Great Alternatives to Boxwood in Your Garden
Q: I like the look of boxwood hedges, but mine have gotten pretty ratty. What’s worse, they have a powerful cat-pee like odor during the summer months. It’s gross, and it keeps me from wanting to have friends over in my back yard. I’m thinking of trying some other trimmable shrubs. Can you point me toward good alternatives to boxwood?
A: Boxwood is a popular garden shrub, primarily because it’s evergreen, sturdy, deer-resistant, and easy to trim. Unfortunately, it can also develop a nasty urine-like odor during hot weather. It also needs a lot of upkeep, and it’s prone to disease. During the past decade, boxwood blight has become common in the United States. A rapidly-spreading fungal disease without a cure, it cause black spots and defoliation, leaving hedges looking sick and sparse.
Happily, you have lots of attractive and hardy evergreen alternatives. Many even produce flowers or berries that attract birds and other pollinators to your garden.
Why Not Try One of These Pretty Shrubs?
Inkberry—easy to trim, & appealing to birds & bees
If you like neat hedges that you can trim into formal rounded or angular shapes, consider the inkberry (Ilex glabra). Like boxwood, it has small oval leaves and it can be trimmed in the same way. It does have a looser growth habit than boxwood, though, and it can become leggy. Inkberry cultivars ‘Compacta’ and ‘Shamrock’ will stay smaller and tighter than the species variety. It’s hardy in USDA plant hardiness zones 5 – 9. Inkberry’s dark blue berries aren’t showy, but they’re appealing to honeybees and birds.
Honeysuckles with fragrant flowers
Dwarf bush honeysuckle is a great native alternative for colder zones 3 – 7. It has attractive red-tinged leaves, and its yellow summertime flowers support hummingbirds and butterflies. Unlike Asian honeysuckles, it isn’t invasive. Importantly, it won’t create dense areas that attract deer and the ticks that spread Lyme disease, as invasive bush honeysuckles do. Another lovely and noninvasive native is the Western white honeysuckle (Lonicera albiflora). Its pale flowers are followed by orange-red berries, and it attracts bees, butterflies, and birds.
Hollies are pretty, but problematic
Japanese hollies with small rounded leaves are sometimes offered as good alternatives to boxwood. Sadly, they’re classed as an invasive species in multiple places, including Upstate New York. Spikier English hollies are considered invasive in New Jersey, Virginia, and the Pacific Northwest. Their berries are also poisonous to humans and companion animals. Birds eat the seeds of these hollies and spread them in their droppings. The seeds then pop up among native species, crowding and ultimately destroying native animal and insect habitats. Choosing habitat-friendly natives helps to keep plant, animal, and insect populations in balance.
A sustainable garden uses less water, provides plentiful sources of food and shelter for pollinators, and works with your regional climate instead of against it. To learn how you can grow a more sustainable garden, see my article Sustainable Landscaping & Garden Design.
Is yew right for you?
The Hicks yew is a lovely evergreen conifer that makes a pretty hedge. Its tiny red berries are attractive to birds. A cross between English yew (Taxus baccata) and Japanese yew (Taxus cuspidata), it grows well in zones 5 – 8. However, yews are toxic to people and pets, so consider that if you have children or furry companions.
Azaleas, a hardy & evergreen floral alternative
Do you enjoy flowering hedges that grow a little taller than standard boxwoods? Azaleas are both evergreen and trimmable. They come in many varieties hardy enough for zones 5 – 6. Some can even withstand zone 4 winters. However, the smaller, hardier varieties are not natives, and don’t offer as much value to wildlife.
Mountain laurels delight hummingbirds & butterflies
The shade-tolerant mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia) is a broadleaf evergreen shrub with unusual star-like blossoms in red, pink, or white. These are attractive to hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees. Mountain laurels make appealing tall hedges and look beautiful along walkways.
Evergreen hedges that don’t need trimming
Have you considered planting more natural-looking hedge shrubs? You can find excellent evergreen alternatives to boxwood that don’t need to be trimmed to be beautiful. For example, star jasmine is a true star performer in warmer climates (zones 8 – 10). It makes a beautiful and highly fragrant hedge full of tiny white flowers. It can become invasive in hot, moist regions like parts of the Southern U.S., however. Check with local botanical societies to see whether it’s problematic in your area.
Rhododendrons, which are related to azaleas, are hardy and evergreen in both the Northeast and Northwest. This makes them popular garden staples in both regions. They can get tall and wide if not trimmed regularly. If planted close together and kept trimmed, they can act as larger hedges.
Potentially troublesome barbed evergreens
Barberry and pyracantha are beautiful year-round alternatives, and are appealing to birds. Unfortunately, these thorny plants are invasive pests that crowd out natives in some regions. Barberries are even banned in some places, including Pennsylvania. They’re invasive in the Northeast, the Great Lakes area, and the Northwest. Barberry is also known to harbor ticks in some places—avoid it if ticks are a problem in your area.
Pretty pyracantha is classed as invasive in California, Texas, and parts of the Deep South. Pyracantha’s plentiful red berries put on a beautiful show. Unfortunately, they can cause gastrointestinal discomfort for children and dogs. Consider their potential impact on native landscapes and vulnerable kids and critters before planting.
Your local nursery’s master gardeners can give you advice on the best boxwood alternatives for your regional climate. Scrapping the boxwood and swapping in a scented evergreen that supports local birds, bees, and butterflies instead can make for a happier, healthier, more fragrant garden.
At top:
Trimmed boxwood in the Governor’s Gardens at Colonial Williamsburg | Sarah Stierch for Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)
