Planting boxwood - A great way to decorate your garden with hedges and various green shapes. For beginner gardeners, it is better to start with this plant. Boxwood (Buxus)- an evergreen plant from the Boxwood family. This plant is found both as a bush and as small trees.
This plant is difficult to “kill”; it easily tolerates a short period of drought or waterlogging. But boxwood grows best in warm, humid places, and this is worth considering when choosing a planting site.
Optimal timing for planting seedlings
Many gardeners talk differently about planting boxwood: some say that it should be planted in the fall, so that by spring it will delight you with its new shoots, others say that this plant can be planted all season - from the first rays of March until the first frosts in November.
But still, the majority is inclined to believe that it is best to plant boxwood in the fall. If before this you grew your plant, and now you decide to “settle” it in a permanent place in open soil, then it is best to carry out such a boxwood transplant in the fall.
Important! It takes at least one calendar year for the first shoots to sprout, so don’t be alarmed if your plant doesn’t sprout within the usual time frame.
If you do not need the boxwood to grow fully to give the desired shape in the first season, then the boxwood can be planted in the spring - then the plant will take root better.
Choosing a landing site
It is best to plant boxwood in shady or semi-shady areas. In principle, the plant is unpretentious, but it is very difficult to tolerate summer heat, open sunlight or cold winds and drafts. Therefore, it is best to plant the plant in the shade of trees.
How to prepare the soil for planting
Under natural conditions, boxwood grows on mountain slopes, the soil of which has a very high Ph level. But when planting this plant on your site, you don’t have to think about the special composition of the soil. Although, of course, the soil for boxwood must be fertile. This determines not so much the quality of growth, but how quickly your boxwood will grow.
Of course, in soil saturated with trace elements and natural minerals, the plant will grow faster. In loose soil, boxwood will grow faster and the shoots will be more abundant, while in poor soil the shoots will lose their appearance faster.
Did you know? Although boxwood is a fairly moisture-loving plant, it does not like stagnant water, so if water accumulates in your flower beds after rain, then it is better not to plant the plant there.
Main features of caring for boxwood
By its origin, boxwood does not require special care, but there are certain subtleties, because, like any evergreen plant, boxwood can get sick at any time without any particular reason.
Irrigation mode
It is necessary to water boxwood very often in the summer, since the root system gives all the moisture to the leaves, and to preserve their decorative appearance In summer, boxwood needs to be watered literally every 3 days. If there has been no rain in your region for more than a week, then you should water the boxwood once a week additionally.
Particular attention should be paid to watering the plant in the off-season period, so boxwood needs to be watered abundantly before winter, in order to saturate the roots with moisture for months, and after the frost has passed, in order to additionally “soak” the plant, thus helping it to germinate better.
Important! Boxwood needs to be given a “shower”, that is, the leaves need to be sprayed from time to time to wash off the settled dust from them.
Mulching and fertilizing
Mulching is usually done before the first frost. Before mulching, 2-3 days before, it is necessary to water the plant abundantly (if desired, feed it). For mulching, it is better to use finely crushed bark of coniferous trees, spruce or pine needles that have overwintered under a tree, and peat.
If you plant a plant in soil rich in minerals, then it needs feeding in September, before wintering. However, if the roots of a recently planted boxwood have already taken root, then they need to be “nourished” with any of the fertilizers for evergreens.
Feeding boxwood in the spring can be done using fertilizer, which contains nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Many people are interested in how to fertilize boxwood in the fall - there is a nuance here: for fertilizing in the fall, it is better to use fertilizers that do not contain nitrogen, since the root of the “plant” may dry out during wintering.
Pruning and trimming boxwood
Boxwood should not be pruned in the first year of active growth; it is better to start from the second season. You need to start pruning already during the period of constant warmth (April-May) and carry it out until the boxwood is in a state of “sleep”.
Gardeners unanimously say: the more often you trim boxwood, the better. This is true, but you need to pay attention to the fact that boxwood grows slowly, and if you want to give the bush a certain shape, then it is better not to prune boxwood in the fall.
The question often comes up on forums: how to rejuvenate boxwood. It's simple - scissors are in your hands: before the onset of cold weather, cut off all the shoots, leaving only those whose leaves have not yet grown, and in the spring your boxwood will delight you with fresh shoots.
Did you know?If, after pruning, you fertilize your boxwood with any fertilizer, it will grow much faster, since the “area” of growth will decrease, and the “return” from the root system will be greater.
Preparing boxwood for winter
Preparation for winter is the key to what kind of shoot your plant will delight you with in the spring. In the fall, boxwood is fertilized and mulched, and before winter, additional abundant watering of the plant is carried out, but the main thing in preparing for winter is to cover the boxwood for the winter.
To cover small bushes, use plastic or wooden flasks with holes inside for ventilation; bushes are wrapped with lutrasil, spunbond or other non-woven material; the top of the boxwood is covered with a cloth, and the entire bush is tied to a support; if your bush is very spreading, it is better to tie it at the base of the branches.
Important!Iron structures (as they freeze very quickly) and polyethylene cannot be used as shelter for the winter, because many fungal diseases develop under it.
Boxwood propagation methods
Typically, boxwood propagation is carried out vegetatively, since the cuttings take root better and can be planted immediately in open ground; You can also use seeds, but do not forget that the germination rate of seeds is lower.
Cuttings
Most often, cuttings are carried out in the spring. To do this, you need to cut the shoot at an angle of 45 degrees and clear it of leaves by a third. After this, the cuttings must be placed in a root former solution for three days..
After this, the cuttings must be washed well, without damaging the small shoots, and planted in the soil, after feeding it with humus, leaf soil and peat. The plant is covered with a plastic bottle and watered once every 3-5 days, depending on the climatic conditions of your region.
For watering it is better to use a spray bottle. You will notice the first signs of growth in a month, and the root system will be fully formed in two to three months.
Did you know?Daily ventilation of cuttings promotes their better and faster rooting.
