When in doubt plant a Boxwood!

I love me a good Boxwood and I think you should too! They are so versatile, elegant and they stay green all year long. In fact if you have a certain area that needs something but you’re not sure what, might I suggest a Boxwood. Recently a client wanted the area next to her bunky cleaned up and beautified. Since it’s a hard place for the mowers to get to it was starting to get overrun with thorn bushes. She suggested a line of Boxwoods and I couldn’t agree more! Boxwoods are really just a dense collection of delicate green leaves but the great part is they look green all year round. In the winter they might look slightly yellowed that’s normal especially while the shrub is just getting established for the first few years.

Here’s what you should know though, Boxwoods aren’t the fastest growing shrubs, in fact they are pretty slow! Which can mean you do have to wait a while for a payoff but it’s worth it. Because they are slow growing expect to pay a little more for smaller plants than you might be used to. When they do grow and you get to shape one after a few years it just feels so special! While I was taming a neglected garden a few years back I was so excited to reveal a Boxwood bigger than me and shape it for the first time in a decade. The great thing is if you let them run free for years you can bring them back in line in a matter of moments when you decide the time is right.

A few years ago we re-decked and expanded one of our decks and went composite. It’s lovely but it turns out once you go composite any wood showing looks instantly pretty terrible. Two original wooden supports were showing and I decided to cover them with a couple of Boxwoods. It’s been a few years now and they have finally grown and they look just lovely! They can be let go to create a natural shrub but when they are shaped they can give a very elegant organized look to any garden. They are incredibly easy to care for but you should know that if you lean something on them for a long time it will create ‘holes’ in the shape you’re going for. So maybe don’t do that.

Great things about Boxwoods

• They are super dense and hide almost anything
• You can shape them into anything over time even a star
• The flowers are super delicate and green so they don’t make a mess and look the same all year long
• Though slow growing one variety will thrive in any hardiness zone
• They are perfect for a hedge
• Since they trim so well you can contain them easily in any area
• They really require no care beyond shaping to your desired size every couple of years

Most people opt for a round or squared off shape but a perfect Christmas tree shape is pretty easy to achieve too. There are many times where a certain area of a garden needs something but there isn’t a whole lot of space or there is already lots of things that flower in that area. I find myself suggesting a Boxwood often and they always seem to look perfect no matter where their forever home turns out to be.

There are several varieties to choose from but one of the most popular is ‘green velvet’. They look great in groups to create a hedge or standing alone. They are often the cornerstone species in those highly organized English gardens but a well trimmed Boxwood can bring a bit of order to any garden. It can be intimidating to trim one that is over grown since they are often meant to be a very specific shape. I suggest starting slowly with either hand trimmers or loppers rather than a motorized hedge trimmer. Creating a box out of a boxwood is probably the easiest option. Since they grow so slowly you don’t want to be committed to any wrong moves. Plus if you start slowly you can always go back and take more. Once you’re happy with your shaping job it should be at least a couple of years before it’s time to do it again depending on your climate. They can be trimmed any time as long as the new cuts have enough time to harden off before winter. Once you’re done trimming give your shrub a good shake to collect any pieces.

If you’re looking for a little order, a delicate evergreen or just one more thing that won’t get too big for your garden a Boxwood might be the perfect choice!