Buxus sempervirens
3 Boxwood bonsai in stock, from $375.00 Shipped direct from our nursery partners, with a 48-hour live-arrival guarantee. See the trees
Zones 5 to 8, outdoor. A dense, many-branched evergreen shrub or small tree, native from Europe to northern Iran and North Africa.
Buxaceae (the boxwood family) · Broadleaf evergreen shrub or small tree; outdoor bonsai
Compare your tree against these to confirm the species and spot problems early.
| USDA zones | 5 to 8 [1]; littleleaf box (*B. microphylla*) 6 to 9 [2]; protect potted trees in hard cold [13] |
|---|---|
| Indoor / outdoor | Outdoors, in sun or semi-shade [13]; a cold greenhouse in winter [13] |
| Light | Sun or semi-shade [13]; some sources prefer part shade (see Light) [3] [14] |
| Water | Plenty in summer; it tolerates short dry spells but not soggy soil [13] |
| Soil | Bonsai mix with pumice or lime rock gravel, pH 7 to 8 [13]; Clemson gives 6.8 to 7.5 [3] |
| Repot | Every 2 to 5 years by age and size [13]; every 2 to 3 years at midsummer [14] |
| Frost | Hardy to about 25°F (-4°C); add protection below 23°F (-5°C) [14] |
| Mature height | 15 to 20 ft (4.5 to 6 m) in the ground [1]; Bonsai4Me gives 16 ft (5 m) [14] |
| Growth rate | Slow [1]; Bonsai4Me says well-fed trees grow quickly but thicken very slowly [14] |
| Season of interest | Evergreen foliage all year [1]; small fragrant flowers in spring [1] |
| Leaf reduction | Good: Bonsai4Me describes leaves "that reduce well" with regular pruning [14]; no source rates it on a scale |
| Main risks | Main risks, not ranked by any source: boxwood blight [5], box tree moth [6], root rot in wet soil [4] |
Common box is a dense, many-branched evergreen shrub or small tree [1], native from Europe to northern Iran and North Africa [8]. Bonsai Empire calls boxwoods very robust and well suited to bonsai, because they take constant trimming and bud from old wood [13]. Bonsai4Me adds short internodes, leaves that reduce well and shallow, fibrous roots that build strong surface roots [14]. Both note its deadwood: it takes deadwood carving very well [13], and the hard wood does not rot easily once carved [14].
The catch is health, not technique. Boxwood blight [5] and the box tree moth [6] are the most serious problems of box [7], and both can strip a plant bare. Boxwood is also toxic to pets (see Toxicity) [12].
This page covers common box; Japanese box (B. microphylla) [14] and Chinese box (B. harlandii) [13] are noted where they differ.
Foliage. Opposite leaves about 1 in (2.5 cm) long and half as wide, ranging from about 1/2 to 1 1/2 in (1.3 to 3.8 cm), often with fine white hairs along the midrib underneath [1]. They are glossy dark green above and yellow-green below, and some people find the smell unpleasant [1].
Bark & trunk. Young stems are square and winged [1]. The bark is a delicate beige [13]; it looks old early but is thin and easily damaged [14].
Growth habit / form. Dense, multi-stemmed and rounded [1].
Flowers / fruit. Small, petal-less, fragrant creamy yellow flowers in spring [1] that attract bees [13], then a round capsule about 1/3 in (about 8 mm) across that ripens brown [1].
Look-alikes & how to tell them apart: Japanese holly (Ilex crenata) is often confused with box [1], but its leaves are alternate, with small rounded or fine teeth on the margins [9]; box leaves are opposite [1]. Littleleaf box (B. microphylla) has the smallest leaves of all the boxwoods, about 0.3 to 1 in long [2]. Kingsville boxwood, which has its own guide, is B. microphylla 'Compacta', a very slow dwarf form often used for bonsai [10]. Tropical boxwood, also on this site, is Neea buxifolia, in a different family (Nyctaginaceae), so not a Buxus at all [11].
Common box is hardy in USDA zones 5 to 8 [1]; littleleaf box covers zones 6 to 9 [2] and takes heat a little better [1].
As a bonsai, Bonsai4Me puts the limit at about 25°F (-4°C) and adds protection below 23°F (-5°C); frost and cold wind can yellow or bronze the foliage, which greens up again in spring [14]. Bonsai Empire protects container trees from very low temperatures, ideally in a cold greenhouse [13]. Winter wind and sun dry and bronze the leaves [1]; water well before a hard cold spell [3].
Chinese box is not frost hardy; Bonsai Empire winters it in a cool, bright room at about 50°F (10°C) [13].
The sources disagree. Bonsai Empire wants a sunny or semi-shaded place [13]. Bonsai4Me prefers partial sun or light shade and warns that strong sun scorches the leaves, yet gives box plenty of direct sun in the UK for denser growth [14]. Clemson says garden box grows best in part shade, with morning sun and afternoon shade, and takes more winter cold damage in full sun [3]. NC State lists full sun to part shade [1].
