Common box

Vatican gardeners shape clipped box into geometric parterre patterns – and even the coat of arms of the reigning pope.

A slow-growing evergreen shrub with small, leathery, glossy leaves and very dense foliage. It takes clipping superbly, which is why for centuries it has been the basic material for hedges, mazes and topiary. It has hard, yellowish wood, prized by woodcarvers and instrument makers. The whole plant is poisonous.

Significance in the country

Box outlines the geometric beds of the Italian garden by the Governorate Palace; Vatican gardeners traditionally lay out the coat of arms of the current pope in box and flowers.

Where it grows

In the formal, clipped parts of the Vatican Gardens, especially in the Italian garden in front of the Governorate Palace.

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