Out of wind and sheltered position two ways of saying same thing. South side of house could be unsuitable due to winter sun exposure and summer sun exposure. Broad-leaved evergreens are damaged by cold when the sun hits them while they are frozen. During an Arctic weather period here some Parney cotoneaster across the street were fine until the snow fell off them one sunny day, only to be followed by a cold night with no snow on the leaves. Common box (B. sempervirens) has best appearance in partial shade.

the way i think of it is as follows ...

the repeated freezing and thawing of tissue in winter will kill tissue ... especially on variegated stock ... throw a piece of lettuce in the freezer.. then thaw it.. and refreeze it.. you get the idea ....

on a zero degree day .... with blinding .... snow reflected sun ... a leaf will thaw ... and with no water flow due to dormancy .. will eventually brown and die ... same effect on the trunk if it is exposed ...

if it happens once or twice.. the plant might shake it off.. couple more times.. and you will have damage.. a few more times.. and the darn plant is just going to give up the ghost ...

so ... what the catch ... variegated stock needs sun to offset the reduced chlorophyll production in summer .. since white tissue is just a burden ... so you have to place it where it will get sufficient sun... but then you have to place it to avoid winter sun .. good luck with that.. lol ...

the winter wind just complicates it all by re-freezing the thawed tissue ...

my best guess.. with no real clue about your garden ...

place it where it is protected from afternoon winter sun ... and the prevailing winter winds ... on my 5 acres.. i have about 20 square feet that fit that locale.. lol ..

good luck

ken

Yes...that is sounding impossible. It has to have sun in the summer, I can give it morning sun, but that will be in an area with wind. I can give it afternoon sun, that is out of the wind, but I guess that is not good in winter. I will have to keep looking and thinking to see if there is somewhere I haven't considered.

So...I am looking for a part sun location with morning sun but now wind exposure, right?

Thanks :-)

'No' wind exposure. :-)

Remember the sun angles are different during the winter from the summer. My box is on the south side of the house, protected from wind, and maybe 30 ft NE of a large oak. Where the sun angle is exactly determines how much sun/shade it gets.

Think outside the box! If you have a spot you want to plant this Boxwood, do it and plan to protect it from any adverse conditions. Staking a burlap curtain around the affected/exposed area will alleviate any problems during the winter.

If your place is completely exposed then you may not have a sheltered position for a shrub that prefers partial shade. Shrubs do not adapt, if the planting site doesn't accommodate the limitations of the shrub then it is the shrub that pays the price.

Some places are built among existing trees or have hedges that cut the wind, making a sheltered position not that hard to provide.

Well, our property has spruce trees to the north of it in a neighbor's yard and Silver Maples to the West of it but we cleared out a 100ft lot line of all shrubs and started fresh. So there are plants there, but they are still so small that they are not actually that much of a wind screen.

The foundation of the front of the house faces East and has morning sun and I think the house is blocking the wind for the most part. The back of the house, is facing West so even in winter, the house keeps the sun from coming around until about 11:30am and is there until 3pm at least.
Not thinking there is much wind in that position. I wanted it in the part shade at the back of the property, but that is where it would be the most exposed.

petzold, yes, I could protect it in the winter, but would like to avoid that if possible. I normally try to purchase plants that don't need those extra steps.

Reputable nursery told me to water well in mid-Nov (for you it may be later), since Boxwood like to go to sleep for winter with wet feet as this is all the moisture it will get for the winter season, and treat with wilt stop at that time to help retain moisture in the leaves. This should also help with winter browning.

Other friends of ours cover theirs for the winter with pine sprigs for protection. Less of an eye sore during the winter as opposed to burlap, especially when it's located in the front of your property.

Thanks kimcoco....I did finally decide on a location for that boxwood in what seems like a sheltered position in a nook facing east, that has part of the front porch shading it from the south. Good idea about the watering late and the pine sprigs. :-)

PM2 - It sounds like you've chosen a good site, based on my experience. I have one of these - I just couldn't resist it, even though it's borderline in my area. Mine is in an east-facing garden, sheltered from the west and north by the house and the ell and shaded from the south by a monster-sized rhododendron. It gets covered with snow most years, so doesn't provide winter interest and hasn't grown much taller than a foot, but is delicate little spot of variegation in a mostly green garden, so I really like it.

Isn't that great! Thanks, I'm glad to know you have overwintered one in your zone. I imagine the sheltered position is shady and maybe that slows down it's growth. Mine is about a foot tall now and I believe it is supposed to get as tall as 4ft at least, which would suit me fine. It will be a foundation planting, so not getting too large is a real asset. How long have you had it?

pm2

it can be a simple as getting a cardboard box .... place it over.. with a stake on the prevailing wind side ... and opposite ... leave top open ...

apply box at the last possible moment before you cant put the stakes in ... due to frozen earth ...

no sun .. no wind.. open at the top [it shouldnt be in the dark all winter]... maybe a little mulch on the soil ... cheaper than investing in burlap ....

no need to cover the top ... snow and cold is not the issue if zone appropriate ....

it doesnt have to be all that complicated ..

good luck

ken

Thanks Ken...nice to know there is more than one way to skin a cat. [g]