The box tree (Buxus sempervirens) has become an integral part of the garden. The low-maintenance and very pruning-tolerant deciduous tree is versatile and stays green all year round. It is particularly popular for edging beds, as an opaque hedge or as a topiary cut into imaginative shapes. The plant was already very popular in the Roman Empire due to its high ornamental value.
Box trees can be creatively incorporated into any garden
Even the ancient Romans planted boxwood
More than 2000 years ago, the boxwood played an important role in the gardens of rich Greek and Roman citizens, who at that time preferred to frame a bed with a low box hedge. In the course of the conquest campaigns, this custom was also spread to the occupied areas in western and central Europe. The boxwood finally found its way into European garden art when in the 16th century the gardeners of Versailles replaced the frost-sensitive cypress with the hardy boxwood - the model of the French royal court unfolded its effect throughout Europe, because rich nobles as well as wealthy citizens and farmers imitated this fashion quickly after. Gardens designed with boxwood became modern, especially during the Baroque period, a tradition that has survived to this day in typical cottage gardens.
Boxwood is extremely hard
The boxwood combines numerous advantages that are important for a garden and crop plant. These include, for example:
- grows in almost any soil
- is undemanding and easy to care for
- is extremely cut compatible, can be cut into any shape
- offers countless creative possibilities
- is evergreen
- has a particularly dense growth
Last but not least, the wood of the boxwood is extremely hard, which is also due to the very slow growth of the plant. Even the Neanderthals used sticks made of boxwood for digging. Today the wood is still used for the construction of musical instruments - for example for making violins - for chess pieces or for the production of artistic wooden figures.
The most beautiful ideas for use in the garden
There are countless ideas for garden design with Buchs:
- Box trees as an opaque, high or low hedge
- Boxwood hedge as bed border
- solitaires cut into shapes as eye-catchers or planted as an avenue, for example along the main path
- Various shapes possible: spheres, spirals, pyramids, small trees, animal figures…
Buchs is winter and frost hardy, although it originally comes from the Mediterranean region. You can plant it in the garden or cultivate it in large tubs.
tips
Buchs can be up to 500 years old, which is why the plant is also seen as a symbol of eternity. For this reason, the wood is often found in cemeteries.