Frequently asked question: how to plant boxwood in the fall? This can be done, but it is best to plant boxwood in pots and not in open ground, because the root system will not have time to form and will die.
Seeds
Before planting, the seeds should be soaked in warm boiled water for a day, then placed between two damp cloths and kept in this form until white shoots appear. If sunrises do not appear within 2-3 weeks, you can put the napkins in the refrigerator for several days. But it is important to keep the napkins moist.
After the seeds germinate, they are sown in a mixture of peat and sand in equal parts and covered with glass or film. The container is placed in a warm place in partial shade. As soon as the first shoots appear, the “roof” needs to be removed. Caring for such seedlings consists of feeding with a weak solution of fertilizers and watering. There is no need to loosen the soil, as this can damage the sprout.
Boxwood is a genus belonging to the Samshitov family, which includes almost one hundred species. These plants are native to East Asia and the Mediterranean. Boxwood is also called buxus - this name comes from ancient Greece.
The plant is grown both on the streets and as indoor flowers. It is a shrub or tree with opposite leathery oval foliage.
Boxwood is a honey plant, but honey should not be eaten as it is poisonous. Among the abundance of boxwood species, not so many are cultivated. In our gardens you can mainly see the following species and varieties:
Varieties and types
Mainly grown as a tree, quite rarely found as a shrub. The stems are abundantly covered with shiny matte foliage. The inflorescences are light green. It is quite sensitive to frost. Varieties developed from this species: suffruticosis , Blauer Heinz , Elegance and others.
This species can withstand cold temperatures better than evergreen buxus. We grow varieties Faulkner And Winter Jam .
A species that grows very slowly and can withstand very low temperatures, and also lives a long time.
The plant has fairly large foliage, grows quickly, but does not tolerate frost.
Boxwood planting and care in open ground
Having decided to plant boxwood at home, you need to find out how best to do it and what conditions need to be prepared. The best time for planting is the beginning of autumn, because the plant needs time to take root before the cold weather.
The lighting of the planting area should not be abundant - this plant needs shade. The soil used for planting is clayey, loose, and contains lime.
The day before planting, the material is placed in a container with water or the container with the plant is watered abundantly, so that later it is easier to remove it from the soil.
The hole for planting is needed three times larger than the previous earthen coma. A couple of centimeters of perlite are placed at the bottom of the hole as a drainage layer. The soil from the hole is also mixed with perlite.
The roots of the plant must be straightened and carefully lowered into the hole, covering it with substrate so that the layer is dense and there are no air cavities left in it. After this, the boxwood should be watered generously with rainwater. After watering, the soil will compact and settle; add a little more substrate to the top of the hole.
Make sure that the axle box barrel is placed exclusively vertically. Make a mound in a circle twenty centimeters from the tree, and cover the area inside the shaft with a thin layer of perlite. This is done so that all the liquid gets to the tree when watering.
Watering boxwood
In general, caring for boxwood is not difficult; it follows the usual logic of caring for plants.
If it is hot outside and there is no rain, then water it once every seven days. You need to use approximately 10 liters per meter tree.
If the weather is very dry, then there is no need to water more often, but you need to increase the amount of water. After watering, you should loosen the soil and remove weeds.
In May, when it becomes quite warm, you need to cover the area with peat mulch, but do not allow the peat to come into contact with the tree stem.
Fertilizers for boxwood
Fertilizer is also an important point. The first time it should be done 30 days after planting (in case of planting in the spring. If you planted the buxus in the fall, then this feeding is not necessary).
And then you need to feed the boxwood during the growing season. To do this, use organic fertilizers or complex mineral fertilizers. In the autumn, when the site is dug up, the plant is fertilized with fertilizers containing potassium and phosphorus, but without nitrogen.
Boxwood transplant
Transplanting boxwood should also not cause you any difficulties. It is best to carry out the procedure in the spring, following the same steps as when planting. Adult plants must be moved to a new place along with a lump of earth.
The tree can also be replanted in summer, but a spring that is not too hot is best suited for this.
It is not advisable to start this procedure in the fall, because the plants are quite sensitive after transplantation, and they still need to take root and get used to the new growing location.
Boxwood pruning
In mid-spring you need to prune the boxwood. The bush can be given the shape you want. Having given the crown its shape, in the future you will just need to occasionally correct it.
Pruning is painless for the tree and it begins to branch even more. But remember that frequent cutting will lead to the fact that the boxwood will need to be fertilized more often so that it has enough nutrients that are synthesized in the trimmed foliage.
Boxwood shelter for the winter
A very difficult time for buxus is winter and the beginning of spring. In winter it gets very cold, and with the arrival of spring it can burn in the warm sun.
Therefore, in order to save the tree, even before frost arrives, you need to thoroughly saturate the area with the plant with moisture and cover it with mulch (peat). It is impossible to cover the soil with dry leaves, as it can cause fungi in the boxwood. As the temperature drops to -10ºC, you need to prepare a shelter from the cold.
If you have a standard tree, then they make a support for it so that the piercing winter wind does not damage the trunk, and wrap it in spruce branches. Bushy plants and those with a crown also need to be covered. To do this, use non-woven material, which is wrapped around the tree a couple of times.
To prevent branches from breaking under the weight of snow, they are tied. With the onset of spring, the shelter is immediately removed, as the axle can get in the way. One ball of shelter is left in order to protect the trees from being burned by the warm spring sun.
Boxwood from seeds
To propagate boxwood, the vegetative method is usually used, but sometimes seeds are also used.
To grow buxus from seeds, you need to take only fresh seeds. They are filled with warm water diluted with a growth stimulating agent for a day. Next, they need to be placed between a pair of damp towels (but not wet). They will remain in this state for about thirty days. After 15-20 days, white sprouts will appear.
With the formation of sprouts, the seeds are sown in sand mixed with peat, the sprouts should go deeper into the substrate.
Containers with planted material are covered with film and kept in a warm, shaded place. After about 15-20 days, the first shoots will appear. After this, the film must be removed and the container with boxwood must be moved to partial shade.
