cons

  • Prone to Boxwood blight a fungal disease that stays in the soil.
  • Can show “dieback,” which causes bald spots in the shrub
  • Need to be watered often
 

Plant Data

Mature Size 12 - 240 inches tall. 12 - 240 inches wide.
Sun Exposure Partial Shade - Full Sun
Moisture Tolerance Medium : Moist, well-drained soil.
Zones 5a - 9b (Usually hardy to -20° F)
Tags Attracts Birds, Container, Deer Resistant, Evergreen, Formal Garden, Full Sun, Good for Asian Garden, Good for Borders, Good for Cottage Garden, Good for Hedges, Grown For Attractive Foliage, Medium, Medium, Most Popular, Partial Shade, Partial Sun, Perennial, Potentially Allergenic, Rabbit Resistant, Shrub, Tolerant of Moist Soil, Well-Drained Soil, Winter Interest
Bloom Period Evergreen
Foliage Color Green
 

Rankings
 

Related Articles
 

More Info from Experts

Commonly Planted with...

Daisies, Roses, Hydrangea, Thyme, Hosta, Lady's Mantle, Lirope, Germander, Rosemary, Sage.

Photos of This with...

Japanese Maple, Norway Maple, Sugar Maple, Snapshot Burgundy Snapdragon, Gryphon Begonia, Rose Glow Japanese Barberry, Whitespire Gray Birch, Conga Sunset Kiss Calibrachoa, Glen Murray Tussock Sedge, Golden Falls Broadleaf Sedge, Eastern Redbud, Majesty Purple Decorative Mum, Cornelian Cherry Dogwood, Green Ball Dianthus, Polkadot Princess Foxglove, Blue Dune Lyme Grass, Burning Bush, Glamour Euphorbia, Upright Purple Beech, Forsythia, Jelena Witch Hazel, Coral Bells, Blackout Coral Bells, Carnival Black Olive Coral Bells, Plantain Lily, Hydrangea, Goldilocks Creeping Jenny, Star Magnolia, Tidal Wave Silver Petunia, Weeping Willow, East Friesland Meadow Sage, Lidakense Showy Stonecrop, Cirrus Dusty Miller, Coleus, ColorBlaze Lime Time Coleus, Flip Side Coleus, Persian Shield, Tulip, Salmon Pearl Tulip, Division 3: Triumph Tulips, Frontier Elm, Commendation Elm,
 

Boxwood Available Soon

Green Gem Boxwood
(Buxus 'Green Gem')
From $49.50

Green Mountain Boxwood
(Buxus 'Green Mountain')
From $26.58

Green Velvet Boxwood
(Buxus 'Green Velvet')
From $26.58
Golden Dream Boxwood
(Buxus microphylla 'Peergold' GOLDEN DREAM)
From $123.75

Winter Gem Korean Boxwood
(Buxus sinica var. insularis 'Winter Gem')
From $123.75

Wintergreen Korean Boxwood
(Buxus sinica var. insularis 'Wintergreen')
From $49.50

Northern Charm Boxwood
(Buxus 'Wilson')
From $46.50

Chicagoland Green Boxwood
(Buxus 'Glencoe')
From $17.47

Sprinter Boxwood
(Buxus microphylla 'Bulthouse' SPRINTER)
From $148.50
Variegated Common Boxwood
(Buxus sempervirens 'Aureovariegata')
From $140.25
Pyramidal Boxwood
(Buxus sempervirens 'Pyramidalis')
From $84.38
Franklin's Gem Boxwood
(Buxus sinica var. insularis 'Franklin's Gem')
From $206.25
Arctic Emerald Boxwood
(Buxus sempervirens 'Arctic Emerald')
From $148.50
Uptight Boxwood
(Buxus microphylla 'Uptight')
From $144.38
Little Missy Boxwood
(Buxus microphylla 'Little Missy')
From $144.38

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Limited Availability

We try very hard to source exactly what you’d like, but sometimes growers run out of plants! While this variety is a great deal at the price shown, we know that it has limited availability. If you want the plant even if it might be more expensive, or in a different size or quantity -- after you place your order, just send us a quick note at help@northshoreplantclub.com. Then, we’ll try to get you some version of this from one of our growers. And if we can’t get it from anywhere, of course, we’ll send a refund!


Field-Grown vs. Greenhouse-Grown Plants

Plants which are well-adapted to our local climate are most often field-grown (outside). Field-grown plants are generally cheaper and have the advantage of already somewhat acclimated to our cold winters, but that means they’re not artificially far along in the spring and tend to bloom at the normal time in our area.

Spring annuals and tender perennials are typically grown in Greenhouses so they can be ready and luxurious exactly when customers want them. Some perennials are also “forced” into early bloom in greenhouses. In May, there can be a very big difference between field-grown and greenhouse-grown plants of the same type. The latter typically look good right away (so they’re a great choice where that’s important), but we typically pay a premium for it.


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