Box me in.... please

One of the reasons that boxwood, which is commonly used as hedging material, took so long to arrive en masse on the Atlantic scene is its slow rate of growth. It took time for growers to build up stock. Most garden varieties of box produce no more than a few inches of new growth each year.

The name boxwood is derived from the young stems, which are strongly four sided and square in cross-section. Most boxwood is hardy to zone 6, which doesn’t give it a lot of wiggle room here in Nova Scotia. In northern parts of the province, if gardeners are zone pushing, it’s a good idea to wrap plants with burlap.

Boxwood prefers cool, moist conditions where its shallow, fibrous roots are undisturbed. It doesn’t like temperature extremes, scalding sun, drought or desiccating winds, all of which can turn its foliage dull and brown.

In France, this is the plant used to outline the grand parterres in the Palace of Versailles. Gardens with formal, clipped boxwood accents are now fashionable in Canada but these neat little shrubs with the shiny, year-round leaves can also be used as a low hedge around a flower bed, to flank a pathway or be shaped into an intricate knot garden. For those with a bit of an artistic flair, boxwood responds very favorably to being pruned into traditional geometric shapes or fantastical. Boxwood has a great tolerance for shearing and shaping.

Some species of boxwood are grown for their wood in other parts of the world. With its delicate yellow colour, very dense structure and fine uniform grain, it is in high demand by wood-engravers and carvers. A large amount is used in the manufacture of measuring rules, various mathematical instruments, flutes and other musical instruments.

Leafminers are the most serious pest to attack boxwood. Infested leaves typically turn yellow or brown in splotches, are smaller and drop sooner than healthy leaves.

A heavy infestation can cause serious loss of leaves and result in death of the plant. Spray the plants with insecticidal soap at the first sign of damage.