Fake Boxwood Takes Your Planters from Blah to Ta-Dah

Do you have lackluster planters dotting your property that are begging for an upgrade? Adding faux boxwood is an easy yet transformative solution to inject life into boring containers. With vibrant evergreen hues and lush fullness reminiscent of professionally tended gardens, artificial boxwood plants make a dramatic difference in planters that blend into the background.

In this post, we'll walk through everything you need to know to utilize fake boxwood pieces as filler in planters for a showstopping look with zero upkeep required.

What Exactly is Faux Boxwood?

Faux boxwood refers to decorative artificial boxwood foliage made from plastic, silk, or other synthetic materials shaped to mimic varieties of real boxwood shrubs and bushes.

Available loose to use as planter filler or connected in topiaries, faux boxwood looks extremely lifelike but will never die, lose leaves, become scraggly, or require any maintenance whatsoever.

Types of Faux Boxwood Plants

There are a few main forms of fake boxwood foliage commonly used in planter arrangements:

• Loose boxwood cuttings: Individual plastic stems in various lengths, often sold in bags for scattering throughout planters
• Full boxwood balls: Round, egg-shaped, or square tightly connected balls of faux boxwood that retain their shape
• Boxwood mat/sheet topiaries: Flat panels of fake boxwood attached to a backing that can be cut into different shapes
• Standing boxwood topiaries: Sculpted spiral, cone, or sphere-shaped stands of artificial boxwood foliage

The beauty of faux boxwood is that loose cuttings, balls, sheets, and sculptures can be combined to create planters overflowing with lush greenery in natural or more structured looks.

Where to Buy Faux Boxwood

Quality faux boxwood planters fillers can be purchased at craft and hobby stores like Michaels and JOANN. Retailers like Ballard Designs, Grandin Road, and Home Depot also carry selections online and in stores.

There are even retailers offering luxury faux topiaries and foliage, though lower cost options from Amazon or Walmart work well too.

Why Faux Boxwood Beats Live Plants

Decorative artificial boxwood offers many clear advantages over live boxwood or other plants as planter greenery:

• No Maintenance: Fake boxwood retains its vibrant coloring and full shape without water, sunlight, pruning, or any other care.
• Weather Hardy: Plastic and silk boxwood withstand sun, rain, snow, and temperature extremes that live foliage cannot handle.
• Evergreen Look: Artificial boxwood keeps its leaves year-round unlike many live shrubs.
• Customize at Will: Faux boxwood can be styled and rearranged to your liking as desired without concerns over plant health.

When used as planter filler, faux boxwood simply brings all the curb appeal and charm of greenery without the work required of living plants.

Size Options for All Planters

Artificial boxwood components come in an array of sizes versatile enough to fill and complement planters small and large. For example:

• 9 inch boxwood balls work nicely in medium urns or window boxes
• Low profile 16 inch mat topiaries suit shallow bowl planters
• 36 inch spiral bushes make stunning backdrops in huge floor vases

With so many sizes and styles available, it's simple to pick faux boxwood pieces scaled appropriately for your existing containers.

Choosing Faux Plants for Planters

When selecting artificial boxwood, keep these considerations in mind for the most natural look tailored to your planters and space:

Density

Pick boxwood pieces dense enough when inserted to amply fill your planters. A too skimpy look leaves empty patches and air gaps. Aim for lush, full foliage.

For large planters, combine loose cuttings, balls/panels, and topiary forms to achieve pleasing density and dimensional arrangement.

Shape and Size

Choose boxwood topiaries and balls in shapes and proportions hugging planter walls rather than floating with expansive gaps around edges.

Low profile silhouettes tend to complement most planters better than tall, narrow pieces leaving empty lower halves.

Style and Texture

Match the color, leaf shape, and texture of your faux boxwood to other live plants or decorative accents. For consistency, add companion plants before selecting boxwood.

Simple loose cuttings suit planters with casual charm while rounded balls and sculpted panels echo classical urn shapes.

Placement

Mind indoor and outdoor lighting conditions when situating faux boxwood pieces to maximize their realism and allure. Shade hiding artificiality beats harsh sun.

Outdoors, place boxwood planters in spots where rain won't constantly soak foliage. Allow soaked boxwood to fully dry out before redisplaying.

Design Inspiration for Stunning Faux Boxwood Planters

Now for the fun part: using faux boxwood for eye catching planter arrangements! Follow these tips and tricks professional landscapers rely on:

Think Beyond Basic

Rather than plopping one boxwood form into a planter, layer looser cut greens and textured balls for an artful composition. Underplant with live flowers or trailers too.

Go For Depth

Vary boxwood height and density throughout planters for dimension. Push lower fronds outward, nestle balls deeper behind, and let tall top layers create welcome shadows and curves.

Flaunt Those Filler Plants

Maximize stationed boxwood balls and topiaries as living sculptures. Surround with accenting annuals or perennials, gravels, stones, or ceramics echoing the shapes.

Switch Things Up

Rotate boxwood pieces seasonally for fresh looks matching patio furniture cushions or front door wreaths. Store off-season filler flattened in bags.

Prime Spots to Show Off Faux Boxwood Planters

Enhance these often-overlooked spaces by incorporating eye-catching faux boxwood planters:

• Porch Planters: Greet guests with boxwood urns or pots burst forth with color at front doors and entryways.
• Patios: Sculptural boxwood topiaries make excellent dining and sitting area focal points.
• Garden Beds: Outline in-ground plantings with vibrant container gardens atop walls capped with faux boxwood.
• Landings: Flank staircases and deck steps with lush boxwood foliage flowing out of raised planters.

Let boxwood planters shine in high visibility areas and lead visitors' eyes towards your home's architecture and garden beds beyond.

Before and After Faux Boxwood Planter Transformations

Seeing is believing when it comes to the "wow factor" faux boxwood lends tired planters and pots. But you don't have to take our word for it:

Drab Urns

Notice how these plain urns on either side of the front door morph into breathtaking focal points with the addition of overflowing boxwood balls and loose filler cuttings.

Bare Window Boxes

The flat mat boxwood topiaries lining these window boxes work perfectly for the narrow silhouette. Tucked behind flower plantings, the fake greenery enhances without overwhelming.

Empty Garden Pots

Adding loose boxwood cut greens as filler around the aptly matched live plants gives these patio containers the fresh, lush look of an expertly designed garden.

To recap, follow this boxwood planter advice:

• Select dense filler pieces snugly conforming to planters
• Use various shapes/sizes of boxwood for depth
• Mind indoor vs outdoor light exposure
• Get creative combining ball forms with loose cuttings
• Rotate out looks seasonally

It's easy to take your planters from boring to great. No excuses for lackluster containers around your property any longer!