Dwarf Box Hedge Plants

Buxus Sempervirens Suffruticosa Hedging

Dwarf Box, Buxus sempervirens Suffruticosa, is a small, slow growing evergreen shrub that is perfect for low, ornamental hedging, usually along the edge of a flower bed or in a decorative parterre. It has lush, densely packed, bright leaves that clip neatly and suit topiary. Our box plants are grown outdoors to keep them hardy and have been clipped for extra bushiness.
Dwarf Box grows about 2-3cms per year and, after 30 or years, it can reach about 1 metre high.
Dwarf Box is good for hedges under 50cms high; we recommend using the more vigorous Common Box for edging and topiary projects over 50cms tall.

Dwarf Box bushes are only delivered pot-grown, year round.

View our selection of evergreen hedging or see our full range of hedging plants.

Choosing a size: When you are ordering Dwarf Box plants for a hedge, we generally recommend that you use the smaller, 15-20cm tall plants. They are cheaper than large plants and they will establish well in poor conditions. Use larger plants if you want a taller hedge quickly or if you want to clip them as topiary.
All our hedge plants are measured by their height in centimetres above the ground (the roots aren't measured).

Spacing a Dwarf Box hedge:
Plant Dwarf Box hedging at about 7 plants per metre, 14.3 cms apart. You can also get good results with planting at 6 per metre and if you plant them at 8 per metre, you will get a thick hedge more quickly.

General description of Dwarf Box plants:
Buxus Suffruticosa is pretty much the same as Common Box, apart from its slower growth. The leaves are slightly brighter green. Box is one of the few plants that actually prefers growing in partial shade over full sun. It will tolerate any well drained soil and can grow near the sea.
Dwarf box is most commonly used for precisely clipped, knee-high decorative borders; it is sometime called Edging Box. It also looks good in a pot, trimmed into a neat geometric shape.
Dwarf Box plants do flower but, as there are no petals, you will probably only notice the bees that it attracts. Rabbits and deer do not eat box.

History & uses of Buxus sempervirens Suffruticosa
Box is a native plant and the Suffruticosa cultivar was bred in 1753. It was given an RHS Award of Garden Merit in 2002.