New Boxwood Naturally Grows into Elegant Shape

Some types of boxwood shrubs don't always hold their shape without a lot of skillful pruning to keep them tidy. Many older-generation boxwood varieties often grow into sparse, ragged shrubs that lose their shape and create eyesores instead of eye-catching displays. But there's a new kid in town '– Baby Gem™ Boxwood (Buxus microphylla var. japonica 'Gregem' BABY GEM™). Introduced in 2010, this next-generation boxwood doesn't need shearing to produce sheer perfection!

Specially Crafted for its Graceful Appearance
Because of many of the structural and aesthetic deficiencies of other types of boxwood shrubs, Baby Gem™ Boxwood was specifically selected and propagated for its beautiful appearance, which includes:

• Small evergreen leaves. The "microphylla" part of Baby Gem™ Boxwood's formal name means "small leaves." This fine-textured foliage adds such an elegant touch to your landscape, and it provides a striking contrast to plants with large leaves. Although the mature foliage is dark-green, the new leaves that emerge in spring are a cheery yellowish-green '– almost chartreuse!

• Compact habit. Neat and tidy describes the tight, compact habit of these rounded shrubs. You'll have no spindly shrubs when you plant Baby Gem™ Boxwoods. As the plants grow, their shape will look expertly pruned, but only you will know they grew this way naturally!

• Dense growth. The foliage grows all the way to the ground, so you won't see daylight peeking around the base or through the branches. And even though the individual leaves are small, they are packed to profusion on these densely foliated shrubs.

Highly Prized Wood
The wood from boxwood shrubs has had many uses, including material for making musical instruments, combs, and writing tablets. The ancient Romans carved small boxes out of finely grained boxwood that were used by women to store their valuables.

Manicured Look without the Fuss
If you try to prune another type of boxwood shrub into a rounded shape, good luck trying to achieve a balanced look. Unless you're a professional pruning wizard, your attempts at trying to produce a rounded shape will likely end up creating something that misses the mark. And that's okay ?… if you don't mind shrubs that are lopsided! Put away the pruning shears and don't spend money to hire a professional pruning guru, because Baby Gem™ Boxwood does all the work for you. This doesn't mean that you can't prune these shrubs, because they respond beautifully to shaping. But it means that you can let them "do their own thing" while you simply sit back and enjoy their manicured look.

Designing with Boxwoods
Used effectively, shrubs can pull your landscape design together, and they can make or break your home's curb appeal. They're often called the "bones" of a garden. Baby Gem™ Boxwood is such a versatile plant that you'll be able to use it in numerous ways. Plant it as a foundation shrub, where it will not grow so large that it covers your windows. Use Baby Gem™ Boxwood as edging around an island bed or a perennial garden. Place shrubs along the sides of your yard to create a low-lying evergreen hedge that doubles as a living fence. For your cottage garden, Baby Gem™ Boxwood is an indispensable evergreen that adds softness with its rounded shape.

Enhancing Your Existing Shrubs
If you have established shrubs in your landscape, you'll be surprised how the simple addition of Baby Gem™ Boxwoods can create a more refined look. Use Baby Gems in a staggered planting to complement your larger shrubs. Plant a row of Baby Gem™ Boxwoods in front of your existing shrubs by spacing one Baby Gem™ between each larger shrub. This simple addition will transform your design scheme, whether you use Baby Gem™ Boxwoods in a mixed planting with other evergreen shrubs or as an evergreen accent to flowering shrubs. Be sure to space all your Baby Gem™ Boxwood shrubs so they receive plenty of all-day sun and so larger shrubs don't shade them.

