Buxus sempervirens Arborescens - Boxwood

The Common Boxwood or Buxus sempervirens 'Arborescens' is the best cultivar for topiary art! Its slow growth and erect, dense development make it perfect for creating various shapes through pruning : spherical, pyramidal or conical. Like other common boxwoods, it has medium-sized, glossy dark green leaves with a matte light green underside that persist on the bush and structure the garden all year round. Hardy and tolerant of all soils and exposures, it also withstands temporary dryness, limestone and pollution. Its easiness to grow and generous dimensions make it the obvious choice for creating large, trimmed hedges in classical-style gardens. 

The 'Arborescens' Common Boxwood is distinguished by its more upright and compact habit compared to the species. Its origins are uncertain, but it is generally accepted that they are found in southern Europe, Asia Minor and North Africa. It can be found in Portugal, northern Spain, France, Germany, England, southern Belgium, Luxembourg and Switzerland. But also in the Balkans, as well as in Bulgaria. As shown by this vast distribution area, it is a very ubiquitous shrub, capable of adapting to any type of soil and climate.

The 'Arborescens' common boxwood is a slow to medium-growing shrub with aromatic leaves (which can smell unpleasant), leathery, evergreen and usually dark green. After 10 years, it only reaches a height of 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) and a width of 1 m. It is interesting to note that its appearance varies greatly depending on its living conditions. In humid or shaded areas, its leaves will be darker green and larger, and the plant will exceed 4-5 m (13 ft 1 in-16 ft 5 in) in all directions. In rather dry, even very dry, and sunny areas, its leaves will be lighter, sometimes almost yellow, and its development more modest. In autumn or winter, sometimes as early as the end of summer in very dry climates, the foliage can take on interesting bronze or orange hues. The abundant, nectar-rich and fragrant flowering, in clusters of small greenish petals and bunches of yellow stamens, occurs in April-May. Each cluster consists of a terminal female flower and several pendulous male flowers. This flowering is followed by the formation of small brownish-grey, leathery capsules containing numerous mature seeds by the end of summer. Their scent attracts ants, which disperse them, thus contributing to the multiplication of the plant. Buxus sempervirens 'Arborescens' is commonly seen in 50-year-old gardens of country houses, and in very old gardens, individuals over 500 years old can be found.

The very dense foliage of the 'Arborescens' cultivar is composed of medium-sized, glossy green leaves, lighter when they first emerge. With its truly slow growth, this large shrub with a naturally upright and dense habit has all the other characteristics of the type. It is perfect for creating hedges that enhance every structure in the garden as well as all neighbouring plants. Annual pruning in June is sufficient, allowing for the fragrant and abundant spring flowering. Boxwood is often used on terraces, in beautiful ceramic or stone vases, and in small gardens for its strong decorative value all year round, while taking up little space. In herb gardens, it can border squares of aromatic plants, different parts of a vegetable garden or an area reserved for cut flowers... In a slightly wild area of the garden, under large trees for example, it will form pretty green bushes all year round, emerging from a carpet of Algerian Bellecour ivy, for example.

To create a hedge, plan for 5 pots per linear metre.

A legendary tree: boxwood has a lemon-yellow coloured, remarkably hard wood with a very fine grain. It is the hardest wood that can be found in the northern hemisphere. It ranks just behind ebony, which comes from various species native to the tropical regions of the Old World. A symbol of immortality, it has been used since antiquity for the quality of its wood: the Greeks and Romans used it to make tablets covered with wax on which they wrote. Highly sought after by turners, engravers, and sculptors, it was also used to make various musical instruments, tool handles, and the mallets of Masonic lodges, where it symbolized firmness and perseverance.