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When is the best time to prune boxwoods


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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How to cut boxwood - advice from gardeners

Boxwood is a beautiful addition to the landscape. The shrub easily grows in different conditions. The evergreen leaves add texture and form in the garden, and in the winter when all other plants are dormant. Like most ornamental shrubs, it needs periodic pruning to remove dead, twisted branches. Trimmed and shaped it retains its famous compact and dense appearance, otherwise it grows like a normal shrub.

How to cut boxwood correctly

It is important to consider the optimal time for cutting. Although this can be done at any time of the year, certain periods are chosen for plant health. Trim boxwood from May or June to keep growth under control, and from August to September, so that new shoots that appear after shearing the bush have time to harden before frost. It is desirable when the boxwood haircut is carried out on cloudy days. If this cannot be done, then when trimming, you should regularly spray the bush to prevent blanching of the leaves. Do not rush to do this immediately after planting, the plant should have time to take root.

The procedure is carried out with scissors or secateurs, removing the last shoots. When making a decision, take into account the age of the plant. Young shrubs do benefit from frequent shearing. This promotes branching and new growth and results in greater density and a defined shape. But on the other hand, with a high density of shrubs from the outside, the sun's rays practically do not fall into the center and the inner branches remain bare.

When cutting a bush, narrow it from the bottom to the top. So all branches will receive sufficient sunlight. When removing dead or diseased branches, radical pruning should not be taken. These measures are good in stages, so as not to destroy the plant.

Treat the upper parts in the spring before new growth begins. Remove small branches to fit the structure and prune large branches to keep them from branching outward. After a few seasons, the shrub will take shape and become an interesting focal point for the garden. For the level, you can install poles on the sides and stretch a cord between them and from time to time check how smoothly the process is carried out.

Boxwood topiary

Using hand pruners for these tasks gives the plant a softer, less formal profile. Hard surfaces are best cut with electric scissors. They allow you to work much faster and it is easier to maintain a geometric shape with them. It is important that the blades remain sharp so that the leaves are less damaged. During pruning, scissors or secateurs get stuck due to leaves. Therefore, it is good to have a bucket of water nearby, in which to periodically clean the tools.

How to trim boxwood curly? Boxwood is an ideal object for creating living sculptures. The bush can be made into any shape that the imagination allows.

Curly haircuts require special scissors, available in different sizes. It is carried out at the end of winter or early spring, when the plant comes out of dormancy and resumes growth. Of course, it will take some time for the plant to fully recover and in this case it is additionally fertilized.

Rectangular hemispheres made of cardboard will serve as templates for mowing bushes in the form of balls (if no special tools are available). To keep the plant within the natural growth pattern, it is trimmed lightly, only long branches directed to an uncomfortable position. Be sure to remove dead branches, preventing the disease from spreading to other parts of the shrub.

Author: Tatyana Yampolskaya

haircut and shaping in autumn, spring, video

Content

  • 5 Features of the formation of boxwood
  • 6 Conclusion

    • The Latin name of this plant is buxus. Boxwood is an evergreen shrub or tree. They grow relatively slowly. Plant height varies from 2 to 12 m. These shrubs are valued for their beauty and unpretentiousness, but boxwood should be cut regularly. In nature, they grow in different places: in rocky gorges and deciduous forests. Boxwood can be found in Southern Europe, Africa, Asia and Central America.

    Since ancient times, buxus wood has been highly valued; chess pieces, musical instruments, smoking pipes and much more have been made from it. Boxwood was also appreciated by landscape designers. Specially bred weeping and dwarf species can turn any garden into a fabulous corner. But for this you need to carry out regular pruning.

    On the video you can see boxwood haircut:

    Boxwood in landscaping

    With proper care, the shrub can live for about 500 years. Its compact rounded crown will become pliable clay in the hands of both the professional and the novice gardener. Different types of boxwood have their own decorative value.

    All varieties respond well to pruning. By cutting the branches correctly, you can form regular geometric shapes from the crown: a pyramid, a ball, a cone, and others. Boxwood can be given absolutely any shape. From undersized species, you can create borders and original parterres, they are also used to frame flower beds. Any flower arrangements against the background of sheared boxwood will look advantageous.

