Boxwood: An Illustrated Encyclopedia provides the horticultural community with the most thorough reference to appear on this group of important ornamental plants. This 8 1/2 by 11" hardback reference has 343 pages, 335 color photographs and ten appendices. It is a comprehensive account of all of the known temperate boxwood, which includes nearly 1,050 different plants. It contains information on the size, hardiness, habit, leaf shape, stem characteristics, annual growth, site conditions, pests, landscape use, history and common names.

It took U.S. National Arboretum horticulturist Lynn Batdorf nearly 20 years, six trips to Europe, countless visits to nurseries and botanic gardens throughout the United States, to complete his book. Since 1985 Batdorf, is the Registrar for The American Boxwood Society, which is the International Cultivar Registration Authority for Buxus L. He is curator of the National Boxwood Collection at the United States National Arboretum in Washington, D.C., where, since 1977, he has been managing the most complete living collection of boxwood.