Adding Boxwood to a Garden Bed, Part I
I'm always looking for ways to improve and add interest to my gardens - and fall is a great time to plant trees and shrubs, so the roots have ample time to get established before the first frost.
Last spring, I decided to change the garden near my front gate. I removed the remaining trunks of a stand of white pines battered by Super Storm Sandy in 2012. In their place, I planted a group of medium sized American boxwood shrubs. Now, I want to plant a few more boxwood shrubs in various sizes for additional color and texture. Watch the transformation with me.
Here are some of the first photos of this latest project, enjoy.
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- This garden is the first guests see when they come to visit my farm. Earlier this year, I cleared the area and decided it would look so beautiful planted with medium to large boxwood shrubs.
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- The bed is near the front entrance of my main greenhouse. I have many smoke bushes and perennials planted in this area and wanted everything to blend in nicely.
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- Along the edge, i planted a row of smaller boxwood to create a border.
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- This is what the garden looked like after planting the boxwood last April.
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- Here is another view. My gym building is in the background.
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- These boxwood shrubs are from Select Horticulture, Inc. in nearby Pound Ridge, New York. I knew I wanted to add more to that front garden bed. Designing a garden requires a lot of time and patience. It takes several seasons for plants to fully mature and for the garden to reach its full potential.
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- I moved a group of the boxwood in various sizes up to the garden – ones that would best fit the area when fully developed.
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- Among the varieties I’m planting – Buxus koreana, Buxus ‘Green Velvet,’ and Buxus sempervirens.
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- Buxus is a genus of about 70 species in the family Buxaceae. The boxes are native to western and southern Europe, southwest, southern and eastern Asia, Africa, Madagascar, northernmost South America, Central America, Mexico, and the Caribbean. Shrubs are slow-growing with dark green glossy leaves arranged opposite from each other, making pairs. Leaf shape depends on the variety; some are round while others are more elliptical.
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- Boxwood shrubs can come in a variety of shapes, including rounded, upright, pyramidal, spreading, and conical. I am using a mix of shapes for this bed.
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- Meanwhile, my gardener Josh removes some of the hostas that are already planted, but don’t worry, they will be planted in another garden where they will also thrive.
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- Large hostas, particularly those with more than two eyes can easily be divided. Phurba cuts this one into sections, so it can also be transplanted eslewhere.
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- Phurba successfully divided this one in two. It will be moved to my giant hosta garden under the shade of my stately dawn redwoods behind my chicken yard.
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- Other plants carefully removed for replanting include Syneilesis – a tough, drought-tolerant, easy-to-grow woodland garden perennial that prefers moist, well-drained, slightly acid soils. Over time, these plants form a sizable patch of green umbrella-shaped leaves. Mature foliage can be more than a foot across with deeply toothed, narrow leaves – it is really an interesting plant.
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- And leafy spurge, or Euphorbia, which does best in areas where it can get full sun.
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- The boxwood border will remain and I think I will plant some Epimediums in front of it. Epimediums are long-lived and easy to grow and have such attractive and varying foliage.
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- My head gardener, Ryan McCallister, places each boxwood where it will be planted.
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- Ryan places them thoughtfully considering their space and light needs, as well as their sizes when mature.
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- Cesar and Phurba move this taller boxwood into place. Always place the plants first before putting them into the ground to ensure they are in the best locations. Another tip is to look at the plant from afar and turn the specimen so its best side is facing out for guests to see.
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- By afternoon, all the plants were in position. Next is planting! I’ll be sure to share photos of the finished garden bed in my next blog. Stay tuned.
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