Other Names:  Littleleaf Box, Japanese Boxwood

Description:

This compact boxwood is great for smaller plantings; very slow growing, forming a rounded, dense mound; an extremely versatile shrub that's ideal for edging, or small topiary, takes pruning exceptionally well

Ornamental Features

Grace Hendrick Phillips Boxwood is primarily valued in the garden for its interestingly mounded form. It has rich green evergreen foliage which emerges chartreuse in spring. The small glossy oval leaves remain green throughout the winter.

Landscape Attributes

Grace Hendrick Phillips Boxwood is a dense multi-stemmed evergreen shrub with a mounded form. Its relatively fine texture sets it apart from other landscape plants with less refined foliage.

This is a relatively low maintenance shrub, and can be pruned at anytime. It is a good choice for attracting bees to your yard, but is not particularly attractive to deer who tend to leave it alone in favor of tastier treats. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Grace Hendrick Phillips Boxwood is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Mass Planting
• Rock/Alpine Gardens
• Border Edging
• General Garden Use
• Topiary
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Grace Hendrick Phillips Boxwood will grow to be about 18 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 30 inches. It tends to fill out right to the ground and therefore doesn't necessarily require facer plants in front. It grows at a slow rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 30 years.

This shrub does best in full sun to partial shade. You may want to keep it away from hot, dry locations that receive direct afternoon sun or which get reflected sunlight, such as against the south side of a white wall. It prefers to grow in average to moist conditions, and shouldn't be allowed to dry out. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments, and will benefit from being planted in a relatively sheltered location. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America.

Grace Hendrick Phillips Boxwood makes a fine choice for the outdoor landscape, but it is also well-suited for use in outdoor pots and containers. It is often used as a 'filler' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination, providing the canvas against which the thriller plants stand out. Note that when grown in a container, it may not perform exactly as indicated on the tag - this is to be expected. Also note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.