Boxwood surprise

[canoeguide]

I needed to remove this landscape boxwood (~20 years in the ground) and was quite surprised at the quality of the base.

The roots were easy to sort out. The top was more challenging. I wanted to leave some foliage, but having been hedge pruned for years, all of the foliage was at the edge of the original profile.



Did I go too far or not far enough? Should I come back at this tomorrow and get it back further into some kind of rounded/dome profile?

 

[Japonicus]

I'm just here to admire this awesome opportunity

Have a 1/2 gallon mister or an auto mist system?

Should I come back at this tomorrow and get it back further into some kind of rounded/dome profile?

I wouldn't have removed so many trees prior to lifting...+ BR, but I've no experience with boxwood either.
Just starting my limited research, so following along to see how this one turns out. Nice grow box!

Did I go too far

Very Nice Boxwood... Help!

I have a really nice boxwood I found at a local nursery that has been field grown and somewhat forgotten. It has a really nice trunk and they said they will dig it up for me this week or next. I am wondering what kind of work I can do to it this spring? Could it handle a repot and heavy prune...

www.bonsainut.com

 

[BrianBay9]

I'm sure you'll get lots of advice. Personally when I've dug a boxwood I start by not cutting back past the last green on any branch I want to keep. Usually that gives you lots of back budding farther back that you can cut back to later.

 

[canoeguide]

Personally when I've dug a boxwood I start by not cutting back past the last green on any branch I want to keep. Usually that gives you lots of back budding farther back that you can cut back to later.

I've read this (and it's why I've left some branches so long). I've also read that if the end of the branch is left long, most of the backbudding will occur towards the end. Then that backbudding may be beyond the desired length. Boxwood seem to tend to do the pom-pom thing pretty easily.

I'm willing to spend a few years chasing back the foliage, but, if boxwood is as tough as some people say, that's a few years I could be building better ramification where I want it (if I chop harder now).

 

[Firstflush]

Just tough cause they grow extremely slow…but you have tiny leaves and fine old bark right off the bat so there is that.
As others have said, I would not cut back to bare wood on any important branch.
Looks like you have a twinny with two natural dominant trunks.

 

[BrianBay9]

I've read this (and it's why I've left some branches so long). I've also read that if the end of the branch is left long, most of the backbudding will occur towards the end. Then that backbudding may be beyond the desired length. Boxwood seem to tend to do the pom-pom thing pretty easily.

I'm willing to spend a few years chasing back the foliage, but, if boxwood is as tough as some people say, that's a few years I could be building better ramification where I want it (if I chop harder now).

They often bud back when cut bare, but not always. Depends on how much risk you're willing to take.

 

[canoeguide]

I just read a ton of boxwood threads. (Thanks @Japonicus for sending me down that rabbit hole!) I might have been a bit too aggressive, as there are quite a few branches that I left with zero foliage, especially in the center. I wish I had some more boxwood experience before digging this one, but I've got 6 more that are even bigger to dig at some point in the future. I'll keep you updated on this one!

 

[Shibui]

I just read a ton of boxwood threads. (Thanks @Japonicus for sending me down that rabbit hole!) I might have been a bit too aggressive, as there are quite a few branches that I left with zero foliage, especially in the center. I wish I had some more boxwood experience before digging this one, but I've got 6 more that are even bigger to dig at some point in the future. I'll keep you updated on this one!

Don't be looking for problems before they occur.
Box are tough and usually throw new shoots even when chopped to bare wood so start looking forward to all the new growth.
Even if a section does die look at that as an opportunity to style differently (there's way too many branches here anyway)

Look forward to seeing all the new shoots.

 

[canoeguide]

there's way too many branches here anyway

Agreed, and thanks for the encouragement! The more I look at this (in 3d there's a *lot* going on here), the more options I see.

 

[Jzack605]

Wow I’m seeing a naturalistic rendition of a white oak in there

 

[penumbra]

I have never had a boxwood not throw new buds no matter how far back I cut them. I have cut all the foliage off boxwood many times. Maybe I'm lucky or maybe its the nature of boxwood (and azalea).

 

[Backwardsvg]

I needed to remove this landscape boxwood (~20 years in the ground) and was quite surprised at the quality of the base.
View attachment 428594View attachment 428593View attachment 428595View attachment 428596
The roots were easy to sort out. The top was more challenging. I wanted to leave some foliage, but having been hedge pruned for years, all of the foliage was at the edge of the original profile.

View attachment 428597View attachment 428598View attachment 428599View attachment 428600View attachment 428601

Did I go too far or not far enough? Should I come back at this tomorrow and get it back further into some kind of rounded/dome profile?

This is amazing! looks beautiful

 

[canoeguide]

I'm pleased to have gotten backbudding on every single branch. Many of the new shoots seem to be equally distributed along the branches' length, which will make chasing this back much quicker.

 

[BonjourBonsai]

That trunk is gorgeous!

 

[canoeguide]

This tree has been left alone for 2 years, and as you can see, has filled back in and backbudded very well. The tree is blooming and smells fantastic.


It was removed from the heavy wooden box and slip-potted into an Anderson flat. The soil is full of roots and the outer several inches were removed to fit into the flat. It will need to be repotted and root-worked next year.


A fair bit of work was done to prune long extensions, reduce long branches back to new shoots where possible, and break off stubs from the initial pruning 2 years ago (thus at least creating a more natural look). More of this work of chasing back foliage and selecting branches remains to be done this year.