Hardy perennial evergreen with small, glossy oval leaves.� Pale green, petalless flowers appear in spring.� If left to its own devises, Box can grow to 15 ft (5 m) high.� However, it is often kept trimmed below that, particularly when used for topiary or as edging in herb and knot gardens. In fact, Box has been used for topiary creations since antiquity.� As its name suggests, it wood was once used to make boxes.

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The plant has connections with grave decoration and funerals � sprigs of Box were placed outside homes where there was a funeral and mourners would take a sprig and drop it later into the grave.

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It is now considered too toxic to be used in herbal medicine, although it is still used in homeopathy to treat rheumatism.� Box leaves can be used to make a hairdye and bark can be used to make perfume.

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Plant in sun or shade, well-drained soil.� If planting a hedge, plant 8 ins (20 cm) apart.� Cut back hard to encourage new growth in spring.� Trim to shape in summer.