Origin
South America
Light
Full sun
Watering
Weekly
Care
Easy
Flowering
Flowering
Outdoor
Buis
The plant of formal gardens: wood so dense it sinks in water, and clipping that holds its shape for centuries.
Care Profile
A guide to ensuring your botanical companion thrives.
Origin
Mediterranean
Light
Moderate
Watering
Weekly
Maintenance
Moderate
The wood that doesn't float
A shrub of limestone woodland across Europe and the Mediterranean, it grows a few centimetres a year and lives for several hundred.
Its slowness produces extremely dense timber, heavier than water, used for measuring instruments, chess pieces and engraving blocks; that same slowness is what allows crisp topiary.
"What grows slowly can be clipped precisely."
01
Styling Tip 01
Part shade in hot climates
In fierce heat, a partly shaded position prevents the foliage from scorching.
02
Styling Tip 02
Two clips a year
Clip in June and again in September, on an overcast day: cutting in full sun burns the cut leaves.
03
Styling Tip 03
Watch for box moth
Chewed leaves and silken threads signal box tree caterpillar: act at the first damage.
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Origin
South America
Light
Full sun
Watering
Rarely
Care
Easy
Flowering
Flowering