Boxwood Beauty

Boxwood Beauty, scientifically known as Carissa macrocarpa ‘Boxwood Beauty’, is a compact and highly desirable evergreen shrub, prized for its dense, formal appearance and adaptability in warm climates. This cultivar is a dwarf selection of the Natal Plum (Carissa macrocarpa), which is native to the coastal regions of South Africa, thriving in sandy soils and salt-laden air. ‘Boxwood Beauty’ maintains the resilience of its parent species while offering a more controlled growth habit, making it an excellent choice for landscapes in Phoenix, Arizona, and similar subtropical to warm temperate regions. It performs best in full sun to partial shade and requires well-drained soil.

As a long-lived perennial, Boxwood Beauty can easily persist for 20-30 years or more, maintaining its tidy form with minimal intervention. Its most distinctive characteristics include its dense, tightly packed, oval-shaped leaves that are a glossy, dark green color, creating a rich, uniform texture. Unlike other Natal Plum varieties, ‘Boxwood Beauty’ is notable for being thornless or having very few, inconspicuous thorns, making it safer for high-traffic areas and easier to maintain. This shrub naturally grows into a compact, mounding, and very formal shape, typically reaching 2-3 feet tall and 3-4 feet wide, without the need for constant shearing. In spring and intermittently through summer, mature plants may produce small, star-shaped, white flowers that are highly fragrant, releasing a sweet, gardenia-like scent, particularly in the evening. While the species produces edible, red, plum-like fruit, ‘Boxwood Beauty’ is generally fruitless or produces very little fruit, reducing mess and making it ideal for formal settings. Its exceptional drought tolerance once established, heat resistance, and ability to maintain a neat appearance with minimal pruning make Boxwood Beauty an excellent choice for low hedges, foundation plantings, borders, containers, and as a formal accent in xeriscapes, Mediterranean, and contemporary landscapes.