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Moving a Hedge

December 6th, 2012

If you were reading the blog last year, you might remember that I finally realized a garden dream when I added a 60 ft boxwood hedge to my garden. I must admit, I was a bit sad to leave my hedge behind, but figured I’d simply start anew next spring.


Much to my delight, the new owners of our home in Ohio aren’t gardeners and told us to take whichever plants we wanted. So the hedge came with me. It’s a bit late to be moving these beauties, but I figured I had nothing to lose but a few hours of time.

I dug each shrub carefully with a large root ball and planted them in the big upper edible garden. They’ll be mulched heavily with some leaves and I’ll pile lots of pine boughs around them for added protection this winter. Each of these shrubs would have cost me about $70 to replace so I figured it was worth a an hour or two of my time to try to save them.


If these beauties survive the winter, they’ll most likely become a hedge around the small potager behind the house. It will be nice to have a few of my favorite plants from Ohio here in Maine!

What’s your favorite hedge plant?

13 Comments to “Moving a Hedge”
  1. Christi {Jealous Hands} on December 6, 2012 at 7:07 am

    I have dreams of a boxwood hedge, too but suffer from lack of long range vision. I have trouble ivesting in something upfront that will take so long to grow to size!

    Sure hope your plants survive!

    Reply to Christi {Jealous Hands}'s comment

  2. Kathi Cook on December 6, 2012 at 7:27 am

    I love the look of boxwood in potagers. I currently moved two dwarf Alberta spruce to my vegetable garden entrance flanking the walkway and it looks great. I had originally wanted boxwood ,but had the spruce in planters and wasn’t really using them for anything. What variety do you have?. When I tour gardens here in the Northeast it appears to me that there are many varieties that have a tough time in this climate.
    Looking forward to seeing pictures of your boxwood once it has settled in.

    Reply to Kathi Cook's comment

  3. Marina C on December 6, 2012 at 8:51 am

    A great move, since deer do not ear box wood, perhaps it will protect your lettuces!
    If your boxwood was dormant, it should move fine. Did you take hydrangeas as well?
    I like soft hedges, and I have used viburnums for a break at the line between our neighbor and our potager. Old fashioned lilacs on the street, less obstructive to our neighbors, but effective in the leaf season, and red twig dogwoods, which grow very fast.
    Dwarf willows, pollarded every spring, also form a dense hedge very quickly.
    I look forward to seeing what you do with the boxwood.
    I know I will not grow old here, so I am saving the slow growing plants for a long range plan, but then again, I could start growing them now, as you did… Once again, you have much to teach!

    Reply to Marina C's comment

  4. Clare on December 6, 2012 at 10:10 am

    Martha wraps her shrubs in burlap for the winter. Maybe you could try something similar, just to give them a bit of an advantage toward surviving the move.

    Reply to Clare's comment

  5. Grannie M on December 6, 2012 at 10:50 am

    How sad it is that the new owners are not Gardeners. My favorite shrub is still the old fashioned spirea, but through the spring and summer it is which ever one is blooming now!

    Reply to Grannie M's comment

  6. whit on December 6, 2012 at 11:06 am

    The new owners were kind to tell you they are gardeners. Sad the think about the Eden you created there not being tended with the same amount of love and care. Hopefully come summer, when in bloom, they’ll be inspired to start a new hobby.

    Reply to whit's comment

  7. Donna B. on December 6, 2012 at 12:09 pm

    You know, that’s a cryin’ shame that the new owners aren’t gardeners! … have they seen the beauty and potential in the gardens before they bought the house?! I apologize for ranting – that just ruffles my feathers… hehehe!

    Anywho.
    Hedges! I want one so badly… seeing your beautiful little plants I am considering some boxwood too! I have a friend who’s parents have a beautiful area in their back yard that’s lined with boxwood… they’re beautiful and mature. They do well in part-shade, right? Maybe I need to “go over” one day and collect some snippets! :D

    Reply to Donna B.'s comment

  8. KimH on December 6, 2012 at 12:12 pm

    Oh dear.. I cant imagine the folks that bought your place arent gardeners.. Wont they be delighted next spring & summer though when your old place bursts into bloom. Perhaps they’ll be compelled to become gardeners after all. ;)

    Reply to KimH's comment

  9. Marcia on December 6, 2012 at 12:50 pm

    What zone range are boxwood in? I hope they make it, they are very pretty. I’ve never had a hedge since I`ve never had a home before but my parents had a Caragana hedge. It was nice but after a certain amount of years it gets real branchy and less leafy.

    Reply to Marcia's comment

    • Susy on December 6, 2012 at 1:15 pm

      These box are of the hardiest variety ‘Winter Gem’ and are hardy to a zone 5.

      Reply to Susy's comment

      • Marcia on December 6, 2012 at 4:23 pm

        Thanks.Not for my zone 3b then. Sigh, when is global warming really gonna kick in up here?

        to Marcia's comment

  10. Joan on December 6, 2012 at 8:20 pm

    How lucky that you got to move another piece of your old garden with you. We have just one plant we moved here from when we lived in Colorado, and it is very special to me. How sad though that the new owners aren’t gardeners who can appreciate and capitalize on all of the hard work you’ve put into it your gardens. Maybe as they see how pretty everything is coming up next year it will inspire a new interest and love of gardening!

    Reply to Joan's comment

About

This is a daily journal of my efforts to cultivate a more simple life, through local eating, gardening and so many other things. We used to live in a small suburban neighborhood Ohio but moved to 153 acres in Liberty, Maine in 2012.

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