this is a hard question to answer. How often do you trim? fertilize? number of growth spurts per year? You can get to 4' x 4' pretty quickly...not saying that you'll like how it looks at that point, if you don't trim it occasionally.

It would depend a lot on the type of box as well. Some species/cultivars grow as slow as molasses - true English dwarf box, Buxus sempervirens 'Suffruticosa', comes immediately to mind. While it can easily get to as large as 4' x 4' (or larger, eventually), it's gonna take a good long time to do so!!

Ignore box blight at your peril - I wouldn't put any time or money into these plants at this point, fully expect that as time goes by the very many plantings of this shrub in my area are going to have a wave of spoilage sweep through them. Just has happened already in certain other parts of the country.

I see what your saying. I suppose I would fertilize once or twice a year with a new 10-10-10 that I normally use on my shrubs.
I have a couple other boxwood near by so this is going to fill a corner spot to blend all together. I wouldn't get a dwarf variety. this spot I need the full size.
what is an estimate on time for a 3gallon regular English boxwood to get 3x3 ? I say English only because that's what I read was the fastest.

I know nothing of English box, but here it took a 1 gal Korean box about 2 years to get to 3 x 3. They are *not* slow growers.

Embothrium..I agree..won't be planting any boxwoods..it's happening here..I've started removing them..I don't compost anything I'm removing..I clean the tools..a sad situation..I love boxwoods

Honestly, if it were my yard, I would hesitate to add box because of the blight. It will eventually reach your area unless something unusual happens, and by bringing in plants from somewhere else, it seems like that would increase the possibility that you might bring in the disease.

wow really?!! I have heard of disease with some varieties.. but ALL boxwood ?

there's always a disease. always. it's either going to end life as we know it or has the potential to. if's not a disease, it's an insect. or...or...or... the point is, there's always something.

this being the era of the internet and the massive egos that seem to be so dominant, look into whether or not to put in a mulch circle. Once, they were rare, nearly entirely the domain of parks and private estates. then they became more common. excesses were taken, they always are, once everyone starts to it. Capitalize everyone. italicize it, make it an crazy silly number of syllables. Now, there are people who write multiple page essays decrying the poor practices of mulch rings...over nothing more substantial than their personal preferences. What do we do with things that have substance?

Because until you beat something to death in a manner so ridiculous it's otherwise absurd, you haven't pounded it enough. there's always something. always. and if there's not, wait.

so what do you do? simple. You make your own best choice. take into account what others have said, but realize a) advice is worth what you pay for it and b) people don't always have your interests in mind.

In the end, we are left with no better strategy than we had during the middle ages. Make your own best choice. Aren't you glad we have technology?

https://www.indystar.com/story/news/2017/12/18/boxwood-blight-infected-wreaths-made-their-way-indiana-north-carolina/960893001/

a recent article in Indianapolis..this is a real disease..

Wayne..maybe I misunderstand your comment but are you saying that you don't believe that boxwoods can get blight?..

You're both wrong.

I believe the disease is problematic, potentially devastatingly so. I also believe saying so should be sufficient. I also happen to manage a property in CT where the blight was first discovered on pachysandra, at least in this state.

Do I think this is analagous to Dutch elm, on a different species? Nope. Does it have the potential? Yep. However, it hasn't reached that stage and saying it has is a disservice.

So let it be stated the issue exists, and if want to talk about potential impact, that is fine. Understand the ramifications on your own. Don't assume potential impact is equivelant to current impact.

you admit that boxwoods have issues yet think gardengal and I are wrong because we recommend plants other than boxwood?..I used them for structure in my woodland..they're evergreen, shade tolerant and deer resistant..they worked for me..but better safe than sorry..from now on I'd rather plant something less worrisome..why is that wrong?..

I suspect Wayne is alluding to the actual science that suggests the avoidance of ALL boxwoods is unnecessary and extreme. There are already boxwood blight resistant varieties on the market...you want to plant a boxwood, plant a resistant variety.

https://plantpathology.ces.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/final-Cult-trials-summary-2013.pdf?fwd=no

https://pubs.ext.vt.edu/content/dam/pubs_ext_vt_edu/PPWS/PPWS-29/PPWS-29-pdf.pdf

Nice to know that there are resistant types. Thanks for the links.

I have 3 of the names mentioned..but Green Velvet didn't look as nice as I wanted so I removed them..my climate is too cold for some of them..

Yes: the current high level of damage that is being reported is due to more susceptible kinds being those that have been most favored and planted. Prime example 'Suffruticosa'. So if it happens to be the case that the most resistant kinds aren't so much what people want to use then their greater reliability becomes somewhat academic. Another possible variable is box blight mutating, becoming able to overcome existing resistance levels.

can anyone help me with the dwarf Wintergreen variety? based on the graph provided earlier it looks to be more mild than others. any personal opinion ?