Young plants need to be watered from time to time and fertilized with a weak solution of fertilizers. Grown trees are planted in the soil when it becomes clear that frost will not return.
Boxwood propagation by cuttings
In spring, boxwood can be taken from cuttings. For this purpose, young stems up to 15 cm long, which have not yet become completely lignified, are used. The material must be cut at an angle. After this, a third of the leaves are torn off, and the cuttings are soaked for a day in a means to enhance root formation.
After this, the branches need to be washed and can be planted in the soil. The main condition for the substrate is nutritional value. The branches are lowered into the ground right up to the foliage and covered with a jar. Ventilate and spray the plants every day. After a couple of months, the jar is removed, since by this time the rhizome is formed.
If you propagate buxus in the fall, then plant the cuttings in pots, because in open ground they will not survive the winter, even under insulation. And in the spring you can transplant the seedlings to an open area.
Reproduction of boxwood by layering
The use of layering is also practiced. According to the usual scheme, the branches are bent to the soil and dug in.
Diseases and pests
- Another cause of yellowing and drying of leaves is spider mites. , which most often appears in hot weather.
- Spots on leaves and their drying out may be associated with burns resulting from excess light.
- Boxwood is also vulnerable to shoot necrosis, which manifests itself in spots on the foliage and the death of twigs .
- Your plant will not grow well , with a lack of nutrients.
- Boxwood can also suffer from plant cancer . In case of this disease, cut off all diseased areas, along with adjacent healthy parts.
The most popular evergreen plants, confidently leading both as hedges in garden plots and growing in small flowerpots, include boxwoods. The plants, with their thick greenery, look like a real solid wall, and the crown, when trimmed correctly, can easily take on various shapes. Slowly growing representatives of the Samshitov family reach a height of 2 to 12 meters and are long-lived plants, individual specimens of which can live up to 500 years.
Since ancient times, boxwood has been decorating garden plots and has been successfully used in decorative landscaping due to its beautiful dense crown, even shiny leaves and good cold resistance, which is a characteristic feature of almost all evergreens. The disadvantage of this beautiful plant is that all its parts, and especially the leaves, are quite poisonous, but this feature does not threaten the environment, since the poison is dangerous to the body only when ingested. The only condition is that boxwood growing indoors must be placed out of the reach of children.
Boxwoods in apartments
Due to slow growth, very popular forever green indoor plants, which add no more than 5 centimeters per year, take up very little room space. Boxwoods: small-leaved- with the smallest leaves from 0.5 to 2.5 centimeters; Bolearic - with larger leaves growing up to 4.5 cm and evergreen - with an average leaf size of within 3 cm, are the most in demand and are perfectly adapted to living in the limited space of a flower pot or container.
Despite the unpretentiousness of boxwood, if it is not cared for properly, it can express “dissatisfaction” by shedding its leaves, so you should comply with all the conditions for its good growth. First of all, place the plant in a place where the rays of the sun can reach, as an option on the windowsill of an apartment on the sunny side. If the flowerpot is located in a place with low lighting, it may become less decorative. Boxwood also needs moderate temperatures, and in winter it needs to live in cooler conditions.
The roots of the plant do not like excessive moisture or dryness, so experts recommend covering the surface of the earth with pebbles or moss and regularly spraying the leaves so that they do not dry out or curl, as this can contribute to the appearance of scale insects or spider mites. Mandatory conditions for good growth of home boxwood are replanting it after 2-3 years in soil consisting of 2 parts leaf soil, 4 parts turf and 1 part coarse sand, fertilizing with a complex of mineral fertilizers and regularly removing the container to fresh air in light partial shade. You can easily form an unusual plant from indoor boxwood by cutting the crown into a cone, a ball, or something according to your imagination.
Planting boxwood in a garden plot
Having decided to plant boxwood, you should first decide on the variety and purchase planting material from a trusted supplier. Among its many species there are plants - dwarfs and giants, with different growth rates, leaf color and shape. Slow-growing varieties are best for growing green borders; evergreen boxwoods or varieties of vigorous species are successfully used for hedges; and for plant figurines, it is worth selecting varieties depending on growth and frost resistance.
When buying seedlings, it is advisable to inspect the plants visually, paying attention to the color, which should be lush green, and the appearance of the shoots and leaves. If the plant has bare stems or yellow leaves, it is better not to take it to avoid further problems. Experts advise buying seedlings approximately 10 centimeters higher than planned, so that 3 to 4 weeks after planting you can trim the tops and get a flat horizontal surface. This helps the seedling to adapt faster, since the crown is partially reduced and the roots better feed the plant as a whole.
Before placing the seedling in the hole, it is necessary to untangle and straighten the roots, trim the dried ones and lower the plant to the growth depth of the old lump or container, positioning the trunk vertically, cover it with a mixture of earth and expanded clay or perlite in a 1:1 ratio and compact the soil so that there are no voids. For single plantings, you should prepare planting holes of suitable size, approximately three times larger in depth and width than the lump of earth removed from the pot.
To create a drainage layer, you need to pour perlite or expanded clay into a layer of up to three centimeters at the bottom of the hole. When planting a hedge, it is necessary to place about 5 seedlings per 1 linear meter, leaving 20-25 cm between them. To form parterre carpet compositions or low borders, it is necessary to plant the plants in a checkerboard pattern, at a distance of 15 - 20 centimeters between the bushes, which is good compacting the soil between the plants. It is also advisable to make a depression along the entire hedge, which should be filled with water 3-4 times during the first 2 weeks after planting.
Boxwood prefers to grow on clay or calcareous soils containing lime, good drainage and permeability of water and air. Does not like wetlands or lowlands where water can stagnate. Boxwood gives strong growth only on nutritious, well-fertilized soils; it is advisable to feed poor soils when planting, mixing them with a nutritious substrate of dry humus, leaf soil, peat, and humus. Newly planted plants must be watered abundantly at the rate of 1 bucket of water per plant and then continue watering after 3-4 days. During drought, it is advisable to increase the number of waterings and water them at the rate of 1.5 - 2 buckets per seedling. Then mulch with peat or rotted pine needles.
