Korean boxwood 'Wintergreen'
Buxus sinica var. insularis 'Wintergreen' ·
The hardiest boxwood, which keeps its green colour better than others through a cold winter. It is loose and rounded if left unclipped.
- Size
- 3½ ft tall, 4 ft wide
- Zones
- 4 to 9
- Light
- Full sun to part shade
- Flowers
- Grown for its leaves
- Pets
- Toxic (moderate)
- Job in a bed
- Anchor
A bed built around Korean boxwood 'Wintergreen'
The planner designed this bed around Korean boxwood 'Wintergreen' when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) formal bed in zone 6, part sun. It chose the other plants from the 708 that suit those conditions, and says below why Korean boxwood 'Wintergreen' stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Korean boxwood 'Wintergreen' × 1, green leaves
- 2 Leadwort × 21, blue
- 3 Shooting star × 13, pink
- 4 Scarlet coral bells × 6, red
- 5 Sicilian honey garlic × 4, cream
- 6 Martagon lily × 4, purple
Why this plant
- The only plant grown for its leaves. Leaf lasts all season, where a flower lasts a few weeks.
- The bed's only structure. Shrubs and grasses keep their shape when the perennials die down, and it is the only one here.
- The only fine leaves here. The rest are medium. A change of leaf keeps plants distinct when nothing is in flower.
Why here
- At the back. At 3½ ft it is seen over leadwort (10 in) in front of it, and has nothing behind it to hide.
- One plant, alone. A shrub is seen as an object, and needs clear ground around it.
Why now
- Here for its leaves, all year. They cover the 17 weeks between early March and late November when nothing on the plan is in flower.
- The only leaves in winter. From November to March it is what there is to look at.
Planned as a formal bed: 49 of the 49 plants (100%) are mirrored across the middle of the bed: each stands on the middle line or has a twin of its own kind opposite it. The scheme leans cool (blue, pink and purple) and uses red for warmth, with cream to calm things between them. The backbone of the bed is Korean boxwood 'Wintergreen'.
The planner's own design check: 6 Excellent, 11 Good.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where Korean boxwood 'Wintergreen' goes in a border
At 3½ ft it belongs at the back of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is moderately tall (3 to 4 ft).
Its job: anchor. A shrub that gives the bed permanent structure. Planted singly, as soon as the front edge is laid; everything else is arranged around it.
Where winters are too cold for English boxwood, use this. It is a little more open in habit and a lighter green.
- Boxwood for cold climates
- Low hedges
- Evergreen structure
What to plant with Korean boxwood 'Wintergreen'
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Hosta: bold leaves against its fine ones; spires rising out of its mound; low enough (18 in) to stand in front of it.
- Daylily: adds the flowers, late June to early August.
- Salvia 'May Night': adds the flowers, late May to mid July; spires rising out of its mound; low enough (24 in) to stand in front of it.
Questions about Korean boxwood 'Wintergreen'
Does Korean boxwood 'Wintergreen' need sun or shade?
Korean boxwood 'Wintergreen' grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day), part sun (4 to 6 hours of sun, including some afternoon sun) and part shade (2 to 4 hours of sun, mostly in the morning).
It wants ordinary well-drained soil, of average fertility, and a good soak in dry spells.
What zones does Korean boxwood 'Wintergreen' grow in?
USDA zones 4 to 9. It is hardy to zone 4, which means it survives winter nights down to about −20 °F (−29 °C).
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
How far apart should Korean boxwood 'Wintergreen' be planted?
3 ft (90 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 4 ft (120 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 3½ ft (100 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many Korean boxwood 'Wintergreen' plants do I need?
At 3 ft apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 1 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 4 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 4 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as one, planted singly: it is the bed's structure, and everything else is arranged around it.
In the bed above, the planner used one in one group.
Is Korean boxwood 'Wintergreen' poisonous to dogs and cats?
Yes: moderate toxicity to people, dogs, cats and horses. All parts cause vomiting and diarrhoea if eaten, and the sap can irritate skin.
Rated from NC State Extension and the ASPCA. Where references disagree, the more cautious rating is used.
Is there a pet-safe plant like Korean boxwood 'Wintergreen'?
These come closest to doing what Korean boxwood 'Wintergreen' does, and no toxicity is recorded for them:
- Box honeysuckle 'Baggesen's Gold': the same job in a bed; 8 in taller, 4 in wider.
- Globe arborvitae 'Little Giant': the same job in a bed; 8 in taller, 4 in wider.
- Alpine currant: the same job in a bed; 20 in taller, 4 in wider.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
What does Korean boxwood 'Wintergreen' look like in winter?
Korean boxwood 'Wintergreen' keeps its green leaves all winter, so it is one of the plants that hold a bed together from November to March, when the perennials have gone.
More Buxus
- Boxwood 'Green Gem' Buxus 'Green Gem'
- Boxwood 'Green Mountain' Buxus 'Green Mountain'
- Boxwood 'Green Velvet' Buxus 'Green Velvet'
- Common boxwood Buxus sempervirens
- Dwarf English boxwood Buxus sempervirens 'Suffruticosa'
- Littleleaf boxwood 'Winter Gem' Buxus microphylla var. japonica 'Winter Gem'
In these guides
- Garden plants toxic to cats
- Garden plants toxic to dogs
- Evergreen shrubs for structure
- Shrubs under 4 feet for small gardens
Zone guides: Zone 4 · Zone 5 · Zone 6 · Zone 7 · Zone 8 · Zone 9
Every fact on record
- Type
- Shrub
- Size
- 3½ ft (100 cm) tall, 4 ft (120 cm) wide
- Plant
- 3 ft (90 cm) apart
- Height class
- Moderately tall (3 to 4 ft)
- Place in the bed
- Back
- Flowers
- None: grown for its foliage
- Leaves
- Fine texture, evergreen; green
- Shape
- Rounded, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 4 to 9
- Light
- Full sun, part sun, part shade
- Soil
- Average, well-drained
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- Light, in spring
Checked against NC State Extension and ASPCA poison lists. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.