Fall Gardening with Boxwoods: A Season of Choices

Boxwoods look picture-perfect in every season and provide lasting structure and interest with their evergreen foliage and versatility from their range of growth habits. There’s a boxwood to fit every style, whether creating a classic hedge, designing a seasonal container, or adding a structural backdrop to a garden bed. And for those daunted by boxwood blight in recent years, new disease-resistant varieties like Better Boxwood® bring confidence and enjoyment back to this landscape staple.

Establish a Hedge for Lasting Structure

The combination of mild weather and warm soil makes fall an ideal time to plant larger foundation shrubs. In regions with long, hot summers, planting in fall gives shrubs time to establish roots before facing the stress of summer heat.

• For gardeners looking to create a statement hedge, a tall vertical boxwood form, such as Skylight™ Better Boxwood, is an excellent choice. Its upright, fast-growing habit and disease resistance make it ideal for adding reliable height and structural interest to the landscape.
• For a softer, relaxed look, a boxwood with a low spreading habit, such as Babylon Beauty™ Better Boxwood, works beautifully along pathways, garden borders, or as a foundation planting where a more natural form may be desirable.
• While new hedges are getting established, add immediate seasonal impact by pairing boxwoods with colorful fall favorites. A row of chrysanthemums planted in front of a new boxwood hedge creates a vibrant autumn display while the shrubs continue developing into a long-lasting garden feature.

How to Create an Easy Fall Parterre:

• Clear away existing plants and add an even layer of mulch. Use medium-sized pumpkins in a single color to create a geometric border, forming simple shapes like squares, diamonds, or triangles.
• Within each section, plant a compact boxwood variety, such as Renaissance™ Better Boxwood. Fill the open spaces around the boxwoods with miniature pumpkins, seasonal flowers, or fall foliage plants in contrasting colors to complete the look. Just be sure not to crowd or cover the root zone of your boxwood.

Once the pumpkins have moved on to the compost pile, you can replace them with annuals in spring or additional boxwoods to create a parterre design that continues to evolve and provide beauty for years to come.

• For an effortless way to add seasonal style to any space, use boxwood as the evergreen thriller in fall container designs. Unlike many seasonal plants that disappear after a few months, boxwoods provide structure that lasts through every season and can easily transition from fall to winter.
• A traditional boxwood form with dense foliage, such as Heritage™ Better Boxwood, makes a striking centerpiece for a fall planter. Pair it with chrysanthemums for classic autumn color, ornamental peppers for vibrant texture, and dark-leafed heuchera for contrast.
• As winter arrives, refresh the container by swapping out fall accents for seasonal favorites like pansies, chamaecyparis, and evergreen cuttings. The boxwood remains the anchor, creating a stunning and festive holiday arrangement that can continue providing interest.