Do you have one or more boxwood shrubs that are looking rough? Unfortunately, it’s not likely to be something recoverable, like minor freeze damage or run of the mill pest damage, but rather a devastating disease called boxwood blight. The good news is that there are some great native replacements for boxwoods that can bring a similar aesthetic while also adding a multitude of ecological benefits.
Boxwood shrubs have long been a landscape staple due to their versatility, hardiness, and attractive appearance. They are frequently used as hedges and borders, and also clipped and shaped into all manner of designs through topiary.
This widespread die-off known as Boxwood blight is caused by the fungus Calonectria pseudonaviculata, which has been rapidly spreading throughout North America since its first detection in 2011. The symptoms of boxwood blight are fairly easy to spot. Infected leaves will develop dark, circular spots that will eventually cause the leaves to turn yellow and fall off. The fungus can also cause stem cankers that will turn the stems black and cause the shrub to wilt and die. Infected shrubs may also have a distinctive musty odor, which is caused by the fungus.
The disease is highly contagious and can be easily spread through wind, water, contaminated tools, and even clothing. Boxwood blight affects all types of boxwood shrubs, including American boxwood, English boxwood, and dwarf boxwood. There is no cure, and infected shrubs should be removed and destroyed to prevent the spread of the disease.
As sad as this is for boxwood lovers, this is a great opportunity to bolster our local ecosystems by considering replacement with native shrubs.
Boxwoods are native to southern Europe, northern Africa, and western Asia, which may come as a surprise to many home gardeners. One variety even has the confusing name of “American Boxwood,” while not originating anywhere in the Americas.
Because of this, although boxwood shrubs are well-adapted to your region’s climate, they haven’t co-evolved with our native wildlife and thus contribute little to local food webs. Choosing a native shrub that can provide food for caterpillars and larger creatures will do much more for our local ecosystems.
Depending on how similar of a replacement you are looking for, you can even introduce shrubs with fragrant or showy flowers, dazzling both human onlookers and pollinators who feast on their nectar and pollen.
Native Plants as Traditional Border or Hedge? Using Formal Design Principles
Making this switch may require some rethinking of gardening philosophy. It was once (and often still is) widely believed that native plants are too weedy and wild and thus unsuitable for “formal” gardens, but they certainly can be used to beautiful effect, while adding a multitude of ecological benefits at the same time.
Some suggest that it’s longstanding tradition rather than anything inherent about the plants themselves that leads to us preferring particular exotic shrubs. “After all, plants are plants,” one article writes, “and well-chosen natives can shine in formal designs too.”
Others point to changing trends in garden design, including that “semi formal gardens are now more popular than the classical formal garden and “soft curves are replacing straight and rigid lines with formality and dominance of nature being achieved using creative pruning using curves rather than straight lines provides more impact (or statement of design) than straight angular hedges or screens.”
There are also some particular techniques you can use to incorporate formal gardening techniques include lining up axis views, creating symmetry on both sides of your axis, and focusing on focal points which could be a bench, a potted plant on a pedestal, a piece of sculpture”
Native Alternatives to Boxwood
With all that said, let’s now discuss some specific alternatives to boxwood shrubs that are native to the USA and can provide a similar aesthetic and function in the home landscape. A common question will be how native to you does it need to be to count as native?
That’s a question that each individual gardener will have to decide for themself, but it’s certainly true that anything native to the US even several states over will be more beneficial than something from another continent and wildlife certainly don’t follow human-created borders.
Inkberry Holly (Ilex glabra): This is certainly the closest native shrub in terms of similarity to the boxwood’s leaf shape. Inkberry is a native evergreen shrub with small, glossy green leaves and a dense, compact growth habit. It’s native to the eastern United States, from Maine to Florida, and west to Texas.
Other Holly (Ilex) varieties can be good replacements too, depending on your location:
Winterberry (Ilex verticillata): Winterberry is a deciduous shrub that won’t keep its leaves year round like a boxwood but will feature bright red berries that persist long into the winter. It has a dense, rounded growth habit and can be pruned to maintain its shape. Winterberry is native to the eastern United States, from Maine to Florida and west to Minnesota.
Yaupon Holly (Ilex vomitoria): Yaupon holly is an evergreen shrub that has small, dark green leaves and a dense growth habit. It can be pruned to maintain a compact shape, making it a great alternative to boxwood. Yaupon holly is native to the southeastern United States, from Virginia to Texas.
Beyond these, there are many directions you could go with your native boxwood replacements, depending on whether you prioritize evergreen interest and screening potential, small size, or tidy habit.
Another candidate for a boxwood lookalike with a similar form is Little-leaved viburnum (Viburnum obovatum).
Eastern Arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis) – is a choice that can make a good hedge and also remains evergreen with a native range of most of the eastern and northeastern US and into the midwest too. It will get taller than a boxwood shrub but it’s low maintenance with a columnar growth pattern. Plus there are shorter cultivars available too. It is also worth mentioning that this is already overplanted in many areas.
For evergreens you can also look into native Junipers, which depending on the species grow anywhere from 6 to 25 feet tall.
Dwarf Fothergilla (Fothergilla gardenii): Dwarf fothergilla is a deciduous shrub that is known for its attractive foliage and showy white flowers in the spring. It has a compact growth habit and can be pruned to maintain a rounded shape. Dwarf fothergilla is native to the southeastern United States, from Virginia to Louisiana.
Red Twig Dogwood (Cornus sericea): This shrub is native to the western and northern US and has a lot of attributes that could make it an attractive boxwood replacement: it can be pruned to keep a compact shape, and it maintains winter interest with beautiful red stems that look quite showy in the landscape. It also brings things that the boxwood can’t, namely white flowers and berries that are enjoyed by local wildlife.
Sweetbay Magnolia (Magnolia virginiana): Sweetbay magnolia is a deciduous or evergreen shrub that has glossy green leaves and fragrant white flowers in the summer. It can be pruned to maintain a compact shape. Sweetbay magnolia is native to the eastern United States, from New York to Florida.
You could also look into the beautiful azalea (Rhododendron sp.), but be aware that although you can find dwarf evergreen azaleas, these will not be the native kind. Read this article and this article for good intros to native azaleas.
If you really want to go outside the box, why not consider the blueberry bush (vaccinium) which can help your yard produce food for you and your family too.
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