Elegans Variegated Boxwood
Buxus sempervirens ‘Elegantissima’
Plant Details
USDA Plant Hardiness Zones: 6a-8b Find Your Zone
Plant Type: Evergreen Shrub
Height at Maturity: 2.5-5′ depending on pruning
Width at Maturity: 2-4′ depending on pruning
Growth Habit / Form: Dense, Upright, Pyramidal
Growth Rate: Slow to Moderate
Flower Color: Pale Green
Flower Size: Tiny, inconspicuous
Flowering Period: Spring
Flower Type: NA
Fragrant Flowers: NA
Foliage Color: Variegated Green and Cream to Creamy Yellow
Fragrant Foliage: No
Berries: No
Berry Color: NA
Sun Needs: Full Sun or Mostly Sun, Morning Sun with Dappled or Afternoon Shade, Morning Shade with Evening Sun
Water Needs: Average, Low when established
Soil Type: Clay, Loam, Sandy, Silty
Soil Moisture / Drainage: Well Drained Moist to Somewhat Dry
Soil pH: 5.5 – 6.5
Maintenance / Care: Low
Attracts: Visual Attention
Resistances: Deer, Disease, Drought, Heat, Insect
Description
Exceptionally versatile, the Elegans Boxwood is one you can let grow natural to its open and “elegant” pyramidal form, or it can be sheared tightly to interesting topiary shapes including globe, pyramid, column, mound or oval. Elegans features bright variegated foliage with oval, evergreen that are medium green with broad creamy white and or sift yellow margins. If left to grow natural the plant will grow to maybe 5 feet tall and 3 to 4 feet wide however can be maintained at half that size with occasional pruning. Plants will typically mature to 5’ tall by 4’ wide over the first 15 years unless pruned shorter.The variegated white leaves with green centers will light up your landscape. A wonderful color and texture contrast just about anywhere in the landscape that gets 3 hours or more of direct sun, maintaining its bright color even in partially shaded areas.
Landscape & Garden Uses
Growing in an upright pyramidal form from 2.5 to 5 feet tall and 2 to 4 feet wide depending on pruning, the Elegans Boxwood is ideal for planting on either side of the front door or to accentuate other entryways or as a bright accent in smaller garden spaces and perfect for use in pots, planters and other containers 12 inches or more in diameter. Also ideal for use as a colorful natural or clipped formal hedge or as a specimen or grouping in landscape borders or home foundation plantings. A fine addition to white theme gardens and formal gardens but also nice left to grow natural in woodland borders.
Suggested Spacing: 2 to 2.5 feet apart for solid hedge; 6 feet or more apart for space between plants
Note: For our customers who live and garden north of USDA Plant Hardiness Zones 6a, where this Boxwood variety is not reliably winter hardy, you’ll be happy to know it can be grown in containers that can be brought indoors during winter and placed back outside when temperatures warm up in spring.
Growing Preferences
The Elegans Boxwood is easy to grow when planted right, and in the right spot. It adapts to most soil types and likes full sun or part shade, preferring afternoon shade or filtered sun in warmer climates of the South. It prefers a moist but well-drained soil and will only need supplemental water during prolonged periods of dry weather. As with many other plants, a constantly soggy or wet soil can be problematic, so make sure the planting site is a well-drained one.
Helpful Articles
Click on a link below to find helpful advice from our experts on how to plant and care for Boxwood shrubs.
How To Plant A Boxwood Shrub
How To Fertilize And Water A Boxwood Shrub
How To Prune A Boxwood Shrub
Plant Long & Prosper!
Meet The Wilson Brothers & Staff
Questions? Contact Us























Reviews
There are no reviews yet.