Best time to trim boxwood
Tips on Pruning Boxwood — NewGen® Boxwood
Pruning is an essential part of plant upkeep and an excellent method of preventative maintenance for both young or more established plants. Most ornamental plants benefit from annual pruning, and boxwood are no exception. There are many benefits both for the overall look and health of the plant, making it important to establish a pruning schedule for boxwood in any landscape.
One of the most common reasons to prune is to shape up boxwood and provide a cleaner more defined appearance. Boxwood are characterized by the structure they provide to gardens, and pruning helps to maintain a clean shape. Early spring, before boxwood begin to flush, is the best time of year to prune. Any old winter color, or tips that have been burned over the winter season, can be trimmed away and will disappear after the spring flush.
Not only is it important to prune, but proper pruning techniques are crucial to long-term success with boxwood and may differ slightly with each cultivar. It is important to choose the correct cultivar to avoid the need for excessive pruning. Before and during annual pruning, proper sanitation of necessary tools is important. Any tools should be properly cleaned with alcohol, bleach, Lysol® or some other disinfecting solution before and after working with boxwood to lessen the possibility of spreading disease.
As mentioned above, the best time to prune boxwood is in the late winter to early spring, before the plant breaks dormancy and begins flushing. This is typically late February to mid-March in central Virginia. Late winter/early spring pruning minimizes the time between pruning and new growth as well as stimulating a strong spring flush. Also, Boxwood Blight tends to be much less active in cold temperatures.
If you are looking for a more manicured look, some gardeners like to prune in late spring, after the spring flush to achieve a more formal shape. Mid-summer and early fall pruning stimulate late fall growth that may be burned by frost or early winter freezes.
Waiting until early winter might not be detrimental; however, it leaves pruning scars on the leaves until the spring flush is initiated.
Cultivars that are more dwarf or have very tight habits benefit from annual thinning to open up the inside of the plant. Thinning is typically done by reaching into the plant and breaking or cutting out branches with hand pruners. These branches can be 6-10 inches long on larger cultivars, or only a couple of inches on a dwarf cultivar. This will leave pockets or holes in the plant for air and sunlight penetration. Using hand pruners will result in a cleaner cut and lessens the possibilities of disease introduction. Any cultivars that are sheared regularly will benefit from thinning to lessen disease susceptibility.
Larger and more vigorous cultivars are generally tolerant to shearing or more radical pruning techniques. Use loppers or shears to drastically reduce overall plant size on vigorous plants, taking care to leave one-half to two-thirds of the foliage undisturbed.
This foliage will produce energy the plant needs to recover. The plant should develop new foliage along the bare stems. Full recovery may take several seasons. Plants that require more drastic pruning may need to be pruned over several years to reduce the overall size in steps and not jeopardize the plant’s health. To minimize radical pruning, do not select large cultivars for applications where small cultivars would be more suitable.
Establishing pruning as part of the overall maintenance of your boxwood encourages healthy growth on both young and more established plants. Whether it is to neaten the plants appearance, rejuvenate an overgrown shrub, or help maintain a healthy environment, annual pruning is a key part of your success with boxwood.
Pruning Boxwood Shrubs And The Best Time To Trim Boxwoods
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Boxwoods
By: Jackie Rhoades
Image by Mirrorimage-NL
Introduced to America in 1652, boxwood shrubs have been gracing gardens since colonial times.
Members of the genus Buxus include about thirty species and 160 cultivars, including Buxus sempervirens, the common American boxwood. The varieties are largely based on leaf size and growth which can range from one foot tall to twenty (.5-6 m.).
Boxwoods have fallen out of favor with some gardeners in recent years. They are the gardeners that remember trimming boxwood bushes into severe and often geometric shapes that have no place in the more casual gardens of today. They also remember how much time and effort it took to keep them in formal rigidity.
And that, my friends, is a shame.
Trimming Boxwood Bushes
Boxwood bushes have an undeserved reputation and should be a welcome addition to the modern landscape. When the right cultivar is chosen, they need very little pruning. Boxwood is easy to grow and thrives under many conditions that would defeat a less sturdy plant. Their compact evergreen leaves add texture and form to the garden when all else falls to winter’s sleep.
