Boxwood Beauty

'Boxwood Beauty' is the thornless natal plum, and that single trait has made it one of the most widely planted cultivars in Florida, California and Arizona landscapes. Its stems carry no spines, unlike the vicious double-pronged thorns of the species, and its small, leathery, deep green leaves are close enough to Buxus in texture and density that it substitutes for boxwood in warm climates where true boxwood struggles. It forms a naturally tight rounded mound with almost no shearing required, which is why it turns up constantly as a foundation shrub, low formal hedge and container plant. It still flowers and fruits, so it is one of the few genuinely edible-yielding cultivars that is safe to plant beside a walkway, a pool deck or anywhere children play. Of the widely sold clones it is also the most cold-tolerant on record.