The optimal place for planting boxwood is light partial shade, as direct sunlight can cause yellow or dried leaves to appear. Young plants tolerate bright sun in clear frosty weather especially poorly, so the combination of frost and sun is not comfortable for boxwood.
The best time to plant boxwood is spring, so that the seedlings can take root well and prepare for winter frosts, but you can also plant plants in the fall, from approximately the beginning of September to mid-October, with a month left before the onset of cold weather. The productivity of spring planting directly depends on the application of nitrogen or complex fertilizers, which, in addition to potassium, phosphorus and sodium, also contain additional microelements. As a fertilizer option for evergreens, you can use Kimera and do not forget that boxwood needs additional fertilizing with magnesium.
The gentle climate of Ukraine makes it possible to replant boxwoods throughout the entire season - from March to October, and the plants themselves can be of any age. Planted hedges need abundant watering in the summer so that the plants can take root well and prepare for frost. Plants from 3 to 8 years old can be replanted with a clod of soil almost all year round, excluding the cold winter months. When purchasing seedlings at a later date, it is advisable to bury them in a shaded place before spring. With proper care, mulching and regular watering, evergreen plants grow and develop well, and first-year seedlings require special attention and can successfully survive the winter while under a layer of snow. Boxwood has good immunity to winter frosts, but does not tolerate drying winds and scorching sun, which may be the main reason for the failure of its cultivation.
Caring for boxwoods
When caring for evergreen boxwoods, experts advise paying attention to plant signals such as yellowed or sun-dried foliage. This can mainly manifest itself towards the end of winter, when the root system is in a semi-dormant state, and the crown has already “woke up” under the influence of the sun and the lack of moisture leads to the shoots with leaves drying out, crumbling or getting burned. To prevent this from happening, it is advisable to cover the crowns with burlap or plain paper, and also monitor the place where boxwood grows - in partial shade and covered with snow.
Also, before the arrival of frost, around the beginning of November, experts advise generously watering and mulching the tree trunk circle with peat, peat compost or rotted pine needles; the mulch should be about 8-12 centimeters thick. It is not advisable to use dry leaves for covering, since in warm winters the plant may develop fungal diseases or shed leaves.
Standard trees must be tied to supports so that they cannot break under the influence of wind or snow and the trunk must be tied with spruce branches or non-woven protective material. Lignified trunks can simply be whitened, like fruit trees, which will give them the opportunity to do without additional shelter for the winter.
Watering and fertilizing boxwood
Boxwood is a plant that is not particularly demanding of watering, but in dry weather it needs additional moisture, and also very favorably accepts spraying of the crown, especially in young plants. Experts advise that when planting seedlings in soil that is not rich in useful substances, add humus and humus, and for plants in flowerpots, use special fertilizers for boxwood - a liquid that is simply diluted with water and added to the soil no more than once every 10 days, starting from the second half of April and ending at the beginning of August.
When preparing boxwood for wintering, it is necessary to feed it in the fall with fertilizers containing potassium, which accelerates the lignification of shoots and increases the plant's resistance to frost. Do not forget to fertilize the shrub in early spring before the leaves appear, with fertilizing containing nitrogen; alternatively, you can dilute 1 kg of mullein, 15 grams of urea or 25 grams of ammonium nitrate in 10 liters of water and fertilizers with minerals obtained from 20 g of nitroammophoska diluted in 10 liters of water .
Pruning, shaping and flowering boxwood
It is advisable to carry out the first trimming of evergreen bushes in late April - early May. Considering that boxwood grows quite slowly, minimal pruning is recommended: slightly adjust the crown and trim only new growths. In the future, it is necessary to trim once a month until the end of summer; it is advisable to compensate for more frequent trimmings with additional watering.
To form a standard tree, you need to select a plant with a fairly strong central trunk, shorten all side shoots to the desired height, and trim the remaining ones slightly. This will enable the plant to branch better and over the years, you will become the owner of a tree with a chic crown in the shape of a ball on a slender leg.
In our area, boxwood blooms very rarely in March-April with small greenish or yellowish flowers, which, however, do not add much beauty to the plant, but have a pleasant honey aroma. Everyone is well aware of the true value of boxwood - a beautiful evergreen crown with green or variegated leaves, which determines the main types of boxwood - green and variegated.
Boxwood propagation
Boxwood can be propagated quite successfully, both from seeds and cuttings. Regardless of which cuttings are used for propagation: summer or winter (lignified), the survival rate is quite high and can reach from 80 to 100.
The beginning of summer cuttings depends on the lignified base of young shoots, which usually occurs from the second half of June to the second half of July. Before the onset of the growing season, during spring pruning it is necessary to prepare lignified cuttings, and cut autumn cuttings in late summer - early autumn. The cut cuttings must be at least 5-10 cm in length and have at least 2-3 internodes. The prepared cuttings should have no more than 2 upper leaves, and the lower leaves should be completely removed, after which it should be placed in soil obtained by mixing equal parts of the earth with peat and covered with plastic wrap or a glass jar.
It is advisable to water the planted cuttings every other day and do not forget to spray. After a month, the cuttings take root, and with the onset of autumn they should be assigned to a permanent place of residence, insulated for successful wintering. Propagation by seeds takes quite a long time and requires a lot of patience due to the fact that the evergreen plant itself is a slow-growing one, so many gardeners prefer cuttings or purchasing ready-made planting material.
Boxwood is a wonderful decoration not only for a garden plot, but also for a city apartment. It looks great as a green border, hedge, picturesque arch or gazebo, and topiary figures can turn a site into something extraordinary. For its magnificent thick “hair”, which, through cutting, allows the bushes to be given various shapes, and then preserved for a long time, boxwood is among the favorites of designers who are involved in the design of green beauty in our homes, winter gardens or country courtyards.
