Wintergreen boxwood
Charlene Durbin
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
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Charlene Durbin
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoCharlene Durbin
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoRelated Discussions
Privacy Live Fence
Comments (21)"Either it's too vigorous ... or it’s toxic to dogs .... Heck most make it to both lists!" Vanessa, for the vine scheme I mentioned above, one would not want a vine that is "too vigorous" ... which generally means large and woody (like Wisteria and Kiwi.) Unlike yourself, I would not rule out plants because they were considered "poisonous." Poisonous plants abound in the landscape, but the likelihood of a child or pet being poisoned is about as great as someone in Kansas being bitten by a shark! [That morning glories are on a list of toxic plants illustrates the inaccuracy of the information available. They could qualify at some level ... but, in enough quantity, so could table salt! Morning glory seeds were commonly poisoned by seed producers because they contain natural substances capable of producing hallucinogenic effects. (Hopefully, no one will read about it here and think it worth trying. Reliable sources indicate unpleasant side effects are included!)] Unless you plan on force-feeding poisonous plant parts to a dog, the risk is negligible. If you're looking for a vine that is perfect in every way -- as though you were shopping for a piece of furniture -- you probably have unrealistic expectations of what plants are capable of. There's nothing that will be maintenance free. But there are plenty of vines that will be capable and beautiful without great maintenance difficulty. Not sure why you're ruling out Clematis. Some of them seem like contenders to me. I repeat that Bignonia -- especially 'Tangerine Beauty' -- is a good one to consider. Taking another tack, it would be easy to experiment with annuals on a small scale, since they have the ability to grow and cover quickly. (However, they do not last. Still, they can be useful as a way to begin or may work if only a seasonal effect is necessary ... which in your climate might be the case.) There are many options of how to attack this problem with vines. A main characteristic I would be looking for is that a vine can be easily SHEARED, i.e., that one does not need to cut thick, woody parts. I happen to be presently working on 100 linear feet of the very same problem. In this case, I wasn't able to begin growing anything until mid summer, when I planted 80' of moonflower vine and 20' of 'Grandpa Ott' morning glories (which I conclude I do NOT care for; they pale in beauty compared to common old 'Heavenly Blue.' The color is great, but the flower size stinks.) It took the plants about 6 to 8 weeks to create a nearly solid screen. There were a very small amount of "thin" spots. (I planted one seed per foot.) For the most part, the screening effect lasted into October, at which time, the bottom of the screen began to thin. The process gradually worked its way to the top. It's finished and what's left is a semi-transparent filtering type screen ... something like a beaded curtain. It doesn't much matter because it's the time of year when there is not too much use of the space. Still, even the "beaded curtain" look provides a sense of privacy much better than having nothing at all. (I should mention that the neighborhood restrictions preclude having any privacy fence. One can only screen with a hedge ... which usually means a LOT of work; the vine is much easier to manage, since it can only go where I "tell" it to go.) Meanwhile, there are permanent vines (in the Bignonia family) that were planted at the same time as the annuals. They're barely visible now (12" ht.) I expect, though, that when Spring comes, they will burst out with growth and take less than 2 years to cover the whole screening affair. I intend to plant annual vines again next year so that there is coverage during the warm season. I will probably do this twice since summers (in Florida) are long and the vines do not last forever. Btw, the moonflower vines were spectacular, covering the screen with thousands of huge, deliciously scented flowers every evening throughout the latter part of the summer....See MoreBoxwood in shade
Comments (5)I have two in full shade along the North wall of my house. Both have been sadly neglected by the PO--unpruned, weeds growing up in an around them, etc. However, one is recovering, and it is fairly thick and green. The other is a little yellow and leggy, which I blame on lack of care instead of lack of sun. (I haven't done anything to rejunvenate either of them.)...See MoreHELP!!! Removed trees and need help with what to plant
Comments (8)Agree with Gardengal that the bed is not right for just a bunch of shrubs. But I would take it farther in that the bed itself is not right, if the overall objective is to create a better looking setting for the house. For one thing, it seems to force all the planting to be directly in front of the house, instead of including a setting that frames the house. For another, it seems to invite plantings that will visually obstruct the walk/entrance from the street view. And the "stones" sticking up like that, since they are imperfect in their install quality (uneven top and curves with straights and corner) would be a better looking if set flush with grade, as a mowing strip. They would still create a formalized edge, but without creating the "empty baking pan" appearance. It's hard to give you good suggestions, though, because your photos do not allow us to view the property more as if were were standing there. To do that, you'd need to stand about 25' from the house, lined up with the center of the scene you're recording, and take about 3 or 4 shots that pan the scene from left to right. In doing that, the camera MUST remain at the same location for all shots, merely pivoting. The first shot should aim far enough left that we see the left neighbor's house, and the last shot far enough right that we see the right neighbor's house. This way we can grasp a contiguous frontal scene. The center of the scene is probably about in line with the front door. It would be good to include another straight-on shot from across the street that shows your whole front yard....See MoreWintergreen Boxwood ...weak?
Comments (0)I bought 2 of these wintergreen boxwoods when they were only about 12" tall, they were in oversized pots for a couple of years and did well, I moved them to the ground last spring when they were getting too big and overall they are both doing ok, they are nice and green and about 3' tall now but this guy is making me worry, he gets plenty of sun during the day, is protected from the wind and gets water if needed, however, when there is a bit of rain OR when I water it from the top ( yeah yeah I know that is not adviced at all) its branches sorta lay close to the ground ( In last pics you will see my son barely pushing onto the branches), I don't really prune them at all because I like the "pine" shape they are turning into, but even if I try to prune, most of the branches start coming from the bottom center... not from the main trunk...Does that make sense? Is this natural from this variety? Rox...See MoreCharlene Durbin
5 years agoCharlene Durbin
5 years agoEmbothrium
5 years agolast modified: 5 years ago
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