Boxwoods are a southern staple
boxwood topiary
Boxwoods are a wonderful evergreen that provides that green backdrop year round. And, boxwoods are slow growing, which means less maintenance and pruning. Certain varieties like wintergreen boxwoods (Korean ) are extremely disease and insect resistant. Japanese boxwoods, too, are a very resilient plant. They have a slightly different color than Korean wintergreen variety. Because they are so hearty, that means less worry and hassle for a homeowner.
People don’t think of them as a choice for planters but they can be amazing. Topiary boxwoods love to be well drained and are slow growers. What more could you ask for in a container plant? They can come in spirals, 3-4 ball topiaries, or just columnar. I have one that has been living in a planter for four years. These can add the perfect “wow” factor to the entrance of your home if they are planted in an urn or planter with seasonal color spilling over the edge.
Boxwoods are a versatile plant and provide a perfect backdrop or even front border of a bed. You can plant colorful perennials in front of the them, or you can plant knockout roses or hydrangeas that will bloom above the them from behind the hedge.
boxwood garden in Macon, GA
Then there are accent plants. Boxwoods can make a statement highlighting a corner or end of a hedge. I love American boxwoods. Yes, they can be finicky, but I think you just have to understand that they are like a hydrangea; they really do not want full sun all day. They need a break. And they really need to have well drained soil (we plant ours on top of the ground and mound soil up to the root ball). It helps to buy your boxwoods locally. If they are imported from Oregon (most are these days), they may go into shock because they are not acclimated to our climate. We buy our American and Wintergreen boxwoods out of North Carolina to avoid this problem. Another reason they are the perfect corner accent is the ease of maintaining them at a certain height. They can reach five to six feet or you can buy them this size, but they are so much easier to maintain than, for example, a Nelly R Stevens holly planted on the corner of house. The holly does not want to be maintained at six or eight feet when its mature height is more than 20 feet.
Why battle a plant’s natural growth tendencies? Plant boxwood.
To learn more about our landscaping service, contact us.
If you are interested in a plant health program, please contact our sister company Liquid Lawn.