Boxwood is an evergreen plant that is used for landscaping.
Can be grown in the form of a tree or shrub, looks good in tubs.
There are many varieties of this shrub that can be successfully grown at home.
Varieties for open ground tolerate shearing and shaping. From them create various figures that adorn the garden.
Growing boxwood in the open ground (photo)
Boxwood is grown from container seedlings, which are purchased in specialized stores. When buying a plant, you need to pay attention to the condition of its leaves. In a healthy plant, they are dense, leathery, dark green in color. The bush is well branched, there are no bald spots and bare areas. Do not buy plants with yellow and sluggish leaves.
Useful Tips
1. For boxwood, select a site in a cool, but well-lit place.
2. The plant does not tolerate drafts at all, so boxwood is planted along the fence or buildings in a sheltered corner of the garden.
3. Evergreen shrub prefers loose and nutritious soil. Sand and humus are added to the substrate for planting.
4. Boxwood is growing rapidly, therefore, requires additional nutrition. In the summer, he is fed with every watering. If the plant is kept indoors in winter, it must be fertilized once a month.
5. Shrub does not like dry air. Spraying will help maintain optimal moisture around the plant. To do this, use warm water.
6. Transplant adult plants as they grow using the transshipment method. In this case, you need to carefully monitor the root system so as not to injure it.
7. The desired shape is given to the plant by pruning. The remaining cuttings are used for rooting, which is carried out in a humid environment. To do this, cuttings are placed in a container with earth and covered with a bag, constantly monitoring the level of soil moisture.
8. With insufficient care, the plant is often affected by pests and diseases. The most dangerous of them: spider mite, mealybug, scutellum and root rot.
How to plant a boxwood according to all the rules (photo)
As already mentioned, boxwood prefers light and nutritious soils, but with proper care it grows well on any soil. A place for planting seedlings is allotted in well-lit areas, but in winter the plant is shaded. Spring rays are dangerous for the crown and cause leaf burns.
Boxwood is planted in the spring. With this approach, the plant is well rooted before the onset of cold weather. Adult specimens can be transplanted in the summer, subject to the observance of further care, spraying and watering. Autumn planting is carried out a month before the onset of frost. If you plant a plant later, then most likely it will not tolerate winter.
Correct boxwood fit
• In the open ground boxwood is grown in trenches, which make it much deeper than the root system.
• Drainage with a layer of about 15 cm is laid at the bottom of the trench. On top of it is a leaf humus, compost and garden soil.
• A seedling is lowered onto a “pillow” of leaves and earth, spreading its roots.
• The distance between plants is not less than 40 cm.
• After planting, seedlings are watered well.
How to care for boxwood: crown formation with photo
Throughout the season, the soil under the bushes is mulched with peat or sawdust of conifers, needles. Basic plant care comes down to preparing it for a safe wintering. Winter for boxwood is a real test. The shrub does not tolerate drying winds, temperature changes, thaw and spring sun rays. Therefore, with the onset of autumn, the plant must be well prepared for the cold.
1. Before the onset of frost, the plant is watered and mulch the soil well. Important! Dry leaves cannot be used as winter mulch, as they begin to churn and are a source of fungal diseases.
2. When the weather is at -10 degrees, boxwood is insulated. To do this, use boxes with holes for ventilation.
3. Dwarf plants and boxwood borders are covered with non-woven material.
4. Tall varieties of plants are covered with burlap. Shoots are necessarily tied to a support so that they do not break off under the snow.
5. In early spring, an evergreen shrub must be freed from shelter. It is not completely removed. First, half of the bush is opened, and then the rest is removed.
6. It is advisable to remove the covering material in cloudy weather.
Plant Nutrition
When caring for boxwood, you can not forget about top dressing, with their help you can increase the plant's frost resistance and resistance to various diseases.
Feed the plant begin from the moment of active growth. Throughout the season, fertilizers are applied every week. Good results were shown by the Baikal EM-1 preparation and the infusion of bird droppings.
How to trim boxwood
This evergreen tolerates pruning well. Boxwood needs to be trimmed from April to September. In return, the bush will thank you with a beautiful lush crown and succulent foliage.
Important! The more often the haircut is carried out, the more plentiful the watering and feeding should be.
The first time after planting, plants carry out only shaping and corrective pruning. Anti-aging pruning is performed in older specimens, the crown of which grows randomly.
Boxwood on a stem with a spherical crown looks beautiful. It takes years to form such a tree, but it's worth it. Use a template to shape the ball. The stamp is formed as follows: cut all the side shoots to the desired height. Further, as the boxwood grows, with the help of the template, a beautiful crown is formed, all root shoots are removed.
Boxwood propagation by cuttings
After cutting the plant, a large number of cuttings remain, from which young seedlings can be obtained. With proper rooting, almost 100% of cuttings take root.
For rooting, those cuttings are selected whose base is slightly lignified. The length of the handle does not exceed 5-10 cm. All the lower leaves are removed, it is necessary to leave only two upper leaves.
Prepared cuttings are planted in loose soil, which is prepared from a mixture of garden soil and peat. Tanks with landings are covered with a bag and watered well. Throughout the rooting period, it is necessary to monitor the level of soil moisture. After 20-25 days, the root system forms in the plant. Next, boxwood is planted in a container for growing. Shrubs can be planted in a permanent place in the garden next spring.
It’s not difficult to take care of boxwood, even a beginner gardener will cope with this. A variety of varieties and types of evergreen plants allows to realize any design decisions. In landscape design, varieties with a spherical shape and dark green or variegated leaves are most often used.
• Suffruticosis - shoots grow vertically, the crown keeps its shape well. The leaf color is green.
• Blauer Heinz - characterized by a slow growth of shoots. The color of the leaves is gray-blue.
• Elegans is an attractive plant with a spherical crown. Leaf color is green with a white border.
