How to Plant a Boxwood Hedge

To plant a boxwood hedge, choose one variety sized for the hedge height you want, dig a continuous trench rather than separate holes, set plants 12 to 24 inches apart on center for low hedges (18 to 30 inches for taller ones), plant with the top of the root ball level with the soil, and water deeply twice a week for the first month. Plant in spring or early fall, keep the roots evenly moist through the first summer, and hold off on hard shearing until the plants have rooted in. That is the short version; the details below make the difference between a hedge that knits together in two to three seasons and one with gaps for years.

Part of our Trees & Shrubs guide →

In this guide

1. Why Boxwood for a Hedge?
2. Step 1: Choose the Right Boxwood Variety
3. Step 2: Pick the Site and Time
4. Step 3: Work Out Spacing and Plant Count
5. Step 4: Prepare a Planting Trench
6. Step 5: Plant
7. Step 6: First-Year Care
8. Pests and Diseases to Watch
9. DIY or Hire a Landscaper?
10. Frequently Asked Questions

Why Boxwood for a Hedge?

Boxwood (Buxus) has been the backbone of formal “box hedging” for centuries because it has small, dense evergreen leaves, tolerates repeated shearing, and holds a crisp line. It is deer-resistant in most areas, grows in sun or part shade, and is hardy in roughly USDA zones 5 to 9 depending on the variety. Its main drawbacks are slow growth, which means patience or a bigger up-front plant budget, and susceptibility to a few pests and diseases, covered below. For the broader picture of choosing and siting shrubs, see our trees and shrubs hub.

Step 1: Choose the Right Boxwood Variety

Decide the finished height and width of your hedge first, then choose a variety whose natural size sits close to it. A variety that naturally wants to be 5 feet tall will fight you if you try to keep it at 18 inches.

Variety	Natural size (H x W)	Shape	Best hedge use	Notes
‘Suffruticosa’ (English edging box)	1–3 x 1–3 ft, very slow	Dense, rounded	Low parterre edging	Classic look; prone to blight
‘Green Gem’	2 x 2 ft	Rounded	Low edging, 12–24 in	Holds deep green color in winter
‘Winter Gem’	2–4 x 3–4 ft	Rounded	Low to mid hedge	Can bronze in winter in cold, exposed sites
‘Wintergreen’	2–4 x 3–4 ft	Rounded	Low to mid hedge	Very cold-hardy; light green
‘Green Velvet’	3–4 x 3–4 ft	Rounded	Mid hedge, 2–3 ft	Good winter color, popular all-rounder
‘Green Mountain’	4–5 x 2–3 ft	Upright, pyramidal	Taller formal hedge, 3–5 ft	Narrower footprint
‘Dee Runk’	6–8 x 2 ft	Columnar	Tall, narrow screen	Useful for tight spaces
NewGen series (‘Independence’, ‘Freedom’)	Varies, 3–5 ft	Rounded to upright	Mid to tall hedge	Bred for boxwood blight resistance

The two most-asked-about hedge choices are ‘Green Velvet’ and ‘Green Mountain’, and they suit different hedges: rounded and medium versus upright and taller. We compare them in detail in Green Velvet vs Green Mountain boxwood, so we will not repeat it here.

Step 2: Pick the Site and Time

• Light: full sun to part shade. In zones 8 and 9, afternoon shade helps; in cold zones, avoid sites with strong winter sun and wind, which cause bronzing and winter burn.
• Drainage: essential. Boxwood roots are shallow and rot in soggy soil. Avoid downspout zones and low spots where water collects.
• Soil: loamy, well-drained soil with a pH of about 6.5 to 7.2. Boxwood is one of the few common shrubs that prefers near-neutral soil; if a soil test shows acidity below 6.0, lime can be added following the test’s recommendation.
• Timing: early fall (about six weeks before the ground freezes) or spring after frost risk. Fall planting lets roots grow in cool soil before summer stress.

Step 3: Work Out Spacing and Plant Count

Spacing is measured center to center. Closer spacing fills in faster but costs more plants; wider spacing saves money but takes longer to close gaps.

