Ok, two years ago planted a hedge of Green Gem boxwood. Planted them so they touched, they were already decent size at the time, maybe a little over 1 foot tall and wide. Big mistake. Huge. This year, they were not happy, had some browning either due to winter damage, retarded root growth, or lack of water. Take your pick, could be any reason, we neglected them last year due to other priorities. We also had them too close to the retaining wall, could have been root exposure. In any case, we were being impatient and planted them too close. We dug them up, a chore, but the burlap was still intact - the roots hadn't even established. We removed one from each row to allow more room for growth. We also added compost to the soil. Normally, I would not prune any plant at planting time, but these had so many dead branches because they were packed so tight, we had no choice. So, we trimmed them down to a low hedge. I would say, space them properly if you can, you will be rewarded in the long run. In my experience, in my zone, Boxwood have done fairly well for me as far as growth rate, and I have clay soil. I have some in shade, some in most full sun, and aside from my overpacked hedge, they've all done wonderfully. In other words, they will grow faster than you might expect. Ideally, in future years, it is appropriate to prune/hedge boxwood in mid june, no later than mid July to give them time to harden off before winter. Also boxwood like to go to sleep for the winter with wet feet - I run a soaker hose mid November - this is the last of the moisture they will receive. I protect mine from the sun with pine sprigs in the winter months, or burlap works fine, and I spray them with wilt pruf in November after watering to help the foliage retain moisture. I have Green Velvet - love it, nice mound shape. Green Gems are more compact, they have done well for me. I also have green mountain, takes to shearing/hedging well, but will also grow into a nice upright form if left to grow naturally. My Green Velvet, on the north face of my home reached a nice mature height going on the fourth year - BEAUTIFUL. I have planted two more, for a set of three. Love them. Water daily for the first two weeks after transplanting, then weekly until well established, for the first two years.

Rose of sharon flowers on new growth in the spring. There are a couple of options for pruning. 1. if they are too big for your taste in the summer, wait until after the bloom to trim them back. Don't do like my mother in law does and sever the plant right before it blooms. 2. other option, and best i think, is to just cut them back in early spring before they start growing. If they are 10 feet tall, you could head them back to 5 or 6 foot tall in April. It will send out new shoots, then flower buds later. Its such an easy plant to grow, the only reason i can think of why they might not be flowering so well, is if they are getting more shade. Larger, mature trees put out growth and change lighting conditions for other plants, sometimes its hard to notice.

Oh, clm, I'm not attacking you! I was making some fun, and I'm sorry you thought I was attacking you, not my intent! Yes, you would need to prune away any dead wood, that is always a good idea as it can be a source for insects and infection to gain entry. But it's not necessary to prune very young citrus if they're a bit uneven. And, as John has mentioned, the Improved Meyer lemon's natural growth habit is more bush-like, so I would allow it to do what it wants to do, naturally. Now, all that being said, you can prune for shape, and even what I would call "severe" shape with espaliering of citrus. Lemons and limes actually do well with this, and the Bearss lime has sort of a natural "espalier" type of lateral, 2-dimensional growth habit to start with. So, if you're so inclined, and would like to try your hand at espaliering a citrus tree, pick up a Bearss lime tree that hopefully is already displaying some of the 2-dimensional lateral branching, and prune to espalier. Beyond this type of "ultra-pruning", it really isn't necessary to prune young citrus. I let mine grow for a bit to see it they can recover their shape themselves, then, if they are really, really lopsided, I'll either pull a branch down mechanically, so that it runs parallel to the ground to stimulate new apical branching (think of a climbing rose - you want the canes to run horizontally, parallel to the ground, so that new nodes are stimualated to act as apical nodes, and sprout new growth and flowers), or resort to some minimal pruning. Almost all plants will respond in this manner, and you can force new apical node growth from the nodes along that branch, and voila! New growth. No need to nick or cut the tree (which damages the tree, and you always run the risk, then of a portal of entry for diseases and insects). Remember, citrus are tip producers, so if you prune too much, you're going to prune away your flowers and then your fruit. Okay, some before and after photos of a couple of poor citrus trees I had ordered, and could not pick up for a couple of weeks. Had someone holding them for me, who forgot to water them. They were in very bad shape when I finally got my hands on them. Yes, I did prune out dead wood, but that's all I did for these two trees, and they needed every leaf they had, even if they were leaves on their way out (dying). These two little trees needed as much ability to generate energy as possible, until they could recover and produce a new flush of leaves. They both were rather rare varieties, so I was determined to save them, as they were very hard to get. First series of photos is my Chironja orangelo, before and after: And after (about 2 years, now). There is enough canopy growth to now support some fruit (as you can see): And, my little Ortanique tangor, which has a more weeping structure, sort of like a Satsuma mandarin. It was in very sad shape as well, I thought I was going to lose this little tree. I think it had maybe 10 leaves on it, and was all bent over sideways. I just allowed that branch to stay horizontal, as I knew it would create those apical nodes to wake up, and send out new branches. It did in a huge way. It, too, now has fruit that I'm letting stay to maturity. This series of photos is from the start, 1 year later, then just today, almost 2 years, now: Patty S.

The typical root system of established trees will extend many times the radius of the canopy, sometimes as much as three or four times. The canopy of a tree is not something that should ever be considered as a 'marker' for tree roots, as it would be limiting, indeed. However, healthy trees can be removed with most of that root system severed, because when transplanted properly into a good site, root regenerate rapidly. Field-grown (professionally grown) trees are managed in such a way to limit their root development into the surrounding territory too much, but even at that, up to 90% of the roots can be left in the field after digging. No attempt is made to get 'as much of the root system as possible'. For one, the trees would weigh several tons! Anyway, a much more appropriate measurement to give us is the diameter of the trunk, probably at about 4.5 feet up the trunk. That's diameter, not circumference. The ideal way to transplant trees of this size would probably be with a tree spade. The actual size of the tree (in diameter) would indicate what size spade. Tree spades cut the roots sharply, remove the ball from the ground with very little damage to the crown and root ball, and will also move the tree for you. By the way, with the proper measurements, I can probably estimate how much the tree and root ball will weigh, give or take a couple of hundred pounds. Tree spades 'can' be used to dig the hole, too, but the operator might need to be ordered to dig it three or more times as wide than he is used to doing. This is probably the ideal time of year for you to transplant. Do NOT do any top pruning prior to the procedure. The foliage is the energy source that will enable the tree to produce new roots rapidly. Also, plant hormones in the branch tips trigger root development, as well. If you prune the top, then the tree is forced to concentrate that essential energy from the leaf factories away from the roots. Thus, top pruning to compensate for root loss is a myth. As the previous person mentioned, plant only into native soil without any amendments at all. Again, the hole should be at least three or more times wider than the root ball but NO DEEPER! As a matter of fact, the hole can be a few inches more shallow so that your tree sits a bit higher than the surrounding grade. I'm not a fan of the Super Thrive, but I know a lot of people who are. It can't hurt, at least! Be sure to avoid fertilization at this time. All your trees will need is water, sunlight, and time. By the way, the larger the tree, the more difficult it is for the tree. That's why we need that measurement. I can estimate how many months it will take for your tree to become properly established. Questions? Confused? Let me know!