Thanks to its unpretentiousness and unpretentiousness, evergreen boxwood growing in a personal plot is an excellent choice, because a bright and very attractive plant, with the vibrant shine of green leaves, can brighten up the most cloudy day, fitting well into the interior around you.
There are 100 known species of both trees and shrubs belonging to the Samshitov family. From this family I would like to highlight boxwood buxus - Buxus. The regions of its distribution include the Mediterranean countries, the West Indies and the east of the Asian part of the continent. Boxwood is a very ancient ornamental plant that has been cultivated for as long as humanity can remember. The name of the plant (buxus) was mentioned in ancient Greek sources. But the etymology of the word has nothing to do with the Greek language. Where the Greeks borrowed it from, from what language, will remain a mystery.
Currently, scientists have identified several natural habitats for boxwood growth: Eurasian, African, and Central American. It is known both as a garden crop and as a home crop. In regions with a warm, humid climate, the plant serves as a hedge. Due to the shrub's amenability to picturesque design (pruning), it is very popular among landscape designers and is often used as an object for decorating park and garden areas. For lovers, boxwood is a great find for bonsai. He doesn’t need tubs of soil; even a small pot is enough to grow a fluffy bush with small leaves, which can be trimmed and become a work of art.
Description of boxwood
Small, round or ellipse-shaped, boxwood leaves have a solid edge. They are located on the branch alternately, opposite each other, that is, opposite. Small flowers form an axillary inflorescence. They are same-sex. The fruit of boxwood is a three-locular capsule, which ripens and cracks. Black, shiny seeds are scattered throughout the area.
The fragrant smell of boxwood attracts bees, but boxwood honey is poisonous, like the plant itself, and therefore is prohibited for consumption.
Designers are attracted by the beauty of the plant, which lies in the dense elastic crown and the shine of each leaf. Experts appreciate the opportunity to work with the shape of the bush and prune it according to a creative idea. For a simple gardener, boxwood, first of all, is an unpretentious ornamental plant that can grow in shady areas.
When and where to plant boxwood
- Boxwood blooms in spring. And, like all spring-blooming plants, it needs to be planted in the fall at the optimal time, which is September and the first ten days of October. In 1 month, the culture will take root well and withstand the winter cold well.
- Some gardeners manage to plant boxwood in the spring and summer. This is also possible if you adhere to certain rules. A prerequisite for planting a plant is that the soil under the boxwood is clayey, well-calmed, permeable and constantly moist.
- When planting, you need to choose only shady places, since strong sun causes boxwood leaves to dry out.
How to plant boxwood correctly
If the purchased boxwood has a closed root system, then approximately 24 hours before planting, it is necessary to thoroughly moisten it. This is done in order to facilitate the process of removing the plant from the container and freeing twisted roots. And if you manage to immediately after purchase place the seedling in a container with settled water for 12-16 hours, then you can get perfectly prepared material for planting.
- The volume of the hole for planting should be 3 times greater than the volume of the root system of the seedling in both depth and width.
- Before placing the plant there, it is necessary to line the hole with a layer of drainage. For this, perlite with a thickness of at least 2-3 cm is used. Also, soil extracted from the pit is mixed with perlite in equal parts.
- After this, they take a seedling and straighten its roots. In this form, the boxwood is placed in a prepared hole and tightly covered with earth and perlite.
- When planting, you need to ensure that the boxwood trunk stands vertically, without tilting.
- After planting, the soil is moistened.
It would be good if it was rainwater, although settled water would also work. The amount of water for irrigation must be calculated. On average, a seedling up to 20-25 cm high will need 3 liters of water. After the first watering, the soil always subsides. Its deficiency is compensated by the remaining soil with perlite. So that when watering the water is concentrated near the plant and does not spread, you can build a small earthen roll in a circle, 20 cm from the trunk. If you sprinkle the resulting circle with perlite (with a layer of no more than 2 cm), you can minimize the loss of moisture due to evaporation.
How to care for boxwood in the garden
There are certain rules for caring for boxwood, following which you can get very good results. And intuition can come to the rescue in time. In the absence of rain, the first watering of the seedling should be carried out a week after planting.
A circle near the boxwood, bounded by a shaft, serves as a watering site. For one plant 1 meter high, 8-10 liters of water are needed for a single watering. In case of persistent drought, there is no need to increase watering frequency. You just need to increase the volume of liquid poured under the plant. They recommend either morning or evening watering, after which the soil is loosened and weeds are removed. With the onset of stable warmth, and this is the beginning or middle of May, the ground near the boxwood needs to be mulched. This is done with peat, which is scattered in a circle so as not to touch the trunk with shoots. The thickness of the mulch can reach up to 8 cm.
Boxwood needs to be trimmed regularly. After planting, in about a month, it will take root well and during this period the first portion of mineral nitrogen-containing additives and organic matter will be required. Exactly the same feeding is necessary for the plant during the period of its intensive growth. By digging up the soil in the fall, they prepare it for winter. Therefore, fertilizers based on elements such as phosphorus and potassium will come in handy. Nitrogen-containing minerals are excluded at this time due to their uselessness in the winter.
The best time to transplant boxwood
Spring is the best time to transplant boxwood. Over the summer it will get stronger, take root and survive the winter safely. If the plant is mature, then it is better to replant it along with the soil. Younger bushes are replanted in accordance with the principles followed during the initial planting of the plant. This procedure is completely painless for axle if all actions are carried out correctly.
Trimming boxwood When to trim boxwood
Somewhere in late April and early May, boxwood is pruned. You can form a geometric figure out of it. The most popular ones are cone, ball and cube.
Or you can use boxwood specifically as a standard tree. To do this, leave the central shoot, which differs from the rest in that it is very strong, elastic and durable. The remaining shoots are cut out at the root. As a rule, a ball is formed from the apical young shoots of the trunk by pruning. Moreover, the figure from the plant is cut only once, then it is slightly adjusted. This is explained by the fact that boxwood is not characterized by rapid growth. Only young growth is corrected, but the base remains unchanged.