Creating Container Sculptures
That's what Baby Gem™ Boxwoods look like when you plant them in containers '– living sculptures. You can plant one as a single potted specimen or feature it in a mixed-planting container with other plants. Boxwoods have traditionally been used in containers to give any garden a formal look. Grow Baby Gem™ Boxwood in a stone planter as the centerpiece to a courtyard garden or on both sides of your home's entrance, flanking the sidewalk that leads to your front steps. Raised above ground, Baby Gem™ Boxwood adds elevated evergreen touches throughout your garden; in fact, if you line a walkway or a sunny garden path with potted Baby Gem™ Boxwoods and plant colorful low-growing annuals around the pots, you'll create a stunning visual effect that's magazine-worthy!
The Perfect Shrub for Your Knot Garden
If you really want to impress your friends and neighbors, use Baby Gem™ Boxwood shrubs to form the outline of a knot garden. These formal gardens were all the rage in Elizabethan England, and they're in vogue again '– just flip through any upscale gardening or home design magazine. All you have to do is space Baby Gem™ Boxwoods to create a geometrically shaped design scheme that weaves the shrubs in and around the design '– like a loose, untied knot. As the shrubs mature, they'll grow together to form a solid outline. You can use only Baby Gem™ Boxwoods to create your design, or you can use the outline that the shrubs form to define bordered pockets where you plant your favorite herbs or flowering perennials. Optimally, you'll design your Baby Gem™ Boxwood knot garden where it's visible from a second-story window or deck '– exquisite!

Deer Tolerance
If you have to choose plants carefully because your yard is visited by deer, you know the value of deer-tolerant plants. Even though hungry deer will eat almost any kind of plant, they prefer some plants over others. Baby Gem™ Boxwood is rarely damaged by hungry deer. As beautiful as this shrub is, deer typically walk right by it to chew on other plants because they don't like its taste!

A Tough Little Shrub
Looks can be deceiving. When you see Baby Gem™ Boxwood, it's so cute that it may look delicate. But this tough little shrub stands up to heat and drought like a champ. You'll welcome this low-maintenance gem into your landscape where it requires little attention to flourish. You can "baby" it a little bit during its first year in your yard to get it off to a good start, but after that you won't have to fuss over it.

A Little Care Reaps a Lot of Rewards
Baby Gem™ Boxwood is a perennial in USDA Plant Hardiness Zones 5 through 9. If you use this checklist to care for your plant, you'll be providing it with the conditions it prefers for optimal growth:

• Planting. Plant your Baby Gem™ Boxwood only to the depth of the rootball; be sure not to plant it more deeply than that.

• Mulching. Add a 3- to 4-inch layer of mulch around your shrub to help conserve soil moisture and to suppress the weeds.

• Sun. Lots of sun is best for healthy growth. Baby Gem™ Boxwood tolerates partial shade, particularly during the afternoon, but it prefers at least 6 hours of direct sun each day.

• Soil. It's not too picky about the type of soil you have, but it does like good drainage. If the soil where it's planted becomes waterlogged after rain events or irrigation sessions, the roots may rot. Tip: Don't plant Baby Gem™ Boxwood in line with a downspout.

• Water. The first year after planting any shrub is important for root development, and making sure the plant receives enough water is essential. Water your Baby Gem™ Boxwood deeply and thoroughly each week if natural rainfall doesn't supply 1 inch of water.

• No overhead irrigation. Baby Gem™ Boxwood doesn't like its foliage to stay wet, which can provide a breeding ground for disease pathogens. Direct sprinkler heads away from these plants to keep the foliage dry, or use a drip irrigation system.

• Fertilizer. If a soil test recommends fertilizer, the best time to apply it is in spring when the new growth emerges. The new leaves easy to spot because they are a vibrant shade of light-green.

Did You Know?
• Boxwoods are native to Asia and Europe.
• Boxwood shrubs were used by the Egyptians in 4,000 B.C. as formal hedges in their landscape designs.
• Throughout history, boxwoods have been used as medicinal plants to treat medical conditions including epilepsy, rheumatism, and toothaches.
• A mixture made of boxwood sawdust and leaves boiled in lye was used to dye hair an auburn color.
• Dried and powdered leaves are still used to improve horses' coats.