I have a couple of them, not sure which cultivar, but they are hardy little shrubs with nice spring flowers and wonderful fall foliage coloring. They are native to the southeastern US, but do well here in NJ. They do like a rich, moist but well-drained soil - so if you have sandy soil like I do here in coastal Monmouth County, you will probably want to amend with organic matter.

Keep in mind, however, that your boxwoods are evergreen and the fothergilla is deciduous, so will be bare through the winter months. If you prefer something evergreen, you might want to check out inkberry holly (ilex glabra) - a link is below.

Here is a link that might be useful: Inkberry Holly

Boxwoods are deer resistant as well.

The Frelinghuysen Arboretum in Morristown NJ has a beautiful shade border with a row of Fothergilla. You would have to ask for information on where this border is located, because the place is vast and every inch is beautiful, well worth the visit.

I have one Fothergilla 'Blue Mist' which is attractive year round. In winter the branching pattern is beautiful, but I don't know how it would look as a hedge.

Here is a link that might be useful: Frelinghuysen Arboretum

I purchased mine in the spring from Pope's Gardens in Waterford. They are airy shrubs - not dense like boxwoods. Leslie

One of my favorite nurseries in the area is Rare Find Nursery in Jackson, and they usually have a great sale in August. Their website, rarefindnursery.com, has a link for directions; they're just a little way off route 195.