It is touched if the bush no longer meets the requirements of visual beauty and attractiveness. Pruning is tolerated by boxwood easily and painlessly. The thicker it is, the more often you have to resort to pruners and garden shears.
- How often to prune boxwood? According to the recommendations of professionals, the buxus needs to be cut every month to maintain its attractiveness and well-groomed appearance.
- There is only one note: frequent haircuts require equally frequent watering and feeding. This must be done in order to replenish the plant with nutrients, which it does not receive due to pruning of young shoots.
- It is they, the young leaves and stems, that are the main suppliers of vital components.
The video will tell you how to cut boxwood:
How to deal with boxwood pests and diseases
The main pest of boxwood is considered to be the boxwood gall midge. u. She begins her destructive activity by laying eggs on the leaves of young shoots in the month of June. The larvae that hatch from these eggs penetrate the leaf tissue, feed on its juices and transform into a pupa there in order to safely overwinter. At the end of spring, an adult individual hatches from the pupa, which continues its genus in the same way as its ancestors.
Diseases that plague this garden crop include shoot necrosis and cancer. With necrosis, dry spots appear on the leaves and the ends of the branches die. Fungicides are repeatedly used for treatment. But the most terrible disease is cancer. If its symptoms are noticed, it is necessary to cut out the affected parts until healthy wood appears. Treat the cut areas with Fundazol.
Planting and caring for boxwood in the Moscow region
- The rules for planting and agricultural technology for cultivating boxwood in the Moscow region are identical to the agricultural technology for growing this plant in temperate latitudes.
- The only thing you need to pay attention to is the winter period, when severe frosts can destroy the plantings.
- Therefore, it is necessary to prepare for winter: cover the bushes and tie them up so that heavy snowfalls do not break the branches and frost does not destroy the young shoots.
- We will tell you more about preparing for winter below.
Boxwood propagation
There are 2 ways of propagating a crop: the main one is vegetative and, very rarely used, seed. The reason for the unpopularity of the seed propagation method lies in the seed material itself, which does not have good germination. After collecting the seeds, the germination rate gets worse and worse every day and eventually comes to zero. If you want to use boxwood seed to grow a crop, read the instructions on this issue to avoid serious mistakes.
Propagation of boxwood by cuttings
This is the most popular method of propagating boxwood. And it is better to carry it out in the spring.
- For planting material, strong, young shoots without signs of lignification are selected.
- Their optimal length is 12-15 cm. The cut of the cutting should be oblique.
- Leaves from the lower third of the shoot are removed and placed in a root solution for 24 hours.
- At the next stage, the cuttings are washed with water and the bare side of the cutting is planted in prepared soil, which should contain sand, leaf soil and humus in equal parts. It is important for the soil to be nutritious and light.
- deepen 1/3, to the lower leaves. Each is covered with a plastic bottle prepared in a special way. The bottle must have a volume of at least 5 liters. The bottom is cut off and the stalk is covered like a cap. To water and ventilate, unscrew the bottle cap and spray water through the hole or blow in air.
- You can also leave the cuttings in water, and when roots appear, plant them in pots for growing.
- After about 1 month, the roots of the cuttings planted in the ground begin to sprout; after 2 months, a full-fledged root system will be ready. It is at this time that the bottle is removed, and the young boxwood begins to get used to the natural conditions of existence.
- To create more favorable wintering conditions for young boxwood, you should cover it with spruce branches.
This video will tell you about boxwood cuttings:
If you use the autumn period to propagate the plant, then the cuttings should be planted not in open ground, but in a container or flower pot. An unrooted plant planted in the ground before winter will certainly die, even if it is carefully covered. In the cold season, cuttings planted in a container are placed in a room in which the air temperature is kept at +10°C. And only in the spring, after frosts, this planting material should be planted on the garden plot.
Reproduction of boxwood by layering
- The layering method is also very reliable.
- This method of vegetative propagation comes down to the fact that in the spring, the outer shoots of boxwood are carefully bent to the ground and sprinkled, secured with staples.
- In the future, nothing special is done. The cuttings receive the same watering and fertilizing as the mother plant.
- Numerous sprouts will indicate that the cuttings have taken root; the new bush is subsequently separated for transplantation to a new location.
Growing boxwood from seeds
Immediately after ripening, for a period of 24 hours, the seeds are placed in a solution of a growth stimulator. This may be a solution of the stimulant "Epin" or "Zircon". After a day, take 2 damp towels and place the seeds between them.
Since you have to wait quite a long time for the seeds to hatch, the towels have to be moistened periodically. Only after a month can you see the first white sprouts. If this does not happen, then it is worth carrying out shock therapy. It involves moving the seeds (directly in towels) into the vegetable drawer of the refrigerator. A few days later they are again transferred to a warm place and wait for hatching.
- While waiting, you can take care of the soil for planting the plant. To do this, mix sand and peat in equal parts and moisten the mixture.
- As soon as the sprouts appear, the seeds are carefully planted one at a time in separate cups in the prepared soil. You can also place them in common containers at a distance of 4-5 cm from each other. Planted in such a way as not to damage, the sprouts themselves should be directed towards the soil. It is best to spread the seeds over the surface and only lightly sprinkle with substrate.
- The container for germination is covered with film on top and put away in a comfortable, warm place.
place. The first shoots should be expected in a couple of weeks. - With the germination of the first green shoots, the film is removed, putting the container in a shady place.
- Before the seedlings get stronger, they are cared for, which consists of periodic watering and applying fertilizers of the weakest concentration (half the norm).
- Boxwood is planted in the garden when the threat of spring frosts disappears.
Wintering boxwood Autumn preparations of boxwood for winter
It is not for nothing that boxwood is common in those countries where the concept of “harsh winter” is completely absent. To cultivate a plant in a temperate climate, you need to prepare for winter conditions in advance. And evergreen plants go into hibernation during cold weather. This is especially true for their root system, which is constrained by frozen soil even during the period when the first rays of the spring sun encourage the green crown of evergreens to come to life.
