The Boxwood is native to Europe and Asia. The Boxwood is a thick shrub and a member of the evergreen family. The Boxwood was first used in Egypt in 4000 BC. The Egyptians planted the boxwood in their gardens and trimmed them into formal hedges. Other cultures have used it was to make woodcuts and precision instruments.
Littleleaf Boxwood is an evergreen shrub that is profusely branched and widely used in landscaping. There are around 70 species of boxwood shrub mostly derived from the two common boxwoods in cultivation: common boxwood and littleleaf. Littleleaf boxwood hasn’t been seen in the wild before, but has been in cultivation in Japan since the 1400’s. No one knows its place of origin, but it’s speculated that it was created by gardeners in hybridizing or has simply gone extinct in the wild.
The Boxwood in the familiar dwarfed state is a common shrub, but if it is left to grow naturally it can reach 12 –15 feet in height. (https://www.bellarmine.edu/faculty/drobinson/Boxwood.htm)
While hiking along Back Hollow Road in Bays Mountain Park I noticed several Boxwoods lined up along the creek. They must have been planted years ago because they are now 10 -12 feet high.
You can reach this spot from a couple of different directions. You can enter the park as usual and hike down Back Hollow from Feagins Gap. On this trip we parked at the end of Bays Mountain Road at the "back door" of the park. The gentleman living in the last home on the left before entering the park told us visitors can park by his house or next to the old sawmill just inside the gate (see parking waypoint). You may then hike Front Hollow to where it meets Back Hollow. The hike from this end is much shorter. However, there are some areas of both Front Hollow and Back Hollow where the creek has taken over the road so waterproof footwear is recommended.