How To Plant Boxwood Shrubs Along A Fence Line For An Elegant Landscape

Privacy fences can help keep prying eyes out of your backyard, but they can look drab and dull — especially several years after installation. If you're tired of looking at your practical but boring fence, consider planting boxwood shrubs as part of your landscaping for backyard privacy. Common boxwood (Buxus sempervirens) is an attractive green shrub that can create small to medium hedges along your fence line. Boxwood can be pruned into various shapes, so you can cut your hedge to match your garden design. The growth rate depends on the cultivar you choose. Dwarf varieties grow slower while larger varieties grow quickly and may need to be trimmed once or twice a year to maintain their shape.

Once planted, learning how to care for a boxwood shrub is relatively easy. With regular pruning, you can keep your boxwood hedge neat and also protect it from fungal infections like boxwood blight. However, an attractive and healthy hedge starts with proper planting.

Boxwoods are one of the best hedges to plant for privacy in your yard, and proper planting will help you grow a lush, green hedge along your fence line. When you first bring the plants home, water them in their pots and give them time to destress before planting them in the ground. Then, they should be planted in a partially sunny spot with well-drained soil, protected from scorching afternoon sun.

Once you're ready to plant them, dig a trench along your fence line using a string to ensure you plant the shrubs in a straight line. The hole should be as deep as the boxwood shrub's pot. Space the boxwood plants 1 to 4 feet apart, depending on the variety. Dwarf English boxwood 'Suffruticosa' are best planted 1 foot apart, while  'Wintergreen' boxwood (Buxus sinica var. insularis) can form a hedge when placed 2 to 4 inches apart.

Plant the shrubs at least 3 feet from your property line to prevent them from encroaching into your neighbor's yard. Water the boxwood plants thoroughly right after planting. Boxwoods are best planted in the fall, but they can also be planted in late spring or early winter when temperatures are mild. Planting them at the proper time lets them establish roots before they must battle extreme hot or cold temperatures.

Boxwoods are good for more than just privacy. There are many other ways to design your fence-line garden with boxwoods as part of an elegant landscape. For instance, boxwoods make an excellent base for a sculpted garden bed that includes other shrubs and flowers.

Because boxwoods can be sculpted into just about any shape, they're a favorite in formal gardens. A tasteful fencerow bed with rounded boxwoods is simple; trim them into a ball shape in early summer using garden shears or hedge clippers. Plant a row of flowered shrubs, like roses or hydrangeas, behind the round boxwoods to complete your design.

When left untended, boxwoods can quickly become unruly, so proper maintenance is key to keeping your garden looking refined. Prune them in the late winter or early spring to encourage new growth but wait until early June to shape them. Boxwoods are versatile and can be shaped into cones, balls, squares, or pyramids — whatever shape best matches the design of your garden.