Hardiness zones:
Sunset 8-24
USDA 6 (in protected locations) - 11
Landscape Use: Edging, barrier, formal and informal hedge, entryway, foundation plant, mesic landscape design themes
Form & Character: Evergreen shrub, dense canopy, upright, formal
Growth Habit: Slow to moderate to 4-6' height with somewhat less spread
Foliage/texture: Leaves small, greenish to 1" long or less, prominent mid-vein, no trichomes on mid-vein like Buxus microphylla koreana, medium fine texture
Flowers & fruits: Greenish flower in axillary meristems, spring, quite inconspicuous
Seasonal color: None in Phoenix, though in colder climates the foliage will develop a brown to purple tinge in winter.
Temperature: Hardy to 0oF, but struggles to survive the in the lower desert because of the summer heat.
Light: Partial to full shade is, northern and eastern exposures are required. Avoid full western sun at all costs!
Soil: Surprisingly tolerant of alkaline soil, though does best in chemically neutral to acidic soil
Watering: Regular
Pruning: Should be regularly sheared for best results. Can be formally clipped into hedge as low as 2-3' or trained as a topiary.
Propagation: Softwood cuttings rooted under mist in late spring and early summer
Disease and pests: Spider mites and leaf miners
Additional comments: This is a plant that is 'out of step' with current regional demands to conserve water resources by installing landscape gardens with 'desert-adapted' plants. However, Japanese boxwood is a good western substitute for English boxwood (Buxus sempervirens) when landscape gardeners desire to create a formal landscape appearance with structural lines derived from the use of relatively diminutive hedging plants. There are several superior cultivars including 'Compacta', 'Green Beauty', ' and Winter Gem'. Buxus microphylla koreana (Korean boxwood) is a more elegant and cold tolerant boxwood species Japanese boxwood and is best used in Arizona landscapes at higher elevations such as in the cities of Payson, Prescott, and Flagstaff.
