Creating Your Dream Formal Garden Begins With Boxwoods
Almost all formal gardens share a common denominator: boxwood shrubs. With their shiny, evergreen foliage, compact form, and ease of maintenance in a structured format, boxwood shrubs have been a long-standing favorite for use in formal gardens for decades.
We recently partnered with home and garden decor icon and NFL Wife Gail Disner (@thesoutherngail) to bring her formal garden dreams to life, and we couldn’t be more impressed with the results! In this blog, we will discuss the various benefits of boxwood shrubs and highlight the steps to making Gail’s formal garden dreams a reality!
Why Boxwood Shrubs?
Malleability & Sculptability
The number one reason why boxwoods work so perfectly in a formal setting is their ability to be pruned easily and kept in a very clean-cut form. Boxwoods have long been used in gardens to create clean lines and shapes, often in the form of hedges, topiaries, and precise geometric forms. This malleability allows for high levels of control and the possibility for a world of expression and artistic design.
Evergreen Nature
The next reason why boxwoods are so popular for use in formal landscapes is their evergreen nature. While many trees and shrubs lose their blooms and foliage in the fall and winter months, Boxwoods are known for maintaining their green hues, allowing a yard to look lively and put together year-round. It is essential to note that some boxwoods turn yellow in winter due to winter burn, a condition caused by the drying effects of cold winds and sunlight. However, they will likely recover with the spring flush of new leaves. To prevent this, choose the right boxwood for your climate, ensure proper drainage to avoid waterlogged roots, provide consistent watering, and use a balanced fertilizer.
Dense Clean Form and Versatility
The final factors that make boxwoods the best shrub to incorporate into a formal garden design are their dense form and versatility for use in the landscape. The small, rounded, and closely packed leaves create a solid, neat appearance that is often sought after in formal landscapes. Due to their manicured form and small to medium mature size, the design options for buxus plants are endless. Some popular design options include hedges and borders, anchor plants, topiaries, and container specimens.
From Garden Dreams To Garden Realities
Now that you understand why boxwood shrubs are superior options in the landscape, maybe you can gain some inspiration as you watch influencer and home and garden icon Gail Disner turn her formal garden dreams into a reality…with a bit of help from her favorite online garden center, of course!
When Gail reached out with a vision for intricate paths, lined with evergreen hedging to bring her upscale garden dreams to life, we knew just the plant to get the job done. We shipped 68 of our Winter Gem Boxwoods to Gail’s doorstep, and with her vision and our high-quality plant material delivered with convenience in mind, Gail was able to bring her garden dreams to life.
About The Winter Gem Boxwoods
Winter Gem boxwood is ideal for a formal garden because it is a compact, evergreen shrub with a naturally rounded form perfect for maintaining a consistent, vibrant green color and reliable structure throughout the year. Its cold hardiness, low-maintenance nature, and ability to hold its color even in winter make it an ideal, versatile choice for defining spaces and creating a refined look.
The Winter Gem Boxwood is easy to shape into formal hedges and topiaries, and has a manageable mature size of 3-4 feet in height and width. It's also hardy in zones 5-9, allowing it to thrive in a variety of climates while remaining a compact, evergreen structure with subtle spring flowers.
Gail’s Dream Layout ------> Gail's Formal Garden Reality
With a clear vision and a carefully selected plant palette, @thesoutherngail brought her dream garden to life—proving that with the right plants and a touch of creativity, any outdoor space can be transformed into a timeless masterpiece. The combination of intricate pathways and perfectly manicured Winter Gem Boxwoods created a design that’s as elegant as it is enduring.
Your Formal Garden Delivered To Your Doorstep
At Garden Goods Direct, we take pride in helping gardeners of every experience level achieve their dream landscapes. Whether you’re designing a traditional parterre, adding symmetry to your entryway, or simply craving year-round greenery, boxwoods are the foundation for structure, style, and sophistication. And the best part? We deliver them straight to your doorstep, ready to plant and enjoy.
So, if you’re ready to bring your own formal garden dreams to life, take inspiration from Gail’s journey, and start yours today with gorgeous plants from our online garden center!