Why I Rarely Recommend Boxwoods (Even Though They're Still on Every Pinterest Board)

By Laura Moses | Fine Lines Landscape & Designs

Browning tips and hollow leaves makes for a NON showy boxwood!

Let’s have a little heart-to-hedge talk about Boxwoods—those evergreen darlings of tidy gardens and formal walkways. You’ve seen them: perfectly clipped balls or neat little hedges that look great… at first. But here in Ontario? They’re more drama than they’re worth.

The Trouble with Buxus in Ontario

Buxus (aka Boxwood) doesn’t exactly thrive here. While they start off looking like a million bucks, give them a couple of years and they start throwing tantrums—leaf drop, patchiness, yellowing, and dieback. Why?

Here’s the breakdown:

Winter Kill: Our cold snaps are brutal. Boxwoods often come out of winter looking like they lost a street fight with the north wind.

Dog urine creates concentrated burn spots that are tough for Boxwoods to recover from.

Salt Sensitivity: Road salt and dog urine? It’s game over. Both cause serious burn to foliage, especially in front-yard or pathway plantings.

Boxwood Blight: A European-born fungal disease now running rampant here. It spreads fast, defoliates quickly, and once it’s in, it’s hard to fix.

Leaf Miner Invasion: These tiny pests burrow inside the leaf tissue—meaning even if you do treat, you’re likely just chasing your tail.

Boxwood showing complete decline after blight.

All this adds up to a sad, struggling shrub that doesn’t match the high-maintenance look people were after in the first place.

So, What Do I Recommend Instead?

Don’t worry—your landscape dreams are not dashed. Here are some fantastic (and tough-as-nails) alternatives that bring beauty and resilience:

1. Inkberry Holly (Ilex glabra)

A gorgeous, salt-tolerant native that mimics the tidy look of Boxwood but shrugs off winter like a champ. It has a similar shape and density and doesn’t come with all the baggage.

The top alternative, Inkberry Holly.

2. Arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis)

Perfect for structure, screening, or foundation planting. This Canadian classic is cold-hardy and long-lived when sited properly.

Check out our post on softening hardscapes with structure →

3. Cotoneaster

Tough, drought-tolerant, and way less fussy. Many varieties stay compact and offer seasonal interest with berries and flowers. Even the bees give them five stars.

Low growing Cotoneaster. A shorter evergreen alternative to Boxwoods

4. Junipers

I use these all the time. They’re salt-tolerant, adaptable, and bring that evergreen texture year-round. Bonus: many are native to Ontario.

Where to Buy Better Plants

Looking to shop local and smart? Here are two great places that I trust when sourcing top-tier alternatives:

Connon Nurseries – Trenton

They carry a solid selection of native shrubs and evergreens, and their stock is well cared for.

Natural Themes Native Plant Nursery – Frankford

A dreamland of native species and one of the best resources for eco-conscious people in Eastern Ontario.

Final Word?

If your Boxwoods are limping along or already half-dead, don’t beat yourself up. It’s not you—it’s them. The Ontario climate is changing fast, and your garden deserves plants that can keep up.

Let’s get you planting smarter—not harder.

Need help with a garden redesign or choosing the right plants?

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