Used as a hedge, nothing provides a better screen against an unsightly view.
That said, these handy evergreens do need occasional pruning. Boxwood, like most shrubs, needs a cleaning out of dead or twisted branches that can be harmful to the bush. Even when chosen for a particular size or shape, an errant branch or twig may need trimming. Boxwood bushes simply don’t need much care when compared to other landscape shrubs.
How and When to Prune Boxwoods
As with all shrubs, you should be asking when the best time to trim boxwoods might be and when should you prune. Boxwoods can be trimmed at any time of year, but, for plant health, it’s best to avoid shearing in the late fall. The new growth that appears after trimming boxwood bushes may not have time to harden off before frost.
Shearing or trimming may be done with hand shears or with electric hedge clippers. It is the removal of all or most of the most recent growth. Plant age should be taken into account when deciding when to prune boxwoods.
Young plants actually benefit from frequent shearing. The best time to trim boxwoods to shape is during the first few years. This will encourage branching and new growth, which will result in denser growth and defined shape. But, don’t overdo it.
Excessive shearing can produce growth so dense on the outside of your shrub that it will prevent light from reaching the center of the bush and leave the inner branches bare.
Removal of larger branches or pruning boxwoods is used to remove diseased or dying branches or to refurbish plants that are past their prime. Beware! Severely pruning boxwoods can kill the shrub. It’s best to take such drastic measures in stages, over several years if necessary, to give your boxwood shrubs the best opportunity to survive.
One last note: if you don’t mind a little extra work, boxwood shrubs make excellent topiaries. Topiaries are living garden statuary and can be molded into any shape your imagination can envision. They can range from one to two feet (.
5 m.) high to ten feet (3 m.) high. Depending on the size and shape of your frame, you may need more than one plant to fill the form.
The best time to trim boxwoods used in topiaries is in the spring before new growth begins. Train smaller branches to conform to the structure and prune larger branches to prevent them from growing toward the outside of the form. As the seasons pass, your boxwood shrubs will take on the shape of the structure and you will have a unique conversation piece and interesting focal point for your garden.
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10 tips for caring for boxwood
Beautiful patterned parterres, borders and figurines made of boxwood are not the work of sorcerers or wizards. Of course, it is naive to believe that everyone can create intricate figures or entire compositions from boxwood, barely picking up garden shears.
But if you follow our advice, then every lover will be able to grow this southern evergreen shrub in the garden.
1. Making the border of the flower bed
Low boxwood bushes for framing flowerbeds or flowerbeds are most often sold in containers or with bare roots in small bunches. The best time to plant boxwood is spring. Immerse the roots of the seedlings in a bucket of water. In the meantime, dig deep into the soil and add compost if necessary. Then, with the help of a cord, mark the outlines of the border and lay out the seedlings along. With a seedling height of 10-15 cm, you will need about 10 copies per meter. Plant the plants in well loosened soil using a planting trowel. The boxwood border should be watered and trimmed with garden shears by one third. Until the plants are finally rooted, the soil should be constantly moist. In early June, you should start fertilizing.
For large boxwood ornaments, first a draft design is drawn up, then it is transferred to nature using a measuring tape and goniometric tools
2.
The best varieties for different purposes , shape and color of leaves. While slow-growing varieties like 'Suffruticosa' or hardy 'Blauer Heinz' are best suited for low borders, wild boxwood evergreen (Buxus sempervirens) or strong-growing varieties like 'Rotundifolia' are best suited for taller hedges. and 'Handsworthiensis'.
Boxwood varieties are chosen in the same way for creating sheared shapes and figures: ‘Suffruticosa’ or ‘Green Gem’ are suitable for small balls, larger figures are obtained respectively from tall varieties. Variegated varieties of boxwood, such as 'Elegantissima', are frost-sensitive and should only be planted in well-protected areas.
For tall boxwood sculptures use vigorous varieties
3. Frost damage: prevention is the best protection
Boxwood, like all evergreens, suffers from the winter cold. The plant tolerates clear frosty weather especially poorly, since in such conditions its leaves dry out very quickly.
