Help planning flower bed

[nachoqtpie]

So, we ARE tearing out the boxwood shrubs out front (i think that's what they are!), but I have a question about that. If we simply cut them off art the ground will they come back? I'm not sure how we would actually get them OUT. They've been in there since the house was put in and I'm afraid that they've grown under or into the footer/foundation so I'm worried that pulling them out with a truck might damage the foundation! How would y'all go about this?

Second off, I want something nice in the front of my house. We are trying to decide between hydrangea and azalea. I'm thinking azalea because they bloom in the middle of the winter and spring/summer and they're gorgeous! I did recently read that honey made from certain rhodadendren pollen is toxic, so that has me a little worried. I don't which ones it is though!

Also, last mothers day hubby bought me a yellow Asiatic Lilly and I have it in a pot on our porch. Monday he bought me a blue phlox (blue moon I think?) and another blue perennial (can't remember what right now). We want to plant maybe some white and red perennials in pots on the porch. The only issue I'm having us that the other 2 pots on the porch are on the smaller side. I was thinking of maybe using one of our flower boxes that we usually put the hot peppers in, but I'm nervous they'll get knocked over. Suggestions?

 

[lesa]

Can you take a picture of those bushes? Very often the root systems on large bushes are pretty shallow. I have pulled out some huge bushes and not had them compromise foundations. We wrap a chain around bush and pull with the truck.

 

[nachoqtpie]

Hubby and the boy started cutting them down last night.. LOL but here's what's left of one of them

 

[so lucky]

I have a feeling they could sprout from the stumps. Boxwood are pretty hardy. It may come down to digging out around the roots in back, cutting them with a chain saw, then pulling the remaining stumps and front roots out with a chain hooked to your truck.
I love boxwood, even though it does smell like a wet dog, or maybe cat pee. Something not pleasant...

 

[Smart Red]

Hubby and the boy started cutting them down last night.. LOL but here's what's left of one of them

Don't have the guys trim them, cut the stems out from underneath them. We used my electric chain saw on ours.

 

[Smart Red]

Sheesh! I had a long-ish post on how we handle boxwood shrubs. Lost in cyberspace?

Okay, my answer went to the other Help planning flower bed thread. It seems the site hic-cupped again and duplicated @nachoqtpie pie's post.

 

[nachoqtpie]

@Smart Red so you think that if we just cut them down they would go away?

@so lucky I HATE them with a passion!! LOL

 

[Nyboy]

I had 2 large ones at work I hated I put a free ad on craigs list free boxwood you dig out. Guy came that afternoon dug them out pretty quickly.

 

[Smart Red]

I just know that the two plants we cut down to the one main stem did not regrow, while the others cut high enough to have some branching grew back. The lower the cut the better.

 

[nachoqtpie]

@Nyboy I never even thought about that!! Great idea!