The illustrated growing guide
Boxwood
Buxus spp.
Family Buxaceae
Est. zones 5-8
The bones of formal gardens since Rome — knots, parterres, evergreen edges. Blight changed the buying rules: resistant cultivars only now, and don't plant a monoculture hedge of them.
Full Sun to Part Shade
Low water
Slow growth
Deer-resistant
Attracts beesI
Overview
Will boxwood suit your garden, and what goes wrong.
Will it thrive where you are?
Enter your ZIP — we look up your USDA hardiness zone (2023 map) and check it against what boxwood actually needs.
Hardy inZones 5-8Boxwood at a glance
Common boxwood problems
- Boxwood Leafminer
- Boxwood Mite
- Psyllid
- BOXWOOD BLIGHT (the industry crisis — buy resistant or substitute)
- Winter Bronze
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Growing
Light, water, soil, propagation and the season’s jobs.
How to grow boxwood: light, water & soil
How to plant & propagate boxwood
When to spray boxwood
Growing season. Buy blight-resistant cultivars or the lookalike Ilex 'Sky Pencil'/inkberry; disinfect shears between shrubs.
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The year
What boxwood asks for, month by month.
The boxwood year, month by month
PruneWhat each band means
- Prune — shape it now — cuts heal cleanly and structure is visible.
The boxwood year as text
- Jan quiet month
- Feb quiet month
- Mar quiet month
- Apr quiet month
- May pruning
- Jun pruning
- Jul pruning
- Aug pruning
- Sep quiet month
- Oct quiet month
- Nov quiet month
- Dec quiet month
These are the species' typical months — expect them a few weeks earlier in warm zones and later in cold ones. Watch the plant, not just the calendar.
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Ecology & uses
What it does for the garden, and what it is grown for.
Boxwood in the garden system
- Shrub layer shrub
What boxwood is grown for
⚠ Toxic if eatenToxic to pets
Edibility, identification, and traditional-use notes here are general reference — not medical or veterinary advice, and not a claim that any plant treats or prevents anything. Medicinal ratings record how strongly a plant features in herbal tradition, nothing more. Never eat or dose a plant you have not positively identified. More on how to use this library.
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Cultivars
Named varieties of boxwood, ruled as a catalogue.
Best boxwood varieties & cultivars
'Green Velvet' (hardy standard); 'Winter Gem'; NewGen series (blight-resistant); 'Justin Brouwers'
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Sources & plant ID
Where the care distinctions come from, and how the plant is filed.
Research basis
Sources behind this profile
No extension citations are attached to boxwoodyet. The care figures below come from the library's own catalogue rather than a traced primary source.
Plant ID
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Where to buy
Third-party nurseries — not Story Thyme Farms.
Third-party nurseries, not Story Thyme Farms. Prices are theirs.
Story Thyme Farms may earn a small commission from these links, at no cost to you — it never changes what we recommend.
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Questions
Boxwood questions, answered straight.
Do deer eat boxwood?
Rarely — boxwood is considered deer-resistant, which makes it one of the safer unfenced choices in deer country. Hungry deer in a hard winter test every rule, but it's a low-risk pick.
Is boxwood safe for kids and pets?
No — treat it as toxic if eaten. Toxic to pets Site it accordingly if children or pets roam the garden. This is general reference, not medical or veterinary advice — call a vet or poison control if something has actually been eaten.
How do you propagate boxwood?
Seed (stratify), cuttings, or layering.
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Elsewhere
Where boxwood sits in the library.
Rose
Hydrangea
Common Lilac
Forsythia