Does anybody in alberta have success growing boxwoods? I had some in pots on my deck and they didn't make the winter. I have a great location in my backyard, it's full sun and very sheltered from wind. I would love to plant a couple of boxwoods here, I'm just wondering if they would survive the winter?
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I have lots of boxwood in the backyard (Southern Ontario) with plenty of sunshine. They are planted in the ground-not containers. We literally ignore them all year except for the occasional grooming & they thrive so well.
We don't cover them in the winter and they often buried in snow-however, somewhat protected from harsh wind as yard is fenced.
Love them...so easy!
Try you local garden center (or get the Lois Hole book on shrubs ... her books are pretty much 'must haves' here as she understood the conditions in Alberta and when it comes to our climate, it's very different than other places) to make sure you get a variety that is good here. There may or may not be reasons you have to pick a particular variety just given our weather and sometimes like with cedars/junipers you have to be aware of wind and soil. In Calgary for instance apparently there are only certain conditions where the rocketing junipers will do well and so you may see them and think they are fine but not notice they are only growing on certain sides of houses or in districts where the wind doesn't whip through.
You can't judge anything by what happened in a pot because as Mrs. Peacock mentioned, if it's in a pot over the winter it is just not going to make it. Here it isn't even the snow as much as the Chinooks come into play (too much freeze/thaw temperature changes for the roots). There is nothing you can do to pots here to have something survive other than bring it right in and out of the cold or bury the pot in the garden where the soil is usually pretty consistent in temp.
If you do like potted cedars or bushes here you pretty much have to regard them as annuals unless you get them into the ground over the winter.
Muranogirl: you can't plant perrenials in pots and have them survive the winter. The frost gets to the roots right through the pots. I have heard of lining the pots with styrofoam first - this is suppose to help the plant survive the frost but I can't guarantee that. Boxwoods do awesome in shade. I have about 11 or 12 and they do great and all ready trimmed them a bit to keep the round shape and they are all under large trees and/or on the north-northwest side of our house so get very little afternoon sun. You would think they would do all right out in the sun but they definetily need to planted in the ground or bring them inside to a shed or basement during the winter months. I am from Southern Ontario by the way so get lots of snow and freezing temperatures and they survive okay. ( I can't be bothered to cover them with burlap either - too lazy)