low maintenance plants/bushes - Ask Extension
hi, over the weekend we advertised in community facebook group for people in our community to come with a shovel and removed all of our boxwoods from ...
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low maintenance plants/bushes #867707
Asked May 09, 2024, 11:06 AM EDT
hi, over the weekend we advertised in community facebook group for people in our community to come with a shovel and removed all of our boxwoods from around our house. They were all in good shape and beautiful and found new homes, but after so many years, my husband was tired of all of the trimming. But now we are left with a question to plant in its place. The house faces the west and as you can see, there’s a little shade there, but huge trees provide even more shade . we intend to add a diwali from the driveway to the front door. We will be planting some grass to make the Bed straight across the front of the house much narrower, and we are removing most of the plants from the side and planting grass there as well. But we do want a little something across the front of the porch. And of course we don’t want anything that needs trimming or maintenance. Thanks for your time.
Franklin County Ohio
Expert Response
Dear Linda,
I hope to help you with your question about what to plant. But I am also going to take the risk of sharing an excellent article about how to plant for nature, and also get the look you want.
https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/hyg-5813 Maybe you can look this over and see if anything grabs you. There is a lot of information online which I can share as you digest this information. On your own you might want more information about some of the plants in this article. If so be sure to add “edu” or “extension” to your word search for reliable university based resources.
Boxwood is on the way out in some places, in some countries, not because of maintenance but rather because there are several insects and diseases which can bring hard times. But you are not going to have to deal with any of that.
I am going to find some good articles about alternatives to box and i will be sending them to you. Feel free to ask more questions, for example about soil type, drainage, sun and shade, all of which are pertinent to your choices.
I hope to help you with your question about what to plant. But I am also going to take the risk of sharing an excellent article about how to plant for nature, and also get the look you want.
https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/hyg-5813 Maybe you can look this over and see if anything grabs you. There is a lot of information online which I can share as you digest this information. On your own you might want more information about some of the plants in this article. If so be sure to add “edu” or “extension” to your word search for reliable university based resources.
Boxwood is on the way out in some places, in some countries, not because of maintenance but rather because there are several insects and diseases which can bring hard times. But you are not going to have to deal with any of that.
I am going to find some good articles about alternatives to box and i will be sending them to you. Feel free to ask more questions, for example about soil type, drainage, sun and shade, all of which are pertinent to your choices.
https://www.ohiovalleygroup.com/how-to-design-low-maintenance-landscaping/ I am continuing to look for relevant articles. Let me know what you think.