It is at that moment that the leaves and branches need nutrition, which the not yet awakened root cannot provide. For this reason, not only branches, but also entire bushes dry out. The only way out of this situation is to plant bushes in the most shaded area.
Somewhere in the beginning of November, before the upcoming onset of frost, the boxwood is watered to charge it with moisture for the entire winter period. Then peat or rotted pine needles are added to the area around the tree trunk, but not dry leaves, which in a rotted state can cause fungal infections in boxwood.
How to properly cover boxwood for the winter
As the air temperature drops to a stable +10°C, boxwood begins to be covered. The trunks are not only covered, but also tied up so that heavy snowfall does not cause the bush trunk to break. And only after this the plant is completely tied with spruce branches or wrapped in warm non-woven fabric. You can also whitewash the trunk of adult plants, and then you will have to cover one crown. Don’t forget about the living boxwood hedge and wrap it in 2-3 layers of burlap. Sprinkle the edges with soil.
Before covering any bush or hedge, you need to tie them up so that the branches do not break due to the large volume of snow. The cuttings, as mentioned earlier, are covered with spruce branches and the trunk circle is mulched with warm peat. With the onset of spring, the shelter begins to be slowly removed, choosing a cloudy day for this so as not to shock the boxwood with the bright sun. You can even change the shelter to a lighter one and use it as a kind of canopy from the active spring sun. It is also impossible to delay the removal of protection, because boxwood will begin to rot and deteriorate under the influence of heat.
Types and varieties of boxwood with photos and descriptions
The most attractive forms of boxwood are grown in garden plots. Here are some of them.
Evergreen boxwood Buxus sempervirens
Often found in natural areas of the Mediterranean and Caucasus. It lives in the undergrowth of mixed and purely deciduous forests. Prefers places with dense shade. Evergreen boxwood is a tree (rarely a shrub), the height of which reaches 15 meters. Its straight shoots have a tetrahedral shape and are densely covered with dark green foliage. The arrangement of the leaves is characterized by opposition, and in appearance they are smooth and shiny.
The upper side of the leaf plate is different in color from the bottom. If the top one is bright, shiny, then the bottom one is matte, faded, light green with a yellowish tint. The shape of the leaves is elongated-elliptical, 1.5 - 3.0 cm long. The greenish small flowers of boxwood are unisexual. The set fruit is a small spherical box with valves. During seed ripening, the valves open. Evergreen boxwood is a poisonous plant.
Its best varieties include:
Blauer Heinz. This tough-leaved, squat shrub has bluish-green leaves. It is frost-resistant and compact. It belongs to new varieties and is intended for creating low, up to 20 cm, ornaments for carpets.
Sufructicosis- refers to evergreen shrubs that grow very slowly and reach only 1 meter in height. The original leaves are ovate or obovate, 2 cm long and arranged oppositely. Dotted with small flowers. Simply ideal for creating living fences and borders.
Variety Elegance stands out from the rest by the color of the leaf blade (they are variegated with a white border). This is a very dense shrub that has a spherical crown. The height is not great, up to 1 meter. But the shoots are straight, densely covered with foliage. It is drought resistant.
Small-leaved boxwood Buxus microphylla
This type of boxwood is a descendant of Japanese-Korean species and is frost-resistant. According to observations, it can withstand and not freeze at minus 30. But it is afraid of the spring sun, so it requires shelter from it. Preference is given to the following varieties of small-leaved boxwood:
Winter jam. It is easy to trim, although its crown is dense. The variety is frost-resistant and grows quickly, which is extremely rare in the boxwood family. Reaches a maximum height of 1.5 meters and is suitable for creating topiary.
Small-leaved boxwood Faulkner Buxus microphylla ‘Faulkner’ photo
Faulkner. It grows very slowly, reaching 1.5 meters in height. They cut it mainly into a ball shape, since the very shape of the bush suggests it. Colchis boxwood (lat. Buxus colchica). It is also called Caucasian boxwood. This is the smallest-leaved and frost-resistant boxwood of all European species. His life expectancy is 600 years. It grows slowly, rising only 15 - 20 meters with a trunk diameter in the lowest part of 30 cm. It is a relict of the Tertiary period.
Bolearic boxwood Buxus balearica
Belongs to the Western species. Its ancestral origin is the territory of the Bolearic Islands, southern Spain, as well as Portugal and northern Morocco. It is distinguished by its large leaves among all species of the Euro-Asian region. The length of its leaf can reach up to 4 cm (width - 3 cm). Fantastically decorative, grows quickly. But it cannot boast of such a quality as winter hardiness. These are not all types of boxwood that have adapted to a temperate climate and which can be found in the garden plots of summer residents. The rest are extremely rare.
Boxwood is an evergreen plant that grows in the form of a shrub or tree. Cute bushes with small foliage have long been used to decorate both gardening areas and homes. Today, boxwood, due to its good pruning tolerance, is often used not only in single plantings, but also for zoning the garden in group plantings as borders.
In nature, the genus has about 100 species, the habitats of which are the African, Central American and Euro-Asian regions. Only a few varieties are cultivated in gardens, on the basis of which breeders have developed very interesting forms and varieties.
Evergreen boxwood
In the wild, the species is represented by trees reaching 15 m in height, sometimes shrubs, with straight shoots, densely covered with glossy dark green leaves. Opposite leaves with barely noticeable petioles do not exceed 3 cm in length. When flowering, greenish capitate inflorescences consisting of unisexual flowers are observed. The seeds ripen in fruit-boxes with valves.
Popular varieties:
- Sufroticosa is a very slowly growing shrub up to 1 m in height with opposite ovoid leaves and small flowers. Suitable for creating borders and green fences.
- Blauer Heinz is a new frost-resistant variety used for carpet ornaments no higher than 20 cm, with rather rigid shoots covered with leathery leaf plates of green-blue color.
