Name: Wintergreen Boxwood
Brand: gardengoodsdirect
SKU: 08146
Price: 23.95 USD
Availability: InStock

Wintergreen Boxwood Evergreen Buxus microphylla

Highly sought-after for use in both front yard and backyard landscapes, Wintergreen boxwood is a broad-leaved evergreen shrub that stays green all year long, even in the harshest of northern winters. One of the best and well-known varieties of boxwood today.

Wintergreen Boxwood or Buxus microphylla var. japonica Wintergreen if you like long names. Its a cultivar of Korean boxwood that was selected for its cold hardiness and ease of care.

The finely-textured, oval evergreen leaves are thick and dark green. They'll stay on the plant all winter long. New foliage in early spring is soft, and a brilliant light green which creates a two-tone effect.

Perhaps one of the best things about this durable plant is its adaptability to a variety of growing conditions. It tolerates everything from full sun to part shade. It is relatively pest and disease resistant. If planted in an area that stays constantly wet it can occasionally develop root rot so be sure to site it in a well-drained situation.

This excellent choice among boxwood maintains an upright form with little to no pruning. It is perfect for use as a foundation plant, a formal hedge, as an accent or specimen. Boxwoods also do well in containers on the patio or porch or pruned into various topiary shapes. Just choose your desired shape and start pruning.

Wintergreen boxwood responds well to pruning even in the mid-summer when most other plants would develop brown tips.

Korean type boxwoods in general only produce one flush of new growth per year so you won't find yourself constantly chasing the perfect shape all year.

Wintergreen boxwood is a tough evergreen that is ready to grace your home with the ability to fill any spot in your landscape from large areas where they can be planted en masse to a small corner that just needs that special something.

Wintergreen boxwood lends itself to adding a sense of permanence in the landscape especially during the dormant period when other plants have lost their leaves and left you with nothing but bare branches.

Wintergreen boxwoods are a perfect choice if you are looking to create an extremely low maintenance garden as well. This is a perfect workhorse plant that will provide much needed green color and structure to your landscaping throuought the year.

If a low hedge is needed in your landscape than once again this is the plant for you. boxwoods have been used for centuries to line walkways and frame entrances when placed in pots. In more recent years they have become the gold standard for lining driveways when just a low growing hedge is needed.

They can be planted in groups of three or five in the mixed border or simply planted singly to draw one's eye to a focal point. Once you start to use these you will find so many uses for them in the landscape.

Wintergreen Boxwoods will take full sun or partial shade across a wide range of hardiness zones. They appreciate dappled or part shade protection from the hot afternoon sun in the warmer growing zones. They have a nice, fibrous root system and transplant easily if you change your mind and need to move these. In fact, having moved many boxwoods, even some very old specimens, few plants are easier to move about the landscape.

They prefer evenly moist, well-drained soils, but once established they can tolerate just about any kind of soil. They are even fairly drought tolerant once established. Wintergreens seem to thrive on neglect so if your the type of gardener who likes to "set it and forget it" this is a great option for you.

Specifications

Growing Zone:	4-9
Mature Height:	4 to 5 feet / less if trimmed
Mature Width:	4 to 5 feet / less if trimmed
Classification:	Evergreen Shrub
Sunlight:	Partial to Full Sun
Habit:	Evergreen, dense foliage
Flower Color:	Inconspicuous
Foliage:	New growth emerges bright green changing to dark green
Soil Condition:	Any well drained soil
Water Requirements:	Water well until established

We suggest when planting your newly purchased Wintergreen Boxwood plants that you dig a hole twice as wide as the root system but not deeper. Depending on the quality of your existing soil you may need to add a locally sourced compost or topsoil to the back-fill soil. We do not recommend using straight topsoil or compost as a back-fill soil because more times than not these products will retain entirely to much moisture and will cause the root system to rot. Adding compost or topsoil will help the young feeder roots to spread through the loose, nutrient rich soil, much easier than if you used solely the existing soil which more times than not will be hard and compacted. The most common cause of plant death after transplanting is planting the new plant to deep. That is why we do not recommend planting in a hole any deeper than the soil line of the plant in the pot. A good rule is that you should still be able to see the soil the plant was grown in after back-filling the hole. Bio-tone starter fertilizer is a great starter fertilizer that provides plants with mycorrhizae fungus. It is a naturally occurring beneficial fungus that colonizes on the new growing roots of plants. It creates a barrier between the roots of the plant and fungus and pathogens that can cause root rot. We love this product and use it on all plants we install in our own gardens. Bio-tone is a gardeners best friend and can help guarantee your success.

How do I water Wintergreen Boxwood?

How do I fertilize Wintergreen Boxwood?

How do I mulch Wintergreen Boxwood?

How do I prune Wintergreen Boxwood?

To maintain Wintergreen Boxwood in its most natural shape, thinning is the most appropriate way to prune for an informal look. To thin, prune selected branches throughout the shrub to the main trunk, to a lateral branch or to a lateral bud. The older and diseased branches can be pruned to the ground. This method of pruning allows the center of the boxwood to receive light and air, improving the health of the shrub. Boxwood's have a tendency to become very dense, especially if it has been sheared over a long period of time. This not only can cause fungal diseases, but also causes the leaves to grow just on the edges of the shrub. The inside of the boxwood then turns brown where leaves have died due to a lack of light. Thinning allows the leaves to grow along the entire branch, not just the tips, resulting in a fuller look. Thinning can be done any time of the year except about six weeks before the first frost. The best time to thin would be mid- to late February before new growth starts. This takes advantage of the first flush of growth, which is the best growth of the year. If a formal look is desired, prune with shearing or hedge clippers in a pyramidal shape with the narrowest part of the bush at the top, tapering to a wider base. This shape will allow adequate light to reach the lower part of the shrub so the foliage will remain full all the way to the ground. To maintain desired size and shape, this time prune after boxwoods have completed their main spring growth. Boxwood Wintergreen as a hedge, begin pruning when the shrub is young rather than waiting several years until it has achieved a lot of growth. Pruning early causes the shrub to become thicker at the bottom rather than being thin or open at the base. Once it is dense enough at the base, pruning can be eased, so to not cause death of the center leaves. When shearing trim in one direction and then go back and trim the opposite way so that it’s top line is smooth and has no dips.When using boxwood Wintergreen Boxwood as topiary or bonsai, pruning may be done several times a year as needed, although late summer or fall would stimulate new growth that would be susceptible to winter injury. Do not hard prune any area where you want to achieve leaf growth, as they may not respond for a few years. Just leave stubs or stripped branches until buds have formed where you want them and have made several sets of leaves. Buds that are unwanted can be rubbed off. Watering well and misting the wood frequently can help boxwood bud more quickly. Rejuvenation of older Wintergreen Boxwood At times, very old and misshapen boxwoods are going to need rejuvenation. Renewal or rejuvenation pruning of shrubs usually involves severe pruning. However, boxwood's often do not respond well to this. It may take several years for them to recover if they survive at all. If renewal pruning is to be tried, it should be done in late winter or early spring, over a period of several years. Some experts say you should remove a third of the large branches each year over three years. Another method is to prune over a two-year period. Branches would be cut on one side of the plant the first year, followed by the other half the second year. Follow any hard pruning and shaping of boxwoods with a dose of fertilizer and a light layer of mulch.

Size	Price	Quantity
1 GAL	$23.95
3 GAL	$53.95

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