15 Types of Boxwood Shrubs Every DIY Landscaper Should Know

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Most types of boxwood shrubs are cultivars of eitherBuxus sempervirens , also experience as common or American boxwood , orBuxus microphylla , better known as Japanese boxwood . Other Turkish boxwood diversity are cross combining favorite features of the species .

There are loads of types of boxwood out there , and the 15 varieties below are some of the most popular and unique . If you ’re looking to develop theseshrubs for curb appeal , you’re able to even put off your bets and choose multiple type to plant !

Beautiful garden with buxus and tulips in springtime

Photo: istockphoto.com

1. English Boxwood (Buxus sempervirens‘Suffruticosa’)

bid the “ most pop and widely grow boxwood ” byOregon State University , the dwarf English boxwood , or English box , can grow up to 4 to 5 foot tall . However , it acquire so slow that it in all probability will only reach 2 feet in height and width after 10 years . Although this type of boxwood is most likely to acquire an odor that some gardeners compare to cat urine , others reportedly find the aroma pleasant .

USDA Plant Hardiness Zones:6 to 8Best For : Hedge , rounded bush , topiary

2. Variegated Boxwood (Buxus sempervirens‘Variegata’)

Growing up to 10 three-dimensional feet , the white perimeter on this box ’s leave-taking eventually age to off - white and then yellow-bellied , an ever - changing show of color that can brighten up partially shaded area . Boxwoods wo n’t put up poorly draining soils like cadaver , so embed the shrub with their root crownwork slimly above soil level to help prevent the root from rotting in such dirt .

USDA Plant Hardiness Zones:6 to 8Best For : Hedge , potted specimen , topiary

3. Tree Boxwood (Buxus sempervirens‘Arborescens’)

True tree diagram box mature up to 15 to 20 foot tall and 8 to 10 feet spacious . It tends to take on a tree silhouette when notprunedto squat heights , so it can serve as a landscaping evergreen . Keep in mind that most box varieties opt fond sun to full sun , since too much sunshine can cause blacken or bronzing of their foliage during the winter month , potentially leading to mite infestations .

USDA Plant Hardiness Zones:5 to 8Best For : Hedge , masking , topiary

4. Compact Korean Boxwood (Buxus microphylla‘Compacta’)

One of the petite dwarf boxwood varieties , compact Korean Turkish boxwood is diminished enough to be grow as a bonsai orcontainer shrub . Seldom outperform 1 cubic foot in size , it agree neatly into even the smallest gardens . You might need to stave off pruning this one , since it reportedly grows less than an column inch per yr . If you intend to trim any boxwood , always wait until after the last Robert Lee Frost in springiness to do so , since you do n’t require to promote lovesome new growth during frosty weather .

USDA Plant Hardiness Zones:6 to 9Best For : Bonsai , low hedge , potted specimen

5. Graham Blandy Boxwood (Buxus sempervirens‘Graham Blandy’)

Sometimes reaching a height of up to 15 feet but a breadth of only about 2 fundament , the columnar Turkish boxwood physical body of ‘ Graham Blandy ’ makes it idealistic for any garden lacking slim evergreens . Named for the stockbroker who donated farming to the University of Virginia , this upright boxwood grow tall , glum , and handsome . A succeeder of the Royal Horticultural Society ’s Award of Garden Merit , thisboxwood ’s careis relatively easy , as it keep its chassis without much aid .

USDA Plant Hardiness Zones:6 to 8Best For : Screening , specimen plant

6. Green Gem Boxwood (Buxus‘Green Gem’)

This gem of a Korean boxwood actually is a hybrid ofBuxus microphylla‘Koreana ’ crossed withBuxus sempervirens , bred in Canada ’s Sheridan Nurseries . grow 2 to 3 feet tall and wide , this alternative among small boxwood shrubs get little leaves and tight ontogenesis , making it idealistic for shearing . to boot , it ’s slow growing enough that it should n’t require much pruning , andNorth Carolina State Extensiondescribes it as “ moderately resistant to boxwood blight . ”

USDA Plant Hardiness Zones:5 to 9Best For : Boxwood ball , container specimen , scurvy hedging

7. Wintergreen Boxwood (Buxus sinicavar.insularis‘Wintergreen’)

uprise from Ohio ’s Scarff Nursery , ‘ Wintergreen ’ boxwood is one of the few varieties that can be hardy to zone 4 with care . Eventually growing up to 4 invertebrate foot tall and 5 foot wide , ‘ Wintergreen ’ is named for its power to hold green color during wintertime and endure no relation to the wintergreen flora . According toOregon State University , it “ evidence good resistance to the three independent insect pests of boxwoods ( boxwood leaf miner , boxwood mite , and psyllids ) and is very winter stalwart . ”

USDA Plant Hardiness Zones:4 to 9Best For : Foundation plant , hedgerow , topiary

8. Green Mountain Boxwood (Buxusx ‘Green Mountain’)

As its name implies , ‘ Green Mountain ’ grow taller than ‘ Green Gem’—up to 5 feet marvellous and 3 foot broad , to be exact . Naturally assuming a cone shape , this variety develop into a tree if not prune into a bush shape . Alternatively , you may throng it into a hedging or cut back it into a spiral topiary . When care for box , invalidate feeding them in late summer so they wo n’t be producing new growth when the weather condition turns stale .

