Boxwood need light in winter?

[JonW]

I have a nice collection of tropicals, but only a handful of cold hardy plants. I keep the cold hardy ones under my storm doors - it maintains dormancy, but protects against frost/freezing.

I'm thinking of expanding my hold-hardy plants (in part because I'm out of space to overwinter more tropicals!), but I'm still learning about this. I'm interested in boxwood, particularly Kingsville or Harlandii, which I know are both probably harder in my region than English. I have a lead on a nice Kingsville - would it be a risky investment?

What I've read about Kingsville (and Harlandii for the most part) are that they are less cold hardy than English and need winter protection. However, I also read they are semi-dormant, not fully dormant. Does this mean they still need sunlight? If so, storing it under my storm doors is out of the question. I know they can survive by a dimly lit window if it is around 50-degrees, but my house is warmer than that.

I have a few English boxwood in my yard that I might yard-a-dori in the future. Thanks for your help!

 

[sorce]

I think the problem with those Boxwoods are, sure,the "finished" ones are nice, but that doesn't take away the fact that a cutting will never see a bonsai pot in a "finished" way, so they ought to be cheap.

All the "finished" ones I seen seem top suffer from "scaredtocutbackitus" which IMO makes them suck.
Screw paying for a gimmick.

Oh the leaves are small, but, like the tiny Ulmus, the list of shit qualities(everything else) keeps it from being worth buying.

But this is coming from an English Box Fan.

If I was the English Box in your yard, I would clown you for wasting time with those fake boxwoods and secretly come into the house,where their frail asses stay, and drip poison in their pots.

I don't mean to be rude. I just think you can get way more out of what you put into the locals.

Welcome to Crazy!

Sorce

 

[JonW]

What are the shit qualities the Kingsville suffers from? I know the dwarf elms have die-back.

I appreciate the honest and entertaining feedback. "Scared to cut-back itis" is something I've gotten better with - a couple years ago, cut all the branches off my ficus and this year, removed the lowest branch to graft it elsewhere.

I'm interested in plants I won't have to fight to keep alive, but are rewarding to work on. If the Kingsville has problems, I agree - it makes sense to stick with English boxwood or another species all together. I have a number of ficus varieties, schefflera, jades and portulacaria afra, podocarpus, neea buxifolia, a few crepe myrtle, dwarf gardenia, japanese dogwood... probably a few others, and a few trees in ground that I might yard-a-dori. I'm trying an air layer on a mikawa yatsubusa, and I have 2 junipers in ground (one was a big-box store bonsai that someone received as gift, but didn't want). I mostly have tropicals, so I was thinking about getting a few cold hardy, which I've only started delving into. I'm keeping my eye open for a "you dig" yew and might be able to get a Dawn Redwood cutting.

 

[ScottNYC]

lol hater, Kingvilles are dope!

 

[JonW]

lol hater, Kingvilles are dope!

Mine has been responding really well to work. It was a neagari and I ground layered it this spring. It grew strong enough that I did a structural prune and removed all the trifurcations. After that, it bounced back strongly. It put out some growth that reverted to normal boxwood, which I'm going to let grow for a couple seasons I think to add girth.

 

[Daluke]

Kingsville are dense.

If you clear out the crammed bits they backbud. This helps give options with styling.

They are brittle - you need to be careful wiring. If it’s woody it’s going to be hard (not impossible) to wire. Most of the difficulty comes from getting our fat fingers in to the parts to be wired.

They go bronze over winter but if you frost protect they stay green.

They are slow growing but I’ve found they push growth if left in a water tray. Fertilise with manure.

Letting shoots “run” sometimes results in reversion to larger leaf.

 

[JonW]

Kingsville are dense.

If you clear out the crammed bits they backbud. This helps give options with styling.

They are brittle - you need to be careful wiring. If it’s woody it’s going to be hard (not impossible) to wire. Most of the difficulty comes from getting our fat fingers in to the parts to be wired.

They go bronze over winter but if you frost protect they stay green.

They are slow growing but I’ve found they push growth if left in a water tray. Fertilise with manure.

Letting shoots “run” sometimes results in reversion to larger leaf.

I have a few guy wires on mine but bought tweezers just for the kingsville because I can't get in there well. I have an automatic mist system and fertilize with Jobes organic as well as dyna gro foliage pro.

 

[Daluke]

I have a few guy wires on mine but bought tweezers just for the kingsville because I can't get in there well. I have an automatic mist system and fertilize with Jobes organic as well as dyna gro foliage pro.

