# Any Special Boxwood I Should Buy?



## Cdub5_ (Jun 12, 2019)

Big junk day was the other day so I finally got around to ripping out everything in one of my gardens in the front of the house.

My plan is to have a boxwood hedge spanning the length of my office windows. Then on both sides of the hedge cap them off with a short thin cypress (dwarf Italian Cypress-like nothing more than 8-9ft) on both sides of the hedge for a symmetrical look.

Concerning the boxwoods I know there are a million varieties, but I really like that sharp, clean rectangle hedge. Living in Oklahoma what would be some boxwood varieties I should take a look at to give me that tight, thick hedge?

What about the dwarf cypress that will be placed at the ends of the hedge. Can anyone suggest a tree/shrub that will give me that thin, 8-9ft tall cypress look?

Sorry, I'm completely new when it comes to landscaping. I hope I described everything well enough :bd:

Here is a pic what I'd like. Now none of you take my artwork and turn it into an NFT and sell it for millions :lol:


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## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

@Cdub5_ I would say the most popular boxwood here where I live is the wintergreen boxwood.

On the tall/skinny option - I would look at sky pencil holly.


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## Sfurunner13 (Feb 26, 2019)

I've used a lot of sprinter boxwoods. I believe they are an improved version of winter gem.


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## Butter (Nov 14, 2017)

@Cdub5_ Green Velvet Boxwood are a very good choice, they do great in my area and probably in yours as well. As for the upright you could go with the Holly like Ware mentioned or there are alot of varieties of upright Boxwood. Green Tower, Dee Runk, Graham Blandy to name a few. I don't know about Italian Cypress, they do not grow in my area.


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## Cdub5_ (Jun 12, 2019)

Thank you guys for your recommendations.
From what was available to me at the nursery I bought wintergreen's for the hedge and green towers for the edges. All this green definitely cost some green :lol: Wasn't expecting those tall skinny trees to be sooo expensive.

I have a larger garden in the front of the house that I will plan out a little better. This small garden is a test run.

Thanks again for your help! Spot on as usual! :thumbup:


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## Deadlawn (Sep 8, 2020)

Instead of a boxwood, why not look into an inkberry holly (ilex glabra). They are native, look and grow very much like boxwoods, but they don't have that cat pee smell that boxwoods are infamous for.

The sky pencil holly cultivar for the ends @Ware mentioned is a good idea though they won't grow into a point like you have in the pic, so you would need to prune it that way. An emerald or north pole arborvitae would look nice there and those grow to a point.


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## Lawndress (Jul 9, 2020)

Wintergreen grow slowly. Green mountain grow faster. Don't get the English ones. They turn ugly in winter. I would lean toward an arb (slower growing variety, not emerald) for the pointed ones. Ilex glabra is nice, too.


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## Deadlawn (Sep 8, 2020)

Lawndress said:


> Wintergreen grow slowly. Green mountain grow faster. Don't get the English ones. They turn ugly in winter. I would lean toward an arb (*slower growing variety, not emerald*) for the pointed ones. Ilex glabra is nice, too.


I think Emerald are pretty slow - less than 6 inches per year. North Pole are faster.


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## 7824 (Oct 23, 2019)

Some boxwoods smell like urine, so look into that.
Emeralds and North Pole are deer candy. 
Emeralds don't have a very even columnar form if you like things to be symmetrical.

Look at the blue arrow juniper.


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## Lawndress (Jul 9, 2020)

Deadlawn said:


> Lawndress said:
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> > Wintergreen grow slowly. Green mountain grow faster. Don't get the English ones. They turn ugly in winter. I would lean toward an arb (*slower growing variety, not emerald*) for the pointed ones. Ilex glabra is nice, too.
> ...


I would want 3" per year for arbs I want to have a very specific size at the house, or you'll just have to rip them out. You can't prune an arb like you can a deciduous bush to control its size. (I mean to the same degree to restrict its size strongly.) I prefer slow growing arbs and fast growing boxwood for that application.


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## Deadlawn (Sep 8, 2020)

Lawndress said:


> Deadlawn said:
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You can, you just need to be vigilant about yearly pruning. If you miss a year, you're screwed. I used to have a neighbor who pruned hers to a neat conical 4 foot high shape yearly. Those arbs were about 40 years old!


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## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

@Deadlawn this is a family/workplace friendly site. Please ease up on the language.


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## Deadlawn (Sep 8, 2020)

Ware said:


> @Deadlawn this is a family/workplace friendly site. Please ease up on the language.


Sorry @Ware, I thought the asterisks would be OK. Edited.


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## Lawndress (Jul 9, 2020)

Deadlawn said:


> Lawndress said:
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I guess I am too paranoid for that. Lol. Things happen, and then you're out of luck.


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## Deadlawn (Sep 8, 2020)

Lawndress said:


> Deadlawn said:
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The problem with arbs is that inner needles die and fall. So if you miss a year and want to bring it back to its 2-year ago size, you are making a bald plant for that year if it even survives.


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## Adamg77 (May 12, 2020)

Sprinter boxwoods for sure


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## 7824 (Oct 23, 2019)

learningeveryday said:


> Some boxwoods smell like urine, so look into that.
> Emeralds and North Pole are deer candy.
> Emeralds don't have a very even columnar form if you like things to be symmetrical.
> 
> Look at the blue arrow juniper.


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## Deadlawn (Sep 8, 2020)

learningeveryday said:


> Some boxwoods smell like urine, so look into that.


If you like the look of a boxwood, but don't like the cat urine smell, check out an inkberry.



learningeveryday said:


> Look at the blue arrow juniper.


This may be a perfect option for a deer resistant conifer that is similar in shape to an arb.


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## Lawndress (Jul 9, 2020)

Deadlawn said:


> learningeveryday said:
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> > Some boxwoods smell like urine, so look into that.
> ...


Dude, I'm going to be sniffing my boxwoods this year. I blame you if anyone calls for a welfare check because they think I'm nuts.

Junipers are pickier about sunlight than arbs, but yes, I agree on how deer resistant they are!


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