Prep for show - how far ahead do you start?

[BrianBay9]

I'm planning on showing a large boxwood at a club mini-show in September. It's been growing out since last year so it needs a significant pruning and clean up. I don't want it to look like it's just been sheared in September, so how soon would you normally start work on a show tree? One month ahead? Two? I know there will be detailed work up to the day of the show.

 

[River's Edge]

I'm planning on showing a large boxwood at a club mini-show in September. It's been growing out since last year so it needs a significant pruning and clean up. I don't want it to look like it's just been sheared in September, so how soon would you normally start work on a show tree? One month ahead? Two? I know there will be detailed work up to the day of the show.

This is very dependant on the species, your standards for show presentation and the level of show you are considering. For a basic club show I would suspect the norm would be two to three months in advance. For a juried show likely one or two years prep in advance. ( assuming a finished design with healed scars and no major work required)
If significant pruning is part of the work plan then one needs to consider the condition of fresh pruning scars and a much longer time frame may be required. But then the personal standards for show come in.

 

[Forsoothe!]

I concur. You really start now and tweak the tree every day until the show. That means it already is the final design and all you are doing is removing a leaf at a time every time you see one is out of place or is going to be out of place. You don't show all your trees, just a few. You choose which are the best candidates early and tweak them on an on-going basis. On a Boxwood you would pick by fingertip an occasional leaf that pointed in the wrong direction or protruded beyond the canopy top or bottom. There are some species, like Tamarack that would be allowed to grow normally and then have the undersides of branches be picked within two weeks of a show, but that just involves picking by fingertip needles that point down from a branch, not trimming any branches. A Tamarack forest of any size could take 8 hours of such work, then 10 minutes of tweaking every other day to maintain a high state of readiness. Moss should be applied at least a month prior, but that's not possible for a spring show because the moss is not always available that early.

 

[Shibui]

Much will depend on your personal standards, the species, time of year of the show, the ground cover and other factors.
Many will be happy to put a tree in a club show with just a quick clean up the week before. Some trees are good enough to get away with that approach for club shows but not for higher level shows where everything counts.

The reality is everything you have ever done to the tree is preparation for the show. Pruning to develop good ramification, fine terminal twigs and small foliage needs to be done years in advance and is ongoing whether you show or not.

Personally I like to start final show preparation 2-3 months before to get a good moss cover going. Final trim a week before a spring show. Defoliation of deciduous 3-4 weeks before if it is summer show to give either new leaves opening or a crop of unmarked leaves.
Hope the boxwood lives up to expectations.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

At least a year, especially with conifers, and with regard to container. Many practitioners have trees in varying states of readiness:

1. a few preparing for show this year and next year
2. a group for the next 2-3 years out
3. and those which have been shown, and now are back in heavy training in preparation for 5-7 years out.

For a local show, I’d be comfortable showing trees in my groups 1 and 2, with the prep time being a few weeks to trim shoots, add or remove wires, clean trunks and pots, and moss the soil. For Nationals, I prepare 2 years in advance, and am already thinking what I may submit for the 2023 show.

For timing out your boxwood, you don’t want it to be full of bright fresh new growth (it is distracting and belies the illusion of age), so look back at your photos and see how long it takes to respond to pruning. If it’s 4 weeks, maybe time a pruning for late July so the new growth is hardened off by late August, and then you can trim it one last time just a few days prior to the show.

 

[Tieball]

At least a year, especially with conifers, and with regard to container. Many practitioners have trees in varying states of readiness:

1. a few preparing for show this year and next year
2. a group for the next 2-3 years out
3. and those which have been shown, and now are back in heavy training in preparation for 5-7 years out.

For a local show, I’d be comfortable showing trees in my groups 1 and 2, with the prep time being a few weeks to trim shoots, add or remove wires, clean trunks and pots, and moss the soil. For Nationals, I prepare 2 years in advance, and am already thinking what I may submit for the 2023 show.

For timing out your boxwood, you don’t want it to be full of bright fresh new growth (it is distracting and belies the illusion of age), so look back at your photos and see how long it takes to respond to pruning. If it’s 4 weeks, maybe time a pruning for late July so the new growth is hardened off by late August, and then you can trim it one last time just a few days prior to the show.

Makes good sense. Especially the part about fresh new growth that does distract from the illusion of age. That often gets overlooked in timing preparation. Well explained in a good brief way.

 

[sorce]

I don't think generalities are easily applicable to boxwood.

I'd like to see pictures of it last September, coupled with more information about the length of your growing season, general pruning habits, and any other relevant info.

I feel like making an attempt to display a boxwood in the state you describe, at that time, may technically be impossible, or, if possible, not without a large risk to the continued health of the tree. I believe* September is an "off" time for you.

I believe, if it takes 5 years to figure out regular growth patterns of a tree, it will take another 5 or more to find the tweak in the pattern to display at an "off" time.

The Japanese have shows at times that best compliment the tree being displayed in it's regular pattern.
I don't think we take this into consideration enough.

*The more I think about that the more I think September may actually be the perfect time to display boxwood there.

New green growth on boxwood is especially distracting,


the size though, as compared to old growth, is even more distracting.

Both of those things can be found on real trees though, the even more distracting thing, that doesn't occur on full size trees, and only present on broadleaf evergreens and tropicals like ficus, is the "2ft" wide leaf at the base of a branch.

The horticultural point being, in order to safely display a boxwood in it's prime, you have to be aware that you will be removing or preventing both newer growth, and older growth. So depending on your regular care timeline, you may find you are removing a lot.

The key for me, is being able to remove that growth, without adverse future reactions.

We really must understand more in order to know how long of prep time is actually needed.

Note, I believe "club shows" ugh...can have less than perfect displays, but that doesn't mean they should be displayed in a less than prime as possible state because of this, if anything, it should be executed better to compensate for the less than perfect display, or "not quite there yet" state of trees acceptable in a club show.

A "You may not be able to put lipstick on a pig, but you damn well try", thing.

I would be sure to have all the basal old leaves gone ASAP.
Go through and find all your "proper nexts", good forks, that will compromise the final shown state.
Then prune to them during summer dormancy.
The resulting flush of growth should be the only thing on display. Remember those shoots will have basal leaves that should be removed.

Timing of this is crucial, which is why I would like to understand prior patterns it shows.
Actually, it's not the timing that is crucial, it is the understanding of what else has to be done, depending on timing, that will have it in it's primers state.

On one hand, cutting back too early during summer dormancy, may make it push fall growth too early, which may become leggy with big leaves.

Too late after fall growth begins, and you will have an odd bit of ramification, with more basal leaves that would require removal.

Somewhere in between the 2 should work.

Doing parts of the tree early and parts later may work even better.

Sorce

 

[sorce]

The key for me, is being able to remove that growth, without adverse future reactions.

The adverse future reaction being a late flush, due to boxwoods need to get to certain lengths before dormancy, that will die.

They care more to grow to their predetermined silhouette than they care to not have that growth die.


Sorce