I am looking to put a long line of shrubs (140 feet) to put a divider between my home and our neighbors. I absolutely LOVE boxwood, but don't think I can afford (unless I start a 1 footer and hope to live to 100) the number of boxwoods for the height I would like to start with (at least 4 feet) to give a bit of an instant border. I have considered privet as it looks similar and seems to grow fast, but I understand many of them lose their leaves in the winter and that would defeat the purpose of the shrub. Should I go with the boxwoods and just start small, do they really grow THAT slow? Or should I go with the privet and hope they don't lose ALL their leaves? Is there a type of ilex that I would consider that would be cheaper but give a "boxwood" look? Any help would be appreciated as I am a new home owner and new to gardening. Thank you, Susan

Thanks. I have a "Brackens Brown" that was planted in Sp 2020 at about 30inches. It produced two spectacular flowers that Spring, one the next year and none in 2022. Some minor leaf drop last year so we will see what happens this winter. I live in Homewood about 13 miles from Lake Michigan. The tree is planted in slight shade facing south west. Mississippi native magnolias grow naturally in shaded woods. Yours has responded well to severe weather considering 2014 and 2019 were among the coldest on record for the Chicago region. . Big leaf and Sweet Bay do well in southeastern Cook County if properly sited but are rarely planted. I have not heard Magnolia grandiflora mentioned in the Chicago area especially about its hardiness. I imagine North Shore communities like Evanston -Lake Forest may have had success. I couild not find it in the Chicago Botanic Garden in Glencoe. Does your tree produce flowers every year or just two flowers per year?

Wow, that's a lot of plants! I don't have a list of what I'm growing in my little gardens -- sometimes it takes me a couple of weeks in the spring to realize that that weird looking weed in the corner is something I've had for years. I just assume that more plants than not will grow in this area! One of the more unusual plants I grow is agapanthus. Not a particularly hardy variety, this was simply a florists' plant my mother gave me four years ago. But it's come up reliably every year for the past three seasons in Central Ohio. It's planted against a south-facing brick wall with excellent drainage, and apparently doesn't realize it's not in zone 8+ anymore! One of my mother's more spectacular plants is a 15 year old calamondin orange that arrived as a little "get-well" houseplant. It spends the winter on the unheated glassed in back porch in Cincinnati, and now stands over 6' tall in the pot, and is nearly 4' around. It always has flowers and fruit on it, and we've picked 200 ripe fruits at one time.

Kelly I'm interested to know how things went for you? I have winter gem as well as green velvet and green mountain ... I have also had issues with winter gem and winter burn despite them being in a protected spot - I'm not a fan of the winter gem and will probably replace them... my GV and GM are planted in full sun and do well even in New England winters - the GV will slightly bronze with harsh winter winds but I have never had this happen with GM which seems very hardy... I suggest planting either in that spot and buy from a reputable nursery not big box store - the other issue to consider are spider mites which can devastate boxwood ... I use neem oil which is great for controlling them