how can i improve my all-boxwood amateur attempt...?

hi, we have a medium sized (older) house in suburbia

we had to lose the pretty hedges cuz they had gotten so tall they made the house look tiny, and there was nothing to trim back w/o just leaving just "twigs"

so, amateur and (possibly fool that) i am, i had this guy come and plant boxwoods (see picture)

the boxwoods are fine, per se, but they are just kinda.... bland. i think the arrangement needs some variety or color or SOMETHING

can you tell me what some of the most common "solutions" to this kind of situation might be? different sizes (there's not much room to plant extra stuff, but we'd make room if it'd help), some colorful perennials (ideally, deer resistant), ground cover (i was thinking maybe creeping myrtle or sweet william for color contrast)

also thinking of "bringing the whole thing forward" via some curvy dividers and adding stuff in front of the boxwoods. one idea might be much smaller boxwoods. that would be contrast, but not color or shape wise

i am not even ruling out those red cedar chips or whatever for in front and in between?

any help gratefully appreciated. att'd is a photo of how things stand now. the shrubs have grown a bit since this was taken, getting a bit leggier which is good as we like the "wild look" and don't like too finely manicured

thanks

richard/pleasantville NY

Hey, I am as confused as you are right now, you say you like the wild look, so what possesed you to pay a lot of money for ball shaped box plants, these shapes are supposed to be trimed each year to keep them in shape, you would have been better to get hold of some flowering shrubs that would give you colour and different textures of foliage against the house, but that's my oppinion from the picture you sent in. If you want to grow things beside the box that is taller than, the box will eventually die off as whatever you grow, will block out the light the box needs to stay green, so either grow something lower like Lavender where you will get the perfume as well as the wonderful lilac colour of the flowers, another good plant like Lavender is Catmint, same colouring but lays quite low on the growned and looks good with box, both do in fact. If I were you, I'd lift the box and place it at either side of your foot path as the ball shape will stand out better and be good to look at as you walk along the path, then where the box is now, grow a selection of shrubs that flower, berry in winter for autumn colour and some nice evergreens like Rhododendrons, dont know your zone, soil conditions or temp so perhaps if you could let us know that info, then some of us could help you with what will grow best in your area, soil and temp. Good Luck. WeeNel.

hi, thanks for your thoughts

i'm zone 6

the boxwoods, it's important to know, are losing their trimmed ball appearance as they grow. this is good. they started out as un-wild and are growing into wild. i was told not to trim them at all until yr 2; by that time i'm hoping they look wild and un-ball like, and even w/some trimming they STILL will. at least, that's what i'm hoping

so maybe w/some less ball-like growing out, and some lavender or something else complementary, it will turn out all right?

thanks again for your thoughts

smileLP,
I agree with WeeNel about the boxwood. Your path should be wider anyway since it is your main entrance, so move the box to edge of the wider path, and keep it clipped. Letting the box "go wild" will only make your garden look unkept. Then add taller, naturally relaxed looking shrubs at the foundation. You don't say what direction your house faces or how much sun each side receives to be really specific about plant suggestions. If this is a morning photo, then a rhododendron on the far right would be wonderful. Other blooming shrub choices could be azaela, sprirea, roses (warning: deer food), and lilacs, all of which should do well in your area. WeeNel also made some good suggestions on perennials as well. Nepeta, for one, isn't bothered by any diseases or pests in my yard. I'm personally in love with daylilies, but so are the deer!

thanks

i get full sun most of the day (house faces east'ish)

i'd read that the boxwoods would eventually grow "together" forming a wall of hedge of sorts, the implication being this was a good look

as for moving the boxwoods, we really don't want them in front of the footpath.. we really do want them up against the front of the house. but that doesn't mean we're not willing to plant stuff in front of the boxwoods and "bring the whole thing out a little", possibly w/one of those curvy dividers i mentioned

the boxwoods were planted 4 mos. ago or so; can they be moved? (just considering all my options, re possibly spacing them out more - - but then we'd lose the "1 hedge" effect, which is allegedly a good look)

thanks again, all

i will try and get a photo of how they look now that they're growing out a little. it was never our intention to leave them ball-shaped; we hate the overly manicured look and like "natural" looking

thanks

smileLP,
Since you are short of space in front of your box hedge, how about putting something behind them? Do you have room to put a large trellis behind the right side (side with 5 shrubs) to grow a clematis or some other climber on? It would break things up a little and give some height to your hedge row.

not a bad thought, thanks....

actually, i DO have space in front, for some low lying color contributing plants or ground cover

as one poster pointed out, i have to be careful what i put in back, so as not to block sunlight (although what you suggest wouldn't be a problem)

so the trellis would cover the entire "foundation" part of the house? int'ing. that would be one very wide (and about 6' tall) trellis, rt?

thanks again

I don't think you could find a trellis that long--I'm sure you'd have to construct it yourself. You could use the store-bought variety and put one centrally located under you picture window. Or you might like the look of two with one placed under each of the two smaller windows either side of the middle window. It all depends on what kind of look you are going for. Whatever you end up doing, post us a pic. I'm interested in your final look.