Even moisture, never waterlogged. Boxwood needs a lot of water in summer, can withstand short dry periods, and should not sit in wet soil [13]. Wet soil invites Phytophthora root rot [13], which high soil moisture and warm soil favor [4].
Water the soil, not the leaves: rain and overhead watering splash blight spores between plants [4], and UMass advises against wetting the foliage [5].
Box is not an acid lover. Bonsai Empire wants a mix at pH 7 to 8, with some pumice or lime rock gravel added to a normal bonsai mix [13]; Clemson puts the ideal at 6.8 to 7.5 [3], and NC State lists neutral soil, 6.0 to 8.0 [1].
Repotting advice varies. Bonsai Empire repots every two to five years depending on age and size [13]. Bonsai4Me repots every 2 to 3 years at midsummer, finding box responds better then than in spring, and warns that repotting too often enlarges the leaves [14]. Box tolerates root pruning well [13].
The sources differ. Bonsai Empire feeds solid organic fertilizer monthly or liquid fertilizer weekly in the growing season, and none for common box in winter [13]. Bonsai4Me feeds every two weeks in the growing season [14]. Clemson, writing about garden shrubs, feeds only when a soil test calls for it, in early spring, never in summer or fall, and warns that too much fertilizer browns leaves and can kill branches [3].
Trim new shoots back to one or two pairs of leaves, and thin a dense canopy so light reaches the inside; otherwise inner twigs die [13]. Bonsai4Me lets the first flush grow freely in spring (around April or May) to keep the tree strong, then pinches and prunes for the rest of the year [14]. Clemson does not shear garden box after mid-August, because late growth will not harden before frost [3].
Common box takes hard pruning and deadwood carving very well [13]. Large wounds on old wood heal very slowly, so Bonsai4Me turns them into deadwood; the wood is very hard, so carved deadwood does not rot easily [14]. It styles box as an informal upright with one or several trunks, pruned to soften its stiff natural habit, and finds box looks best styled like a large spreading park tree, which suits its many-stemmed habit [14].
Wire with care: the bark is delicate and wire marks stay visible for a long time [13].
Ease: Not rated for common box; NC State says littleleaf box cuttings root easily [2]. Best methods: cuttings and air layering [13].
Bonsai Empire gets its best results in spring [13]. Bonsai4Me roots semi-ripe cuttings in summer and air layers from April to late spring [14], though its longer guide takes cuttings from autumn to early spring, at least 4 in (10 cm) long [14]. Because box thickens so slowly, Bonsai4Me recommends old hedges and garden plants as starting material [14].
Box tree moth (Cydalima perspectalis) is an Asian moth that reached Toronto in 2018 and has since spread to several US states [6]. Its striped green and yellow caterpillars eat only boxwood and web the leaves together [6]; they can defoliate a plant completely [7]. On a bonsai, pick them off by hand [13] or blast young ones off with a strong jet of water [6]. Bt and neem are effective [13]; Bt and spinosad have been used against it in Europe [6], but sprays struggle to reach caterpillars under leaves and inside webbing [6].
Clemson calls boxwood leafminer the most serious insect pest of boxwood; heavy attacks can cause serious leaf loss and even death [4]. Boxwood mite stipples the leaves and can be hosed off with regular strong sprays of water; boxwood psyllid cups the leaves [4]. Scale and nematodes also attack box [13].
Boxwood blight (Calonectria pseudonaviculata) affects all species of Buxus [5]. Look for tan or brown leaf spots with dark edges, dramatic and rapid leaf drop, and black streaks on the stems; humidity and 64 to 80°F (18 to 27°C) favor it [5]. Bonsai4Me reports that a plant can die within two or three months of infection [14]. Fungicides do not cure it [5], and Clemson knows of no resistant boxwood [4].
Isolate a new boxwood for one month and watch it, keep leaves dry, do not handle wet plants, and clean tools with 70% alcohol [5]. If blight appears, prune off affected branches at once, bin or burn them and isolate the tree [14]; never compost them [5]. The fungus survives at least five years on fallen leaves and stems [4].
Phytophthora root rot follows wet soil, and chemicals often fail once symptoms show, so it must be prevented [4]. Volutella blight looks like box blight but has pink rather than white spore masses and no black streaks [7]; Clemson notes that Volutella often follows winter injury [4].
No source we checked ranks these. They are the main risks the sources describe, in no particular order:
The ASPCA lists boxwood as toxic to dogs, cats and horses; the toxic principles are alkaloids [12]. Dogs and cats may vomit or have diarrhea; horses may suffer colic, diarrhea, respiratory failure and seizures [12]. NC State rates the risk to people as low, and notes that the sap may irritate skin [1].
Trees from our own bench, filmed while we worked on them.
Play video (0:30)My boxwood before and after a single styling session: a dense shrub at the start, open structure and visible movement at the end. I can cut a boxwood this hard because it back-buds reliably from old wood, which is why it suits anyone still learning to prune. Mistakes grow back.
