Hello,

I have a pretty basic front yard in mind with 3'x3' boxwood hedge on the sides and 2'x2' containing some flowers and a fountain. I live in Fresno, CA, USDA zone 9b with hot and dry summers, sometimes in excess of 110 degree Fahrenheit. It appears the small leave boxwoods are more heat tolerant. I've done a lot of poking around online and am just not sure how to accomplish the manicured look with these sizes. It looks like Buxus microphylla (Japanese) is a solid all around choice. It also appears the Buxus sempervirens (English) is a solid choice also. However, I think the latter is less heat tolerant. Then the confusion began with many variations of microphylla. I'm a bit confused at this point which one(s) is best for my situation. Should I have a different variety for 3x3 then 2x2 or is one variety a good fit for both. We'd like to be able to achieve clean square lines. We have time and patience to care and grow them, but I don't want it to take more than about 5 years to get to the target.

I found microphylla listed as Faulkner, Green Beauty, Japonica, Winter Gem, and many more. Each with different stated growth characteristics. They all seemed drought tolerant.

I'm curious of practical experience with these varieties and target sizes in a hot environment. Is there a clear winner? Is there another plant that is easy to achieve a highly manicured look with that is better? I'm always open to that also.

I attached a rough elevation sketch for reference. Those small circles in the flower bed are where the olive trees will go. That will create partial shade for some of the area. I will prune them so the foliage isn't extremely dense.

Thank you for the insights.

Peter