I have a box on my balcony that measures 42 inch in length, 12 inch wide and 10 inch deep. Right no I have 3 Thuja plants (western red cedar) in it but they need to be planted outside now because the box became too shallow for them. I love the plants because they provide a bit of protection from the elements on my balcony plus it is nice to enjoy some privacy but I don't want to kill them to leave them in a small box. The plants are now about 39 inch tall. What other plants would be good to plant in this size of box that is evergreen and a bit bushy and grows about the same or similar height? Any suggestion would be helpful. Thank you
Thank you David for the reply. I looked into bamboo and there are many nice varieties that would work for me but I would need to spend about $160 to get at least 2 plants for the size of box I have. Compared to about $25 that I can spend on 2 or 3 thuja occidentalis that is small but would be ok in the box for 2 years. I also looked into a plant called boxwood as well. The only problem I have is that the 10inch depth isn't very good for any of the trees but maybe for the next year or 2 would be fine.
Welcome to the forum, Tsila. You could also try the following: Yews, like Taxus X media "Hicksii" or Taxus X media "Hillii". They're VERY slow growing, but great for privacy and very hardy. Holly--you'd have to look into the different varieties. I'm not sure exactly what shape you want, and I'm not familiar with them. Juniper--(see above) And if you're feeling very ambitious, you could try a Gardenia. They're fussy, and you might have to baby it in the winter if you're going to have some really bad/cold weather, but the fragrance is intoxicating.....I know someone in zone 7 who grew one in a pot outside all year round for years, so I know it can be done.
