Buxus microphylla japonica Japanese Box Topiary Balls

The references for the variety apply. South Australia's Plant Selector gives full sun, clay, loam or sand, acid to alkaline, with minimal supplementary watering, ticks it as tolerating drought and moderate frost, and notes that the leaves bronze in winter. The NC State extension toolbox prefers dappled to part shade, says full sun may redden the foliage and full shade leaves it leggy and sparse, and calls it sensitive to over-fertilising.

On clipping, the Missouri Botanical Garden says the variety is generally tolerant of pruning and shearing, and that pruning should never be done before the last spring frost, since a late frost may damage the tender growth that follows. It also advises thinning plants and removing dead or damaged branches each year to improve air circulation. HortFlora calls the variety fast growing and the toolbox calls it slow, so the references do not settle how often a ball needs clipping. American references report leaf miners and box mites, leaf spot and blight, and root rot in poorly drained soil.

The NC State toolbox says the species shapes easily into a hedge, topiary or bonsai and can be grown in a container, and the Missouri Botanical Garden lists topiary among the species' uses. For the variety, the Selector gives hedges, barriers and screens, and the toolbox adds edging and use as an accent or specimen. No reference read describes a clipped ball, its sizes or how it is priced; the table above shows the sizes growers list. The unclipped plant is listed as Japanese box, and the species under the name Buxus microphylla microphylla.

Check what a listing gives for a ball, since no reference read sets a standard for one, and check that two growers' balls are the same variety before comparing prices. The pot sizes guide explains the pot grades, and for roots, pests and hardening off the plant quality guide sets out what to check. The drawbacks the references give for the variety are winter bronzing, root rot in poor drainage and foliage burn in hot sun and harsh wind. The ASPCA lists boxwood, Buxus species, as toxic to dogs, cats and horses. Stock that crosses a state border moves under the state and territory biosecurity rules on moving plants and soil.