By Kim Toscano
Space boxwood plants closer together for formal plantings such as a hedge, parterre, knot garden, or continuous border. In these plantings, we want the foliage of the individual plants to grow together and act as a single canopy. Spacing will again depend upon the expected mature size of different varieties.
Recommended spacing for Better Boxwood varieties:
Babylon Beauty™
- General Spacing: Plant 4-5 feet apart
- Formal Hedges: Space 18-24 inches on center
Heritage™
- General Spacing: Plant 2-3 feet apart
- Formal Hedges: Space 15-18 inches on center
Renaissance™
- General Spacing: Plant 18-30 inches apart
- Formal Hedges: Space 12 inches on center
Skylight™
- General Spacing: Plant 3-4 feet apart
- Formal Hedges: Space 18 inches on center
The Better Boxwood varieties grow at different rates, which correlate to their use in the landscape. Renaissance™, a dwarf variety perfect for containers and knot gardens, has a slow to moderate growth rate, which helps gardeners maintain its compact form with less frequent pruning. Babylon Beauty™ and Heritage™ are moderate to fast growers, quickly filling in border and foundation plantings. Skylight™ is a fast-growing variety perfect for shaping into spheres or pyramids. It quickly grows to provide privacy and create accents in the foundation.