- Elegance is a variegated representative of the species, represented by spherical shrubs one meter high.
small-leaved boxwood
Compared to the previous species, it reacts less sharply to frost. Without shelter, the Korean descendant can withstand temperatures dropping to -30°C, but needs protection from the scorching spring rays.
The best varieties:
- Winter Jam is a fast-growing variety up to one and a half meters in height with excellent frost resistance. The dense crown tolerates pruning well.
- Faulkner is a slow-growing representative of the species with a compact crown, from which a ball is usually formed.
Caucasian boxwood
A slow-growing species, characterized by the best winter hardiness and the smallest leaves, in comparison with other European varieties. The maximum lifespan is 600 years.
Balearic boxwood
A fast-growing, large-leaved species, highly decorative. However, due to the lack of regionalization and harsh winter conditions, it is cultivated only in the southern regions with a mild climate.
Features of cultivation
When growing boxwood, it is necessary to take into account the following characteristics of the plant:
- Crown. It is formed from densely leafy shoots that easily tolerate molding.
- Boxwood flowers. They emit a pleasant aroma, attracting various insects, including bees. But boxwood cannot be used as a honey plant because all its parts are poisonous.
- Species and varietal qualities – shade tolerance and winter hardiness.
Planting in open ground
Proper planting is the key to successful rooting of the plant.
When to plant
The optimal time for planting boxwood is considered to be the first half of autumn, when there is at least another month left before frost.
This period is required for the plant to fully root. However, if a gardener really wants to landscape his plot with ornamental shrubs, and autumn has already passed, then planting work can be done in the spring.
Preparing the site and soil
For boxwood, shaded areas of the garden with light, loose soil of a slightly alkaline reaction that freely allows water to pass through are selected. The shrub is undemanding in terms of soil composition, but feels better in areas with a good fertile layer.
Landing rules
Planting of seedlings is carried out according to the following scheme:
- The soil in the container is watered abundantly to make it easier to remove the earthen ball.
- A day later, planting holes are dug in the selected area with dimensions three times larger than the size of the earthen clod.
- A layer of perlite is placed in the hole as drainage.
- The extracted soil is mixed with sand in equal parts.
- A seedling is lowered onto the drainage with its rhizome straightened and carefully covered with soil mixture.
- The soil in the tree trunk circle is compacted and watered.
- After the earth settles, the soil mixture is topped up.
- An embankment is made around the perimeter of the tree trunk circle for precise watering in the future.
- The inside of the circle is covered with a 2 cm layer of sand or perlite.
Caring for boxwood in the open ground
In order for an ornamental plant to decorate a garden plot for many years, it is necessary to carry out certain care measures.
How to water correctly?
The first watering after planting is carried out a week later. Subsequently, boxwood is watered in the morning or evening at the rate of 10 liters of water per specimen 1 m high. Water pours directly into the tree trunk circle, which is outlined by an earthen rampart. During the dry period, the volume of water increases, but the frequency of moistening does not change.
Loosening and mulching
After the soil dries, the tree trunk circle must be loosened. When the ground warms up sufficiently by the end of spring, the soil is covered with a 5 cm layer of mulch.
Important! Mulch should not come into contact with boxwood shoots.
Fertilizing and fertilizing the soil
Boxwood prefers fertile soil, which should be systematically enriched:
- In spring and summer, plants are fertilized with complex mineral fertilizers.
- In the fall, to fully prepare the bush for winter, boxwood is fed only with phosphorus-potassium fertilizers.
Pruning and crown formation
Formative pruning, which boxwood tolerates absolutely painlessly, is carried out in the second half of spring. The result of the procedure most often is a cone, ball or cube. You can also form a ball on a stem. To do this, it is enough to leave the strongest shoot, removing the rest. Since most species and varieties have a slow growth rate, in the future it will be necessary to only slightly adjust the formed crown.
Attention! The density of the boxwood crown directly depends on the frequency of haircuts: the more often pruning is done, the thicker the bush.
Shrub transplantation
If the plant needs to be moved to another area, it is better to do this in the spring along with a lump of earth, so as not to unnecessarily disturb the root system. Boxwood transplantation is carried out according to the same scheme as the initial planting.
Disease and pest control
The culture is often observed feeding on boxwood gall midge caterpillars, felt weeds and spider mites, which should be combated by double treatment with a systemic insecticide with an interval of 10-14 days.
Diseases include shoot necrosis, which can be treated with fungicides, and cancer. If the latter disease develops, the affected shoots are pruned, including the healthy part of the branch, and the cut sites are treated with a fungicidal solution.
Boxwood shelter for the winter
Winter is the most difficult period for an evergreen plant, in which the root system is not able to provide the shrub with the necessary nutrition and moisture during the bright sun, which awakens the buds. Before the onset of cold weather, boxwood is watered abundantly, and the tree trunk circle is mulched with peat, which will allow it to accumulate a certain supply of moisture.
When the thermometer drops below -10°C, boxwood takes cover:
- Standard forms are tied to a support and completely wrapped in non-woven material.
- Hedges and single plantings are tied together so that they do not break under the weight of snow, and are protected with three layers of covering material.
Boxwood: reproduction
As a rule, boxwood reproduces by vegetative methods, but if desired, a gardener can try to grow a shrub from a seed.
Seed method
Schematically, this long and labor-intensive process looks like this:
- Seeds germinate for a month in a wet cloth.
- The hatched seed is sown in a substrate of peat and sand.
- Crops are kept under glass until germination.
- Strong seedlings are planted in open ground after the onset of stable heat.
Boxwood - propagation by cuttings
Boxwood is quite widely used in landscaping:
- Due to the good tolerance of cutting, spectacular geometric shapes are formed from the bush.
- Low-growing varieties are used to create borders that delimit garden areas or mark garden paths.
- Tall varieties look great as hedges.
- An excellent combination with flower crops allows you to create decorative scenes using boxwood.
So, if you follow simple rules, everyone can grow an unpretentious, but at the same time spectacular boxwood.
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