Buxus microphylla ‘Faulkner’ or the Faulkner Box is a cousin of the Common Box, Buxus sempervirens. At first glance the two plants look very similar but Buxus ‘Faulkner’ does have several distinguishing features.
The shiny leaves are more rounded than those of Common box and lighter in colour, an appealing emerald green quite like the colour of the equally beautiful Griselinia hedging plant. Buxus ‘Faulkner’ is one of those evergreen hedging plants that manages to look immaculate all year with very little maintenance.
Buxus microphylla ‘Faulkner’ has a very dense, mound forming habit of growth, even more so than Common Box making it perfect for hedges, topiary and even as first-class evergreen ground cover. As a hedge these plants are suitable for heights in the range of 30-150cm attaining the desired hedge height with a slow growth rate of around 10-15cm per year.
You can use this adaptable little plant for all kinds of small and medium hedges including formal knot gardens, parterres or path edgings. The lighter green foliage contrasts effectively with the deeper green of Common Box and the two varieties could be incorporated together for a fresh feeling look, especially within a restrained colour palette of planting.
Like all Box hedge varieties, Buxus microphylla ‘Faulkner’ will grow in all soil types as long as the site is not susceptible to waterlogging (in which case we have a list of Hedges Suitable For Wet Sites). Buxus ‘Faulkner’ is successful in both clay and chalk soils and is very tough and drought resistant when fully established.
Buxus microphylla ‘Faulkner’ hedging plants are suitable for all aspects from full sun to dense dry shade (although they will need careful watering and aftercare when planted near to much larger trees and shrubs until fully established). Buxus ‘Faulkner’ is also one of those rare garden plants that grows in damp shade so makes a very useful and versatile addition to our range of evergreen hedging plants. Like all hedging Box varieties this plant is an excellent hedging species for coastal gardens as well as all but the coldest of inland sites.
‘Faulkner’ is a tough plant and in our experience these microphylla types of Box have some resistance to Box Blight. We also sell Buxus microphylla ‘Rococo’, a closely related variety with a particularly dense and small growing habit that makes an excellent replacement for the Dwarf Box (Buxus sempervirens ‘Suffruticosa’).
We recommend trimming hedges and topiary specimens of Buxus microphylla ‘Faulkner’ in early summer after the flush of Spring growth has finished. Ideally choose a dry, overcast and breezy day for trimming your box hedges and use a sharp pair of shears instead of a hedge trimmer. This avoids leaving too many cut edges and the cuts will dry and heal quickly in the drying breeze – a big step in avoiding fungal infections in Box hedges.
All Box hedges have shallow fleshy roots and so really appreciate a mulch in the Spring to conserve moisture during the hot Summer months, they also appreciate a feed with a suitable evergreen fertiliser in Spring to keep the foliage fresh, healthy and attractive.
When planting a new Buxus microphylla ‘Faulkner’ hedge we recommend digging over the area thoroughly and adding a generous quantity of organic matter such as well rotted manure or garden compost – well mixed with the surrounding soil. When planting it pays to mix in some Bone Meal as a slow release fertiliser and using Rootgrow when you plant is a real aid to establishment. If you need any advice on planting we have a useful How to Plant A Hedge page that you may find useful, we will also wend a printed copy of these planting guidelines with your order. You may also find our guide on how to revive your Buxus Plant useful.
The number of plants needed for a new hedge depends on how patient you are and your budget, generally planting closer together will give results more quickly although more widely spaced planting can still give excellent results over time. Our recommended planting density per metre of hedge can be seen next to each size of plant for sale, for Buxus ‘Faulkner’ the density is normally 4-5 per metre of hedge to be planted.
Buxus microphylla ‘Faulkner’ bare root plants are grown in the soil in the field, they are a low-cost way of establishing new hedges as no pots or compost are needed. These plants are lifted during the dormant Winter season from November until April, the soil is shaken off their extensive root system and they are delivered to you fresh and ready for planting.
Pot grown plants are grown here on our nursery beds by our experienced team, orders are gathered fresh from the beds each day, the plants being carefully packaged and despatched to customers the same day. Because there is no root disturbance, these potted hedging plants may be delivered and planted at any time of year with excellent results.
We offer generous quantity discounts on all our top quality Buxus microphylla ‘Faulkner’ hedging plants (the more you buy the cheaper they are) and delivery is free on most orders over £50 (ex VAT). If you are contemplating a large number of hedging plants over £1000 in value, please do get in touch for a bespoke discounted quote.
If you have any other questions about Buxus microphylla ‘Faulkner’ please get in touch with our team of hedging experts on 01580 765600 – they have all worked outside on the nursery before ‘graduating’ to the office so are well placed to answer your questions.
Delivery leadtimes update- March/April 2024
We are working at maximum capacity to fulfil all orders as quickly as possible but owing to unprecedented demand some orders will take longer:
– Orders containing only bare root plants – delivery is currently within 5-7 days
– All other orders – delivery is currently within 2-3 weeks
Delivery is free for most orders above our free delivery thresholds, these are displayed above our prices in the product listings and summarized below. If you don’t need that many plants it’s not a problem, you can choose to pay our delivery charge and only order what you need.
Delivery is convenient – no signature is required so you don’t need to wait in, we will leave your parcel in the safe place that you nominate.
Delivery is fast – because we pick orders daily from our own growing beds your plants only travel the small hop to our packing shed before being sent to you, they are usually delivered within 3-7 days.
Delivery is reliable – we have been selling and delivering Hedging Plants to our customers nationwide since 1992. We have a lot of experience in packing them safely and only use tried and tested delivery partners.
Smaller Plants (Parcel Delivery)
| Location | Order Value | Price |
| UK Mainland excluding Highlands | Up to £90 | £15.00 |
| UK Mainland excluding Highlands | Over £90 | Free |
| Scottish Highlands and Isle of Wight | All orders | £24.00 |
Heavy Plants (Pallet Delivery)
| Location | Order Value | Price |
| UK Mainland excluding Highlands | Up to £420 | £72.00 |
| UK Mainland excluding Highlands | Over £420 | Free |
| Scottish Highlands and Isle of Wight | All orders | £72.00 |
Tall Plants 2.5m+ (Specialist Delivery)
| Location | Order Value | Price |
| UK Mainland excluding Highlands | Under £1800 | Please call us |
| UK Mainland excluding Highlands | Over £1800 | Free |
| Scottish Highlands and Isle of Wight | All orders | Not available |
Exceptions to our delivery charges are Scottish Highland and Isle of Wight delivery areas where we need to charge a little extra to cover the cost of deliveries to these outlying areas. We don’t currently delivery to other offshore addresses including Northern Ireland and Southern Ireland.
Tall plants over 2.5 metres have to be delivered by our own specialised transport, our delivery area is limited to mainland England and Wales only.
Please note there is a minimum order value of £50 for orders containing smaller plants and £250 for orders containing heavier plants
Complete delivery information can be viewed on our Delivery Information page
