Selecting the Right Boxwoods for Your Landscaping

Selecting the right plants for your landscaping can be confusing for the do-it-yourself landscaper. However, there are a few common plant varieties that are basically foolproof. One of the easiest to cultivate landscaping plants is the boxwood shrub. This is an evergreen shrub that comes in a number of varieties. The boxwood is usually used as an accent plant and hedge plant. However, it can also be shaped into topiary sculptures or grown in containers.

Common Boxwood - Buxus sempervirens

One of the most common varieties of boxwood grown in the United States is the common boxwood, or the Buxus sempervirens. This plant can be shaped through pruning and pinching to create a number of looks. What makes this particular boxwood variety special is that it has the potential to grow as tall as 30 feet, although this is rare. The look of this plant is very pleasant. It has dark green leaves that are slightly shiny, and it produces both berries and fragrant flowers.

To grow the common boxwood you will need to find an area in your yard that has rich soil that also has good drainage. It will thrive in nearly any sun conditions from full sun to full shade. However, this plant will be sensitive to heat and full sun conditions when it is transplanted. It is because of this that it is better to transplant your common boxwoods during the spring or the fall. You can help protect this plant further by laying a ring of mulch around its stem and over its root system.

Japanese Boxwood - Buxus microphylla japonica

The Japanese boxwood is one of the more hardy varieties of boxwood. Like the other varieties the Japanese boxwood is an evergreen shrub that can be shaped with pruning and pinching and that offers dense branch growth. This particular variety will grow to be between two and four feet tall and it will have a spread of between three and five feet. This boxwood does the best in hardiness zones 6 through nine and prefers soils with pH levels of between 5.5 and 6.5.

What makes this variety of boxwood popular with do-it-yourself landscapers is that it can resist a lot of the things that will kill off other shrubs. For example, it is drought, deer and heat tolerant. In fact, it is a difficult plant to kill. However, it is not indestructible. To help protect your Japanese boxwood from harm you will want to fertilize it early in the growing season, avoid overwatering it and avoid crowding the shrub by planting it too close to its neighboring boxwoods.