    Attention! Tall shrubs make ideal hedges. Boxwood plantings will mask some of the objects on the site. For example, a compost pit or trash cans.

    Buxus is often used as a background for other plants. It has a beautiful and deep leaf color. This noble shrub is ideally combined with bulldenezh, barberry, roses, geyheyra, lilac. To achieve an original contrast, it is better to select flowering plants with brightly colored petals.

    The most popular varieties of boxwood include:

    1. Aureovariegata. It has elongated ovate leaves that change color: a green tint is mixed with yellow over time. Bushes of this boxwood are resistant to drought and frost, and can grow in some shade.
    2. Compacta. A plant with a dense dense crown, consisting of small oval leaves. This boxwood reaches a height of 80 cm. Suitable for creating low hedges, as well as for growing in tubs.
    3. Marginata. It has beautiful oblong leaves. Each has a delicate border of pistachio color. Boxwood of this variety grows from 2 to 4 m high.
    4. Curly Locks. Intricately curved stems and leaves give this variety of boxwood a special decorative effect. Great option for a walkway or flower bed.
    5. Latifoliamaculata. The maximum height is 1.5 m. The leaves of this boxwood look like chameleons: the young ones have a golden hue, and the lower ones, as they mature, acquire more saturated green tones.

    When to cut the boxwood

    You can cut the boxwood at home only after two years. During this time, the bush will have time to fully take root and grow stronger. If undersized boxwood (about 25-30 cm) was planted in the form of a border, then a small pruning can be done after a couple of weeks, carefully removing the top, but no more than 5-10 cm.

    In the southern regions, the first pruning can be start in April. If the climate is not too favorable, you should wait for stable heat and reschedule the procedure for May. Boxwood is a slow growing shrub. In most cases, a small amount of corrective pruning of the new growth will suffice. Only heavily neglected and shapeless branches are cut to old wood. A month later, it will again be necessary to prune the protruding branches.

    Decorative pruning of boxwood is carried out in spring, summer and autumn. For this, an evening of a cloudy day is usually chosen. Under the influence of the sun, burns appear on the leaves. But young plants, that is, with a rare crown, are not afraid of even the summer heat.

    Boxwood pruning in spring

    Boxwood is sheared in spring before active growth begins. Start cutting from the top, gradually moving down. Small branches are cut on top, they should not disturb the harmonious shape of the shrub. As for the large branches of boxwood, their pruning is done so that they cannot grow young shoots inside the shrub. This makes the buxus untidy.

    Regular pruning of bushes is the key to their lush and beautiful crown. After that, the plants should pay more attention, regularly watering and feeding them.

    Pruning boxwood in autumn

    By the middle of summer, the growth of boxwood stops. However, the movement of juices inside the shoots does not completely stop. Therefore, the active phase of growth will resume again. Shearing boxwood in the fall falls on the end of October or the first days of November. At this time, two periods of growth have already passed, but serious frosts have not yet come. Now you need to prune the young shoots to stimulate their growth next spring. It is enough to remove only 2 cm.

    Attention! To make the basal shoots of boxwood branched, pruning is carried out to the 3rd young bud. If branching is not included in the plans, then only up to the 2nd kidney.

    The boxwood is then prepared for the winter. The first step is to replace the mulch. The summer version (leaves + grass) will begin to rot quickly. If the bush is not standard, rotting will quickly spread to branches and leaves. Spruce branches and peat will help protect the roots from the cold. The winter sun is a threat to the crown.

    Under its rays, shoots resume growth. At the same time, the roots remain in the cold ground and do not deliver nutrients to the leaves. Gradually, they begin to fade. Buxus is covered with a breathable dark material - a piece of cloth or burlap.

    Boxwood shears

    There are different tools for trimming shrubs, each with a different purpose. The final choice of inventory depends on how dense the branches are, as well as on their location: at the top, on the outside or inside the bush.

