The Trouble With Boxwood Borders
I do love the structure that my boxwood hedges add to my free-flowing, floppy, over-planted garden beds. I added a small border of the boxwoods to the back yard in SJC last year and I felt it enhanced the overall look of the area immensely. That being said, there is one thing you have to give up when you add borders, as small as they may be, and that is low-growing plants. I was thrilled this year when these perennial English primroses started blooming again a few weeks ago, but it was quite a surprise because they were hidden behind the short little hedge. I planted them last winter and they added a nice border to the front bed of Flying Rabbit Island that could be seen from the living room and dining room. Now you have to walk up to them and look down to see them as you can see in the second photograph (that is Bandit nosing through the helichrysum looking for anything interesting in the shrubs). I will most likely move them and replace them with something with a little more height, unfortunately because them seem to like it there!
2 comments:
Same problem here...I inherited a formal french garden...boxwood all round...but I m used to a less formal garden...mixed borders with low flowering ground cover spilling over the lawn..
I ve planted medium height flowering bushes and variegated shrubs with higher plants like lupins and delphiniums behind...also some roses which can spill over the front. Any more ideas would be welcome..
I have found that the key is to respect the ratio of two to one. If the height of the hedge is 12 inches, the desired height of the plants contained inside should be at least three times as high (36 inches), so that twice the amount of the plant will show above the hedge, for the desired ratio. This includes many shrubs and large perennials. Good luck
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