By covering the plants with shading nets, you can only prevent the worst - death, but this is not an option for long boxwood hedges and borders. To protect boxwood trees from frost damage, it is best to plant them in semi-shaded areas in the first place. An important role is played by the correct choice of variety, which should have good winter hardiness. Among these varieties, mention should be made of ‘Blauer Heinz’, ‘Handsworthiensis’ and ‘Herrenhausen’. Top dressing of boxwood in September with potash fertilizers, for example, potassium magnesia, contributes to the speedy lignification, thereby increasing the winter hardiness of shoots and leaves.
Like all evergreens, boxwood also suffers from winter cold
4. When and how often to prune
The basic rule is: the more often the better. Boxwood is regularly sheared every four weeks. Vigorous varieties will only be truly thick and lush if they are trimmed more than once a year. The plant is sheared during the period of its active growth - from April to September.
It does not make sense to cut boxwood during the dormant period, since it is already growing slowly. And one more thing: the more often you cut boxwood trees, the better they should be watered and fertilized to make up for the loss of essential nutrients, as a result of which the plants lose leaves.
Boxwood needs to be cut several times a year
5. Ideal tool
Cordless brush cutter: It is convenient to cut boxwood bushes with a cordless brush cutter, but it is not worth buying to form two or three boxwood balls. For beginners in this business, it is better to use mechanical scissors, since an electric tool can also cut off excess.
Special boxwood shears: Special boxwood shears with short blades are ideal for creating the simplest figures. The blades of the scissors must be sharp, otherwise they will slide off the hard lignified shoots.
Sheep shears: classic sheep shears are also excellent for cutting soft, slightly woody shoots.
This is a good tool for regular cutting, because it is convenient for them to handle the contours of figures.
6. Trimming methods: the perfect boxwood ball
Anyone who wants to get a beautiful boxwood ball without any special tools at hand can do the following: a horizontal “equator” and four vertical “meridians” are cut out on a spherical crown. If these paths turned out to be evenly rounded, then it will be very easy to trim the branches in the remaining sections. It's a good idea to use a cardboard template: first, measure the diameter of the boxwood ball with an inch ruler. Then a cord is attached to the felt-tip pen, its length should be equal to half the diameter of the ball. Thumb and forefinger pinch the measured length of the cord and hold it exactly along the edge of the cardboard. Then, with the other end, on which the felt-tip pen is attached, a semicircle is circled from one edge of the cardboard to the other, cut out - the template is ready. The template is applied to the forming crown of the boxwood and all branches protruding beyond it are cut off.
Specialized stores sell special metal templates for shaping boxwood trees.
A uniform ball of boxwood can be created very quickly with a cardboard template.
7. Location and soil
Boxwood grows best in clay soils containing lime. Mature compost must be added to sandy soil. The soil must be permeable and moist, without stagnant water. Boxwood is not picky about lighting. It tolerates shade well. It is more difficult for a plant in a hot place with direct sun, for example, near a wall directed to the south. In this case, the boxwood is quickly damaged by its green leaves.
Boxwood prefers nutrient-rich soil.
8. Propagation: large plants in a short period
Boxwood cuttings take root and grow rather slowly but surely. If you want to get large plants in a very short period, choose cuttings at least 20-30 cm long. Shoots take root very well, which are broken off from the mother plant in July / August and a thin strip of bark is removed at the break point with a sharp knife.
All shoots on the handle are shortened by about one third. Many gardeners believe that for rooting, the cutting should be covered with a film. This is optional. It is enough to plant it in loose, humus-rich, clay soil in a semi-shaded, protected place. Professionals cover the area with black film before planting, which inhibits the growth of weeds and prevents the soil from drying out.
Boxwood cuttings can be planted directly on the garden bed
9. Winter protection of tub boxwood
If a boxwood tree grows in a pot, its roots must be protected from frost for the winter. The “pot to pot” method looks effective and more aesthetic. A pot with a plant is placed in a larger container, filling the free space between the walls with crushed bark. To avoid direct contact with cold soil, a plant in a double pot is placed on two blocks.