Make sure your dogs don’t eat the leaves! They are toxic

 

[JonW]

Make sure your dogs don’t eat the leaves! They are toxic

Didn't know I had dogs
Good to know! I think most non edible plants are at least mildly toxic

 

[ABCarve]

I’ve had a kingsville mame for 5 years that I keep in a dark unheated garage for the winter. Lowest temperatures reach 24 F. although not for long periods of time. Average temperatures are 30 F.

 

[JonW]

I’ve had a kingsville mame for 5 years that I keep in a dark unheated garage for the winter. Lowest temperatures reach 24 F. although not for long periods of time. Average temperatures are 30 F.

I keep my plants under my storm doors, usually 34 to 40 degrees

 

[Bonsai Nut]

Didn't know I had dogs
Good to know! I think most non edible plants are at least mildly toxic

Buy some dogs... and then make sure they don't eat the leaves

I haven't owned a boxwood in years, so I'll share what I don't like about them. It's a combination of slow growth, weak wood with a tendency to break or die back, and weak roots. You see them all the time in box stores where they look like they would be a natural... but then you bring one home and half the time you'll kill it just trying to repot it. Never say never - because I have seen a couple of decent trees over the years - but there is a reason why they are few and far between.

If you find a chunky one in an old hedge, it might be worth an effort. But there are so many better plants out there, it usually isn't worth the heartache.

 

[JonW]

Buy some dogs... and then make sure they don't eat the leaves

I haven't owned a boxwood in years, so I'll share what I don't like about them. It's a combination of slow growth, weak wood with a tendency to break or die back, and weak roots. You see them all the time in box stores where they look like they would be a natural... but then you bring one home and half the time you'll kill it just trying to repot it. Never say never - because I have seen a couple of decent trees over the years - but there is a reason why they are few and far between.

If you find a chunky one in an old hedge, it might be worth an effort. But there are so many better plants out there, it usually isn't worth the heartache.

I have some as hedges as they seem bulletproof. I thought the biggest risks were disease that spreads in ground soil / from rain splashing on the ground. Well, I have a decent one I enjoy and since my space is limited, I've been selling most larger leaved trees.

What trees do you like? Anything very compact?

 

[Bonsai Nut]

What trees do you like? Anything very compact?

If you like the small broad-leafed evergreen boxwood vibe, try a Japanese or Yaupon holly.

 

[JonW]

If you like the small broad-leafed evergreen boxwood vibe, try a Japanese or Yaupon holly.

I just bought a ilex crenata pagoda

I do more deciduous but I have almost all broadleaf other than a sekka. I have a procumbens nana but prefer it as ground cover and planted it in my yard

 

[Bonsai Nut]

I just bought a ilex crenata pagoda

There ya go! I think you'll really like it. I've got four different holly species on my current property, including some that have been in landscape for 40 years. I need to move a couple of hedges and just chopped 20 mature Japanese hollies back to 12"... to get them to bud wildly before I lift the stumps.

 

[JonW]

There ya go! I think you'll really like it. I've got four different holly species on my current property, including some that have been in landscape for 40 years. I need to move a couple of hedges and just chopped 20 mature Japanese hollies back to 12"... to get them to bud wildly before I lift the stumps.

Very cool! I just watched a Japanese bonsai video on YouTube removing air layered from a holly

 

[penumbra]

I have no Japanese hollies but I will someday get a 'Pagoda". I think they are great.
All my boxwood are kept outside all year long, including my Kingsville that is very old.
I did kill one once by keeping it inside under lights.

 

[JonW]

I have no Japanese hollies but I will someday get a 'Pagoda". I think they are great.
All my boxwood are kept outside all year long, including my Kingsville that is very old.
I did kill one once by keeping it inside under lights.

I always liked the circular pattern of leaves. While I don't think Nigel saunders is a good source of info for bonsai, I like his videos because I get to live vicariously through someone with more trees, but his buddy had a pagoda in a recent video so I pulled the trigger on one. It's in organic soil, so I'll do a fall or spring repot into pumice and a root pruning pot for the next several years

 

[hinmo24t]

I keep my plants under my storm doors, usually 34 to 40 degrees

cool idea with bulkheads. i have roofed breezeway and garage options but i like the idea of having some trees in bulkhead, or for those without other options. id imagine it gets colder than my garage would get, but maybe not from heat from the house. interesting