    There are several types of pruning tools:

    1. Cordless brush cutter. Indispensable for the formation of hedges. The tool is lightweight and easy to use. With its help, the crown can only be given a rectangular shape.
    2. Shrub shears. The long steel handles have plastic or nylon inserts for added comfort. With the help of short sharp blades, bushes can be given different shapes. It is quite convenient to cut them.
    3. Battery clippers. They are designed for cutting hard branches of boxwood. In this tool, several pairs of scissors are combined at the same time, which are driven by a battery.
    4. Shearing shears. They cut soft twigs near the boxwood that did not have time to become stiff. Also with their help it is easy to adjust the contours of the crown. The tool is made from a single piece of metal, and the handle is shaped like a heart.
    5. Secateurs. With its help, overgrown bushes are thinned out, not too thick branches and shoots are pruned. The design has two blades: one is a support blade, and the other is a working one. They are bent in a semicircle. With the help of a pruner, a hedge, bushes and borders are formed.

    How to cut boxwood

    Frequent pruning of buxus requires more fertilizing and watering. This will allow the plant to replenish lost nutrients more quickly. Otherwise, the box will begin to lose foliage.

    How to cut boxwood with a ball

    The easiest way is to use a homemade or purchased blank. It consists of a rod and a wire semicircle. You just need to choose the right radius. It is more difficult to form a bush "by eye". First you need to trim, giving the shape of a cube, and then cut off the tops, turning the crown into a semicircle.

    Another way to form a boxwood on a bole is to trim the side shoots at the base, focusing on the future rounding from below, and then round the top and sides until the crown acquires the desired shape.

    Curly haircut boxwood

    The main rule of such pruning is to work from the inside out, from top to bottom. The crown is trimmed evenly, in stages and in small parts. It is impossible to cut a large fragment in one area; when creating a figure, it is necessary to observe proportions.

    Boxwood figures:

    1. Cub. To form this figure, you will need one or more bushes with a dense crown and dense branches. The whole composition should look organic. To get cubic boxwood, you need to plant one plant in the center, and place the rest in a square next to it. With the help of wooden slats, it is necessary to make the frame of the future cube and trim along it.
    2. Pyramid. Around the shrub you need to draw a circle or square. Along the perimeter, slats are immersed in the ground, which must be fastened at the top with a rope. On this blank, boxwood is sheared in the shape of a pyramid.
    3. Cone. The principle is about the same. The slats are fastened with a rope and the branches are cut strictly along them, moving from the bottom to the top.
    4. Spiral. First make a cone or pyramid. Then the bush is wrapped with colored tape. It imitates the future spiral. In advance, you need to decide on the number of turns and the distance between them. Pruning branches with secateurs is carried out strictly along the contour of the adhesive tape.

    How to form a boxwood hedge

    Young bushes are cut equally at first. The initial height is 15 cm from the ground. Further, when the shoots grow - to a height of 20 cm and so on. The crown will be dense and fairly branched. In such a hedge there will be no voids and holes, bare lower branches and too thick tops. Such combinations do not look aesthetically pleasing. For one summer season, at least 3-4 such prunings should be carried out. Then the annual growth of the bush will be from 15 to 20 cm. The last pruning is carried out in the last days of August. This will allow the young shoots to mature before the cold weather.

    Boxwood Formation Features

    Young plants require frequent pruning. This stimulates the growth of new shoots, the bush becomes more branched and dense. On the other hand, the greater the density of the bush, the more difficult it is for the rays of the sun to break into the center. The inner branches remain bare.

    When pruning a bush, it gradually narrows from the base to the top. So all the branches will be evenly illuminated by the sun. Dead or diseased branches should not be radically cut immediately. It is better to divide the procedure into several stages so as not to destroy the plant.

    A special grid will help create beautiful and perfectly even borders. It is put on over the bushes and only those shoots that stick out through it are removed.

    Boxwood leaves and twigs contain toxic alkaloids. Any manipulations with the plant should be carried out only with thick gloves.

    Conclusion

    Trimming boxwood beautifully is a true art. You can entrust garden care to a professional or take the initiative into your own hands. Gradually, you can learn all the tricks of decorative pruning. This is a very exciting activity. From an ordinary bush, real living sculptures and labyrinths are obtained. In combination with beautiful and original street lamps, and various flowering shrubs, an ordinary garden will turn into a unique park with its own unique atmosphere.

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