Buxus sempervirens Golden Dream - Boxwood

Common Box or in Latin Buxus sempervirens 'Golden Dream', is a variety distinguished by its dark green foliage variegated with golden yellow! It forms a dense, slow-growing, bushy shrub with small evergreen leaves that remain its main asset, contributing to the lasting structure of the garden. Its vibrant colour brings light to the darker corners of the garden, although its variegation will be even more intense in full sun. It is a hardy shrub, with no specific requirements, growing in all types of soil and exposures. With its extremely slow growth, once the desired size and shape are achieved, it will require little maintenance, which is particularly advantageous for the formation of topiaries and hedges of all sizes.

The boxwood's origins are uncertain, but it is generally believed to be found in southern Europe, Asia Minor, and North Africa. It can be found in Portugal, northern Spain, France, Germany, England, southern Belgium, Luxembourg, and Switzerland. It is also found in the Balkans and Bulgaria. As shown by this vast distribution range, it is a very ubiquitous shrub, capable of adapting to any type of soil and climate.

Buxus sempervirens 'Golden Dream' is a golden-yellow variegated variety of the common boxwood. It forms a slow-growing shrub with small aromatic leaves (which may smell unpleasant), tough, evergreen, shiny dark green and widely margined with golden yellow. It is interesting to note that its appearance varies greatly depending on its living conditions. In humid or shaded areas, its leaves will be darker green and less clear in variegation, they will be larger, and the plant will reach a maximum of 3 m (9 ft 10 in) in all directions without pruning. In rather dry, even very dry, and sunny areas, its variegation will be more contrasting, and its growth more modest. In autumn or winter, sometimes as early as the end of summer in very dry climates, the foliage can take interesting bronze or orange hues. The abundant, nectar-rich, and fragrant flowering occurs in clusters of small flowers with greenish petals and yellow stamens, in April-May. Each cluster consists of a terminal female flower and several pendulous male flowers. This flowering is followed by the formation of small brownish-grey, tough capsules containing numerous ripe seeds by the end of summer. Their odor attracts ants that disperse them, thus contributing to the multiplication of the plant. Commonly, boxwoods of 50 years old can be found in the gardens of family houses, and in very old gardens, individuals over 500 years old can be encountered.

The very dense foliage of the common 'Golden Dream' boxwood is composed of tiny tough leaves, whose golden-yellow variegation gives it a bright lemon-green overall hue. With its truly slow growth, this small naturally rounded shrub possesses all the other characteristics of the type. They are perfect for creating hedges to highlight each structure of the garden as well as all neighbouring plants. Annual pruning in June is sufficient, allowing for the fragrant and abundant spring flowering. Boxwood is often used on terraces, in beautiful ceramic or stone pots, and in small gardens for its high decorative value all year round, while taking up little space. In kitchen gardens, it can delineate areas for aromatic plants, different parts of a vegetable garden, and the area reserved for cut flowers... In a somewhat wild area of the garden, under large trees for example, it will form beautiful green bushes all year round, emerging from a carpet of Algerian Bellecour ivy for example.

To create a border, plant 5 pots for one linear metre.

A legendary tree: the boxwood has lemon-yellow wood, with a very fine grain, remarkably hard. It is the hardest wood that can be found in the northern hemisphere. It ranks just behind ebony, which comes from different species native to the tropical regions of the ancient world. A symbol of immortality, it has been used since antiquity for the quality of its wood: the Greeks and Romans used it to make tablets covered with wax on which they wrote. Highly sought after by turners, engravers and sculptors, it was also used for making various musical instruments and tool handles, and for making the mallet of Masonic lodges, where it symbolized firmness and perseverance.