Can I safely trim a boxwood hedge in winter?
kateonline
13 years ago
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simcan
13 years agogardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
13 years agoRelated Discussions
Old Boxwood Hedge - Would like Assistance-pic heavy
Comments (6)Thanks Greenman28. I'll post more pics as I do stuff to it. Paul3636, I have mine in a large pot too... I'm going to leave it for a while and make sure it's recovered from its uprooting... but I'm thinking of separating all three. I think the tree on the far left of pic #3 would make a nice Literati style. What do you guys think? I used Photoshop to try to show you what I had in mind... Of course the top will need some more work than just bending down and shortening. I may just trim out some smaller branches to thin out the top so more light gets in and I get more back budding. Do you have pics of yours Paul? here's my idea for the right tree...See More4' tall boxwood hedge - Green Velvet or Green Mountain?
Comments (7)Green Velvet is the hardier of the two, surviving at or nearly at -30 here in Iowa. Green Mountain would be better if you were looking for a hedge that can be pruned into an upright or conical fashion as it is more pyramidal compared to the rounder Green Velvet. Green Mountain may work for you in 5b, but where we are here (a solid 5a with sometime 4b temps or colder), Green Mountain will die back to the snow line once it reaches below -20 to -23. If there is a chance that you will reach these temps consider something else. Also, be aware that there is a boxwood blight circulating the Eastern U.S. and becoming more prevalent in the Midwest. Your plants will need to be certified blight free. Most production nurseries have started doing this but check just to be sure....See MoreBoxwood hedge in the shade?
Comments (5)We have a boxwood hedge at my mom's house that is almost always shaded. There is a peach tree about 5 feet to the west, and 5-foot high wood property fences 3 feet to the south and less than 1 foot to the east. The boxwood receives virtually no direct sunlight. All possible sun angles are blocked by the fence, trees and the house itself. Our part of town rarely drops below 35 degrees in winter so I cant say how much colder the boxwood can stand. But it did survive last January's nasty frost. We do get hot summers that break into the 115 degree range and the boxwood did not seem to mind it at all. I'm not sure exactly what type of boxwood we have, since it has been there ever since we bought the house. It does get plenty (or maybe even too much) water from the lawn sprinklers, which probably helps during the hot summer months....See MoreCan I rework an old boxwood hedge or does it need to go?
Comments (6)Most shrubs can be HARD pruned and will grow back out again. But you need to do it now so they have time for the new growth to harden before winter sets in again. You can prune them to about 10 inches tall with sharp pruners to make clean cuts. They will look awful for a while, but keep them well watered and give a little fertilizer and you'll get new growth. Then you can shape them the way you want....See Morekateonline
13 years agosimcan
13 years agotsugajunkie z5 SE WI ♱
13 years agokateonline
13 years ago
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