https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmao3pHTdGA

This particular boxwood grove was planted under the direction of David’s great-grandmother Elizabeth in the early 1900s as a boxwood nursery. The purpose was to have a place from which to dig up and transplant boxwood bushes. Boxwood is very slow growing and the wood is very hard. David’s dad would often say in grand fashion that “the wood is highly valued by builders of miniature boats.”

Greenery from this boxwood nursery is harvested every year for garlands and wreaths to decorate homes during the grey of winter.

For David, the smell of boxwood is the smell of home. For others, it smells like cat urine. This is, according to Wikipedia, which also notes that “in Turkey, where the plant is called Adi şimşir, this tea (one glass a day) is still consumed for antihelminthic, diaphoretic and cholagogue purposes.”  Antihelminthic = anti-parasitic (de-wormer)

Boxwood is said to be native to Europe and Asia, where it has been used for medicinal purposes, precision wood instruments and ornamental gardens.

“Boxwood is the only evergreen that has ever been utilized in medicine. The wood in its native countries is considered diaphoretic, being given as an alterative for rheumatism and secondary syphilis. It has been found narcotic and sedative in full doses. A volatile oil distilled from the wood has also been utilized in cases of epilepsy. The oil has been also used for toothaches. It is also thought by some to have anti-flu efficiency and is even thought to be a complementary treatment for HIV. It was used in fevers, a tonic for stomachs, an antiperiodic, and a stimulant. It is also said that the Native Americans used the Boxwood as they used ‘Peruvian bark’. Various extracts and perfumes were formerly made from the leaves and bark. The leaves also had a medicinal purpose. A powder made of the leaves was recommended by some writers as an application to promote the growth of the hair. The leaves and sawdust boiled in Iye were also used to dye hair an auburn color. Dried and powdered, the leaves are still given to horses for the purpose of improving their coats.”

Diaphoretic = to induce sweating

A cholagogue is purported to discharge bile from the body.

Boxwood sprouts are throughout the understory

A pathway of dandelions through a boxwood grove