Buxus Sempervirens
Few shrubs are as decorative as a buxus. They can be used to make gorgeous hedges that will give every garden, whether large or small, an elegant look. They also retain their fresh green colour all year round. And they can even be used to create your own little work of art! After all, a buxus is the perfect shrub for pruning into all kinds of shapes. Many of these, however, can be found already pruned this way at garden centres and florists. In short: a buxus is a real eye-catcher in any garden, or even when it’s planted in a decorative pot and placed on your patio or balcony.
Care tips
A buxus requires scarcely any care, will thrive in both sunny and shady spots, and is easy to plant. It’s simply a matter of digging a hole, putting the buxus into it, tamping down the soil around it, and giving it some water. (For a hedge, plant around seven plants per linear metre). To get a buxus to root quickly, it would be a good idea to add soil especially composed for buxus plants. Pamper it once in a while, too, with special buxus fertiliser. This will keep your buxus nice and strong. Pruning should be done at the end of May to keep the shrub in shape. The second pruning can be done in early September; you could also prune it a number of times in between. The more often you prune a buxus, the bushier it will become. This is especially important for larger specimens. Tip! Always prune a buxus during a cloudy day since the sun can scorch its newly pruned leaves.
Interesting facts
For several years, the buxus has been listed in the top 10 most frequently sold garden plants. This is not so surprising considering that this highly favoured guest in so many gardens is completely hardy and stays green all year round. People long ago also loved buxus plants. It is known, for instance, that the Romans had them in their gardens. The roots of buxus plants were even found in the ruins of Pompeii. The French and English also made good use of buxus plants. They created impressive gardens that you can still see today at many palaces such as the famous gardens of Versailles. Many monasteries planted buxus hedges as frameworks for their vegetable and flower beds. Actually, this idea is something you could try yourself since it would add a beautiful look to your vegetable or flower garden. In the Netherlands, the buxus is sometimes referred to as a ‘palm tree’ even though it is entirely unrelated to a palm tree. The reason for this name came from the use of buxus branches on Palm Sunday.