Hello all,

We just purchased an old dilapidated house and just finished painting the exterior. I believe two potted topiaries would look great on the front door stoop on opposite sides of the entrance would definitely bring the house some life. My problem is that the front of the house hardly gets any sun, maybe some spotted sun between the trees, but that's it. I am afraid that if I purchase live topiaries, it may not thrive due to the lack of sun. Also, we have cold winters here so I'm hoping the topiaries will thrive thru the winters too.

My second option is purchasing artificial topiaries. Frontgate has some topiaries for sale, but the prices are steep, and to tell you the truth I'd prefer live topiaries.

So, my question is:

1. Are there any spiral boxwoods that thrive in shade, and if not,

2. What live topiaries do you recommend that do?

If there aren't many options out there, I might have to settle with artificial ones. Would that be tacky? Help!!