Buchsbaumgewächse Standardsorte

Season Overview

Description

The boxwood family (bot. Buxaceae) is a plant family belonging to the order Buxales (boxwoods). The Buxaceae family includes six genera comprising around 100 species. The boxwood plants are found all over the world as perennials, evergreen shrubs and, more rarely, as trees. Boxwoods prefer temperate to tropical zones for their distribution. The only species found in Central Europe is the common boxwood (Buxus sempervire). This is often found here as an ornamental shrub. Leaves The leaves have a leathery, whole-margined structure. The opposite or alternate leaves have smooth to toothed leaf edges. Some species also have helically arranged leaves. Boxwoods do not have stipules. Flowering The boxwood family has male and female flowers, which are arranged in inflorescences or individually in a radial pattern. The male flowers consist of four perianth petals and four to six stamens. Female flowers, on the other hand, have six perianths and three carpels, which are fused to form a rudimentary, upper ovary. The flowers of most species have a white-yellowish hue. Fruit Depending on the species, box plants form a drupe or a capsule fruit. The mostly blue-green, split open capsules contain two to six black seeds. Growth Depending on the species, boxwoods can reach a height of up to 20 meters in their area of distribution. They grow in the form of shrubs, perennials and trees. Distribution The boxwood family is mainly found in southern Europe and western Asia. In southern Germany, boxwoods are mostly found on south-facing slopes. Utilization As boxwoods have a high utility value as a garden plant, many different cultivars have emerged from the family. This results in a wide variety of leaf colors and shapes. Boxwoods tolerate pruning well. This allows many design options in the form of borders, hedges or geometrically shaped cuts of individual plants. The hard, pale yellow wood of our native species has very fine, narrow growth rings and is suitable for woodturning and carving. The wood is used in the manufacture of wind instruments such as flutes and clarinets. In the past, the wood was popular for engraving work.

Growing tips

Choice of location

Details

Light requirement

Semi-shaded

Water requirement

Moist

Soil

Medium (loamy)

Nutrient requirement

High

Dark germinator

Germination temperature

20 - 25 °C (Degrees Celsius)

Plant distance

50 cm

Row spacing

50 cm

Seeding depth

1 cm