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Which Boxwood Makes a Nice Low Growing Hedge?
Low growing boxwood used to make an entry way welcome sign.
To the best of my recollection, the Boxwood plants used to make this entry way sign at our local high school are Buxus ‘Wintergreen’ also known as Korean Boxwood. ‘Wintergreen Boxwood is one of the best Boxwood’s to use as a low hedge like we did here to spell out the word Perry. This planting is at the very front entrance to Perry High School here in Perry Village, Lake County, Ohio.
Mike! Why don’t you know the exact variety that you used?
I forgot?
Here’s the story. My son Kevin and his girlfriend, “eventually to be wife” Gracie came to me at the end of their senior year in high school and said they had a crazy idea. Would it work? Would I help them? Yes it will work and of course I’ll help you.
Welcome sign to Perry High School.
They wanted to make living welcome sign at the entrance to the High School as a class gift to the high school. So they told me what their budget was, they had some money left in the class account. I suggested they do the following . . .
- They draw out what they wanted to do and present it to the school administrators and get permission to proceed.
- Contact a few local nurseries and see if they could find a local nursery that would donate the plants. I knew somebody would, our local growers are good about things like this.
- C.M. Brown Nurseries right here in Perry offered to donate the needed Boxwood and Shane Brown told them which variety would work best. Thanks Shane!
- I told them to line up a few strong backs because we’d have to move about 10 cubic yards of topsoil with wheelbarrows in order to build the mound needed to make this bed.
If I remember correctly the ornamental grasses that you see in the photo were already there and we just moved them to where they are now.
The strong backs were there, shovels in hand when the topsoil truck showed up. Two hours later we had the bed built. The plants were already on site so it took us a short while to get them positioned just right to spell out “Perry”. We planted them and mulched the bed.
Welcome to Perry High School!
Initially the plants were planted about 12″ apart and I believe they were one gallon plants so it took a few years for them to fill in nicely. I used to sneak over and trim them once or twice a year to make sure this effort turned out as expected. Since then the school maintenance staff has done an awesome job of keeping them trimmed and keeping the bed welcoming and inviting.
This spring a kid from a rival school approached me about donating plants, he wanted to do the same thing at his school. I offered up the plants but he must have decided on another project because I didn’t hear back from him. I think he was doing an Eagle Scout project.
As a point of reference I think Kevin and Gracie graduated in 2006, they can correct me if I’m wrong. I took this photo in December 2016. So ten years later this “Class Gift” still looks great and serves and a very worthy purpose.
Questions, comments or mean things to say?
Source: http://mikesbackyardnursery.com/2017/01/which-boxwood-makes-a-nice-low-growing-hedge/
