Planting a Boxwood Border
A planting transformation project is now complete and looks absolutely terrific.
Not long ago, I received 105 'Little Mister' boxwood shrubs from Star Roses and Plants in West Grove, Pennsylvania - a company of brands that focuses on breeding and introducing stronger, more disease resistant specimens. I decided the boxwood would look best as a border along the carriage road to my Winter House, on one side of my Stewartia garden and across from my long pergola. All this week, my outdoor grounds crew was busy preparing the space, removing the sod, carefully lining up each shrub and then planting. It was an arduous task, but the weather was cooperative and it's now done and looking great.
Enjoy these photos.
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- This is my winding 300-foot pergola that runs along one side of a carriage road leading to my home. It is among the first garden areas visitors see when arriving at the farm.
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- Across from the pergola and outside my Tenant Guest House, is what I call my Stewartia Garden, a large space planted with perennials, Japanese Maples, Cotinus, and of course, Stewartia trees.
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- I decided the gardens would look so pretty bordered on one side with the boxwood shrubs, matching the pergola border.
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- I love boxwood, Buxus, and have hundreds of these bold green shrubs growing all over my farm. Buxus is a genus of about 70 species in the family Buxaceae. Common names include box or boxwood. 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. Boxwood 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 elliptical.
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- Gardener’s twine and small stakes are used to mark a guide for the motorized sod cutter. There are different types of sod cutters, but they all essentially cut grass at the roots so entire sections of sod can be removed to expose the bare ground underneath it. Phurba pushes it carefully and slowly to make sure it is following the twine.
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- After the sod is cut, it is carefully lifted up, rolled, and removed. The sod is two inches thick, and with the soil can be quite heavy.
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- I never like to waste anything around the farm. I always try to repurpose and reuse as much as possible.
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- Here is a section of the area cleared of sod and ready for planting.
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- The boxwood is transported to the space and lined up along the edge of the cleared garden bed. Best looking specimens are placed strategically where they’d be seen the most.
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- Phurba and Alex dig holes twice as wide as the root ball, but no deeper. Once in the hole, the top of the root ball should be a half-inch higher than the soil surface.
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- All the holes are dug before planting begins.
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- The holes are uniform in size and measured precisely. When selecting a location for a border always consider growth habit of the plants and their lighting needs.
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- Each hole is sprinkled with a generous amount of fertilizer and then mixed in with the existing soil.
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- I use Miracle-Gro Shake ‘n Feed All Purpose Plant Food. It contains all the essential nutrients to nourish the boxwood above and below the soil.
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- The burlap is completely removed from the root ball. I do this with all my trees and shrubs, so there is nothing blocking the roots from growing.
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- Phurba teases the roots to stimulate growth and then places the boxwood into the hole and checks its positioning. Boxwoods have a shallow root system that spreads out horizontally rather than growing deep into the ground. The roots of boxwoods are thin and fibrous, which allows them to absorb nutrients efficiently from the surrounding soil.
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- Phurba also measures the center of the boxwood to the edge of the bed.
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- And then he measures from plant to plant. It should be two and a half feet from center stem to center stem of the neighboring specimen.
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- Phurba levels the boxwood, backfilling with soil wherever necessary, and then tamps down for good contact between the soil and root ball.
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- As the boxwood is planted around the curved carriage road, measuring is even more crucial. The entire process took a few days, but it looks great and will eventually match the opposite side of the carriage road nicely.
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- Here is another section planted. Boxwood can grow in full sun and partial shade.
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- Boxwood prefers well-drained, loamy soil that contains organic matter. My soil is filled with lots of nutrient-rich compost made right here at the farm. This border will look even better as time progresses. I’m excited to see it mature – lush and green.
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