About
Buxus microphylla is a compact, slow-growing shrub that typically reaches up to 75 cm in height. It features dark green, rounded to elliptical leaves, measuring up to 2 cm long, which take on a bronze hue during the winter months. In spring, small yellow-green flowers appear in the leaf axils.
About the genus
Buxus consists of evergreen shrubs or diminutive trees characterized by simple, leathery leaves arranged oppositely. These plants produce clusters of small, pale yellow blooms, which are succeeded by fruits that transition from pale green to brown.
Growing conditions
- Sunlight
- Full sun, Partial shade
- Soil type
- Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand
- Soil pH
- Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
- Soil moisture
- Well-drained
- Aspect
- South-facing, West-facing
- Exposure
- Exposed, Sheltered
- UK hardiness
- H6
Plant details
- Plant type
- Shrubs
- Habit
- Bushy
- Foliage
- Evergreen
- Height
- 1-1.5 metres
- Spread
- 1-1.5 metres
- Time to full height
- 5-10 years
- Suggested uses
- Architectural, City and courtyard gardens, Patio and container plants
- Toxicity
- Pets (dogs): Harmful if eaten For further information and contact numbers regarding pets, see the HTA guide to potentially harmful plants
Care notes
- Cultivation
- Grow in any fertile, well-drained soil, preferably in light shade though will tolerate full sun; in dry soils this can lead to dull foliage and scorching. See box cultivation for more detailed advice
- Pruning
- Pruning group 8 (evergreens); trim hedges and edging plants in summer. Tolerates hard pruning; this is best done in spring, and followed by feeding and mulching
- Propagation
- Propagate by seed, by semi-hardwood cuttings in summer, or by grafting in winter
- Pest resistance
- May be susceptible to box tree caterpillar, box sucker, mussel scale and red spider mite
- Disease resistance
- May be susceptible to a leaf spot, box blight and, rarely, honey fungus