Some container plants are too much trouble. Not boxwood. It's easy to create curb appeal with this evergreen shrub because well-behaved box won't lose its leaves, outgrow its pot, or clash with other colors. Here are nine of our favorite ways to use boxwood as a container plant:
1+1 Equation
Above: Keep the look simple. One pot plus one boxwood ball: what equation could be easier? Containers of different heights with boxwood balls of varying diameters make a pleasing composition.
Concerned about boxwood blight? Kendra has some suggestions about How to Eliminate Boxwood Blight.
Symmetry
Above: Sliding barn doors at Napa-based designer Barbara Colvin's Oakville home. Photograph via Heirloom Philosophy.
Identical planters flank an entrance, a classic way to create a pleasing symmetry. As in a Renaissance painting, symmetry draws you in, instills balance, and creates depth and perspective.
For more garden design ideas using boxwood, see Gardenista Roundup: For the Love of Boxwood.
Asymmetry
Above: Photograph via Woonstijl.
Asymmetrical groupings of planters work well because they all repeat a single theme: boxwood. For more tips, see 11 Landscape Design Mistakes to Avoid in 2015.
Scatter Pattern
Above: Clipped boxwood adds formality to a garden. If you arrange planters haphazardly, you can avoid stuffiness and add an element of visual surprise.
For more of this boxwood courtyard, see Shopper's Diary: Oliver Gustav in Copenhagen.
Choose Wisely
Above: Boxwood 'Green Velvet' is a hardy hybrid that holds a clipped shape easily; $14.95 for a 1-quart size from Wayside Gardens.
There are more than 70 species of boxwood, of which the most common in Europe and the US is Buxus sempervirens.
Varieties of Buxus sempervirens have widely different characteristics. For instance, 'Green Gem' is a slow grower and tolerates cold well. 'Green Mountain', which grows quickly and in a rounded cone shape, is a good choice for a hedge. 'Fastigiata' is tall and skinny with blue-tinged leaves. 'Suffruticosa' is the classic English box with soft, rounded leaves.
In containers, consider planting miniature box. Varieties of Buxus microphylla include 'John Baldwin', which grows in a conical shape; 'Green Beauty', a good substitute for English box if you have full sun; and 'Green Pillow', with a dense and low growth pattern.
A Shag Haircut
Above: In LA, Gwyneth Paltrow bought a Brentwood house where planters of unclipped boxwood soften the straight lines of the entryway. Photograph via Windsor Smith.
For our boxwood growing guide, see Field Guide: Boxwood.
Clipping Service
Above: Photograph via Wesseling.
Boxwood is extremely easy going; you can clip it into balls—or into spheres, cones, or more fanciful shapes—and it will hold its shape for months.
Feeling whimsical? To see how to shape a shrub into a boxwood bear or boxwood bird, visit a reader's Secret Garden: Fanciful Topiary in the Berkshires.
Squares and Circles
Above: Photograph via Matthew Cunningham Landscape Design.
Emphasize the geometry of a round boxwood ball by planting it in a square pot. If you're looking for simple wooden planters to complement the round shape of boxwood balls, see 10 Easy Pieces: Wooden Planters.
Cloud Pruning
Above: Photograph via Ivy Clad.
For visual interest, place a planter with a tightly clipped boxwood ball in the foreground against a backdrop of cloud pruned shrubs. For more on cloud pruning techniques, see 10 Garden Ideas to Steal from Japan.
For more instant curb appeal, read 11 Ways to Add Curb Appeal for Under $100.
And, for more on container gardening, see:
- DIY Patio Planter: Dark and Stormy Shades
- 10 Tips to Transform a Tiny Balcony into an Instant Garden
- Gardening 101: How to Prevent Cracks in Terra Cotta
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