The boxwood (Buxus sempervirens) has become an integral part of the garden. The easy-care and easy-to-cut deciduous tree is versatile and stays green all year round. It is particularly popular for bed borders, as an opaque hedge or as a topiary cut into imaginative shapes. The plant was already very popular in the Roman Empire due to its high ornamental value.
Why is boxwood so popular in the garden?
The boxwood (Buxus sempervirens) is a versatile, evergreen tree, ideal for opaque hedges, bed borders or as an artfully cut topiary. It is undemanding, easy to care for, grows on almost any soil and offers numerous design options.
The ancient Romans already planted boxwood
Over 2000 years ago, the boxwood played an important role in the gardens of rich Greek and Roman citizens, who even at that time preferred to frame a bed with a low box hedge. This custom was also spread to the occupied territories in Western and Central Europe in the course of the conquest campaigns. The boxwood finally found its way into European gardening when, in the 16th century, the Versailles gardeners replaced the frost-sensitive cypress with the hardy boxwood - the model of the French royal court had an impact throughout Europe, as rich nobles as well as we althy citizens and farmers imitated this fashion quickly after. Especially during the Baroque period, gardens designed with boxwood became modern, a tradition that has continued in typical cottage gardens to this day.
Boxwood is extremely hard
The boxwood combines numerous advantages that are important for a garden and useful plant. These include, for example:
- grows in almost any soil
- is undemanding and easy to care for
- is extremely easy to cut and can be cut into any shape
- offers countless design possibilities
- is evergreen
- has particularly dense growth
Last but not least, the wood of the boxwood is extremely hard, which is also due to the very slow growth of the plant. The Neanderthals already used sticks made of boxwood for digging. Today the wood is still used for the construction of musical instruments - for example for making violins - for chess pieces or for the production of artistic wooden figures.
The most beautiful ideas for use in the garden
There are countless ideas for garden design with boxwood:
- Box trees as opaque, high or low hedges
- Boxwood hedge as a bed border
- Solitaires cut into shapes as an eye-catcher or planted as an avenue, for example along the main path
- various shapes possible: balls, spirals, pyramids, small trees, animal figures
Box is winter and frost hardy, even though it originally comes from the Mediterranean region. You can plant it in the garden or cultivate it in large containers.
Tip
Box can live up to 500 years, which is why the plant is seen as a symbol of eternity. For this reason, the tree is often found in cemeteries.