USDA Plant Hardiness Zones:5 to 8Best For : Cone - shaped tree , hedgerow , voluted topiary

9. Green Velvet Boxwood (Buxusx ‘Green Velvet’)

Yet another boxwood from Sheridan Nurseries , ‘ Green Velvet ’ get through 3 feet high and the same in width . One of its parents , Korean box , reportedly contribute hardiness to the hybrid , while the other , mutual boxful , supplies winter greens that resist bronze . Keep in mind that all Turkish boxwood have shallow roots and take aid not to hoe or dig around their bases . Instead , you might want to bring mulch to facilitate the soil retain moisture and to protect those roots .

USDA Plant Hardiness Zones:5 to 8Best For : Border , foundation planting , hedge

10. Sprinter Boxwood (Buxus microphylla‘Sprinter’)

Although there are n’t manyfast - growingboxwoods , this speedier form of the ‘ Winter Gem ’ boxwood has been bred to sprint toward its ultimate size of 4 feet high by 4 feet full . Some reviews report the plants double in size within a class . Keep in idea that Nipponese cultivar are more likely to tan under cheery wintertime precondition and a few may even turn orange around February . Have patience and they should turn back to their natural green in spring .

USDA Plant Hardiness Zones:5 to 9Best For : Container , edging , hedgerow , landscaping

11. North Star Boxwood (Buxus sempervirens‘North Star’)

Naturally growing in a globular form that does n’t require much pruning , ‘ North Star ’ assumes more of a sphere than star form and will help you round off out your evergreen collection . Also known asBuxus sempervirens‘Katerberg , ’ it grows to 32 inch in both height and width and reportedly remain light-green over the cold months . Boxwoods are also deer- and rabbit - resistant shrubs . rubble snow off this boxwood ’s branches during wintertime to prevent branch break that could make its “ globe ” less well rounded .

USDA Plant Hardiness Zones:5 to 9Best For : Border , container plant , low hedging

12. Golden Weeping Boxwood (Buxus sempervirens‘Aurea Pendula’)

suppose treble six for this works , which grow to 6 ft with an equal spread and is hardy even to zona 6 . Its name translates as “ hanging atomic number 79 , ” and its weeping form and the splattering of yellow on its motley leafage make it stand out in the landscape painting . But before you go for the Au , keep in mind that variegate box types tend to be about a zone less brave than all - green ones , so they should be preserve in a protect fix .

USDA Plant Hardiness Zones:6 to 9Best For : Accent industrial plant , hedging

13. Faulkner Boxwood (Buxus microphylla‘Faulkner’)

Topping out at 4 foot tall and 3 foot wide , this Japanese boxwood reportedly involve little pruning because its growth is very slow — usually no more than 4 inches per year . Its dense growth shit it ideal for topiary , or the pruning of shrubs into shapes that can be either geometric or impulsive . If you are growing the works in a kitty , allow the top 3 inches of soil to dry out before you water it again .

USDA Plant Hardiness Zones:5 to 9Best For : Container topiary , foundation plant , hedge

14. Vardar Valley Boxwood (Buxus sempervirens‘Vardar Valley’)

deal one of the sturdiest types of common boxwood with unusual grim - green new foliage , ‘ Vardar Valley ’ grows to 3 foot high and 5 infantry wide very slowly , commonly at the rate of only about 2 inches per yr . accord toMissouri Botanical Garden , “ ‘ Vardar Valley ’ shows right resistance to two of the three main insect pests of boxwood ( leaf miner and touch ) , but is subject to psyllid infestation in certain region of the U.S. ”

USDA Plant Hardiness Zones:5 to 8Best For : Border , hedge , topiary

15. Elegans Boxwood (Buxus sempervirens‘Elegantissima’)

Growing up to 5 feet improbable by 4 feet wide , this variegated boxwood boasts ellipse leaves fortify with livid , and the white ostensibly does not yellow as much as on other cultivars . The shrub has a course rounded substance abuse so it can serve , unshorn , as a President George W. Bush , or as a formal hedging when pruned . Either choice can lend a showy , almost snowy , component to the landscape . Keep in mind that box plant grown in full subtlety broadly speaking are n’t as vigorous as those mature in partial subtlety .

USDA Plant Hardiness Zones:6 to 8Best For : Accent plant , cottage garden shrub , hedging

Our Best Advice for Beginner Gardeners

Buxus sempervirens ‘Suffruticosa’

Photo: David J. Stang,CC BY-SA 4.0via Wikimedia Commons

We ’ll help you fix up your first garden — whether that ’s a few can on your terrace , a raised bed , or an in - ground plot out back — and pick out the right plants for your grime and region .

Buxus sempervirens ‘Variegata’