Target hedge height	Spacing on center	Plants per 10 ft of hedge (single row)
Under 18 in (edging)	10–15 in	8–12
18 in to 3 ft	18–24 in	5–7
3 to 5 ft	24–30 in	4–5
Over 5 ft (columnar types)	18–24 in	5–7

To calculate: divide the hedge length in inches by the spacing in inches, round down, and add one plant for the end. A 20-foot hedge at 18 inches works out to 240 ÷ 18 = 13.3, rounded down to 13, plus 1 = 14 plants. Buy one or two spares from the same batch and keep them in pots to replace any losses with a matching plant.

A double, staggered row (plants offset in a zigzag, rows about 12 to 18 inches apart) makes a thicker, faster hedge for heights above 3 feet, but doubles the plant count. Most residential hedges look fine as a single row.

Step 4: Prepare a Planting Trench

1. Mark a straight line with stakes and string, or a curve with a garden hose. For a hedge along a walk or wall, set the line at least half the mature width away so the hedge does not crowd it.
2. Remove turf and weeds along a strip 18 to 24 inches wide.
3. Dig a trench as deep as the root balls (usually 10 to 14 inches) and about twice as wide.
4. Loosen the bottom and sides with a fork. Mix in compost at about one part compost to three parts native soil. Avoid fresh manure and heavy fertilizer at planting.
5. If drainage is marginal, raise the whole row on a berm 4 to 6 inches above grade.

Step 5: Plant

1. Water the plants in their pots an hour before planting.
2. Lay the plants out along the string at your spacing and adjust until the line looks even. Turn each plant so its fullest side faces the main viewing direction.
3. Slide each plant out of its pot. If roots circle the outside, tease them loose or make three or four shallow vertical cuts down the root ball.
4. Set each plant so the top of the root ball is level with or slightly above the surrounding soil. Never bury the stems; boxwood planted too deep often declines.
5. Backfill, firming gently with your hands to remove air pockets, then water the whole trench slowly until it is soaked.
6. Spread 1 to 2 inches of fine mulch over the root zone, keeping it a couple of inches away from the stems. Boxwood roots are shallow, so avoid thick layers.

Step 6: First-Year Care

Watering

Watering is the single biggest factor in first-year success. For the first four weeks, water deeply two to three times a week unless rain does it for you. After that, give about 1 inch of water per week through the first growing season, more in hot, dry spells. A soaker hose run along the base of the row makes this easy and keeps foliage dry, which matters for disease. Check by pushing a finger 2 inches into the soil beside a root ball; water if it is dry. In fall, keep watering until the ground freezes so plants go into winter hydrated, which reduces winter burn.

Fertilizing

Skip fertilizer at planting. In the second spring, apply a slow-release shrub fertilizer at label rate, or top-dress with compost. Overfeeding produces soft, leggy growth that is more prone to pests.

Trimming

In the first year, only tip back the longest shoots in late spring to encourage branching. From the second year, shear lightly once or twice in the growing season, typically late spring after the first flush and again in midsummer if needed. Shape the hedge slightly wider at the base than at the top so light reaches the lower branches. Stop shearing by late summer so new growth hardens before frost. Our guide on how to prune boxwood covers technique and thinning cuts that keep the interior healthy.

Pests and Diseases to Watch

• Boxwood blight: a fungal disease causing dark leaf spots, black streaks on stems and rapid leaf drop. It spreads on infected plants, tools and splashing water. Buy from reputable nurseries, consider resistant varieties, avoid overhead watering and disinfect shears between plants if blight is in your area.
• Boxwood leafminer: the most common insect pest; causes blistered, yellow-spotted leaves. Prune out heavily infested growth and consult your local extension for timing of treatments.
• Box tree moth: an invasive caterpillar first found in the US in recent years, now under quarantine regulations in some states. Watch for chewed leaves and webbing, and report suspected finds to your state agriculture department.
• Root rot: caused by poor drainage. Prevention is the only reliable cure.

If an established plant starts to brown or thin, our troubleshooting guide on why boxwood turns brown walks through the causes.

DIY or Hire a Landscaper?

A short hedge of 1- or 3-gallon plants is a manageable weekend project. Long hedges, larger specimen plants with heavy root balls, sites that need regrading or drainage work, and formal parterre layouts are where a landscaping crew earns its fee. If you go that route, ask how they handle blight prevention, what size plants they will supply, and whether they guarantee plants through the first year. You can find local pros through our landscaping services directory.