Bark mulch prevents roots from freezing
10. Proper Watering and Fertilization
Boxwood is excellent drought tolerant, but if grown in a tub or pot, it needs daily watering in warm, dry weather.
During prolonged heat, give the plant a shower from time to time to wash the settled dust from the leaves. Make sure that the earth ball does not dry out even in winter. Potted plants need regular feeding from mid-April to early August. Special liquid fertilizers for boxwood are best suited. It is applied once a week, added to the water for irrigation. A typical sign of a lack of nitrogen in boxwood is reddened leaves with a bronze tint.
Boxwood in tubs needs abundant watering
Translation: Lesya V.
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All about cutting and trimming boxwood
The evergreen plant is characterized by rather slow growth. During the year, the growth of branches is 5-15 cm, but it depends on the climatic zone and the growing conditions of the shrub.
Formative pruning of boxwood is recommended to be done in the third year after planting a seedling in the garden. The exception is border mini-cultivars, which can be cut in the year of planting. The event is preferably held in warm cloudy weather in the evening. A suitable tool for trimming leaves and non-lignified shoots is mechanical scissors. Thin last year's branches are well cut with secateurs, skeletal branches are cut with a brush cutter.
The active growth of the shrub is observed from April to September - this period is most favorable for cutting boxwood. After each operation, the plant needs abundant watering and top dressing to provide the necessary nutrition to the leaves. Agronomists of the trade mark "Gardener's Pharmacy" recommend spraying the crop foliarly with preparations "Avangard Grow Amino" and "Avangard Stimulus", contributing to the growth of crown greenery and overcoming stress after pruning. During the growing season, 3-4 microfertilizer treatments are allowed.
Spring pruning boxwood
Almost all varieties and types of crops lend themselves to pruning and shearing, taking the form of various shapes over time. From tall plants often form a hedge. Undersized boxwood is used as a border fence for flower beds. A shrub 25-30 cm high is covered with a metal mesh of a given shape, cutting off all the sprouts protruding above the template.
The optimal time for pruning boxwood in the spring comes in April-May, when the threat of return frosts has passed and consistently warm weather is established. Due to the toxicity of the leaves, all work is done with gloves. It is better to use sharp scissors with short blades. The procedure starts from the top of the bush, gradually descending. Young branches are removed, guided by the light green color of the growth. If the plant has lost its shape, cut off the old branches.
Boxwood haircut in the spring must be carried out with a disinfected tool. Alcoholic liquids, manganese solution, iodine are used for disinfection.
Regular operation stimulates the growth of young branches, makes the bush fluffy and dense. To avoid exposing the inner branches, it is necessary to cut the shoots directed inside the bush. Young plants should be formed with a slight narrowing from the base to the top.
Curly haircut boxwood
The art of decorating a garden with original compositions is subject even to novice gardeners. For curly haircut boxwood, various patterns are used from a grid or metal guides. Devices are stationary and mobile. In the first case, the structure is installed over a young bush, which, in the process of growth, fills the voids and takes on a given shape. The second option involves the use of portable structures to create simple geometric shapes. Overhead templates (cube, parallelepiped) are put on the plant from above, removing all shoots sticking out of the grid. Especially often devices are used to create a number of identical figures.
Ball
Pruning boxwood in the form of a ball is carried out in two ways.
You can make a template with suitable sizes yourself. Connect two arcs with a cross and fix on a metal pin. It is necessary to set the rod as close as possible to the trunk of the tree. Turning the device around the axis, cut off excess branches. The operation should start from the top. The bottom part is formed last. If it is planned to touch the ball of the earth's surface at one point, the plant is grown from one trunk. The base "ball on the water" is formed into several branches.
Using the overlay template, you can first form the boxwood in the form of a cube. Then gently round the edges, achieving the correct spherical shape. It is necessary to periodically evaluate the work visually, moving a few meters away from the composition.
The cube figure can be made from one or more plants. When creating a large-format composition, seedlings are planted in the corners and the base area of the future ensemble. The haircut starts from above, using trellis scissors for roughing, lignified twigs are cut with secateurs.
