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Texas Gardening

Remove old boxwoods from planter

15 years ago

HI All

Every fall I think about removing some old boxwoods from a brick, long planter attached to the house. It's right in front of a picture window and eats my ankles whenever I clean the windows. Any suggestions for how to do this gracefully?

Also, if I cut them back...as in way back...will they die or just slowly fill in?

Thank you

cynthia

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Comments (8)

prairiepaintbrush
15 years ago
If you will remove mine that are 8 ft. tall, I'll remove yours for you. :))) I'll even provide chain saws and shovels.
natvtxn
15 years ago
I cut mine back. The ones 3" tall are not sprouting out. The ones about "6 to 8" are very slowly sprouting.
I keep breaking those sprouts off. Hopefully I will eventually kill them all.
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TxMarti
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I had some that were about 4 feet tall & pruned them back severely & they are barely coming out of it a little over a year later.
cynthianovak
Original Author
15 years ago
Thanks all
I hate to tare out living plants. I guess whoever decided they would look good in front of the window did not clean those windows....grins.

I think the best solution is to hire someone to dig them out, then stand guard over my bed of pentas a couple of feet in front of that window.

c
pjtexgirl
15 years ago
I cut mine to the ground (they smell like kitty pee to me so I didn't want them) and "painted" the stumps with herbicide. The area I took it out of has a downspout but looks good evergreen so I'm putting in evergreen perenials instead. PJ
cynthianovak
Original Author
15 years ago
pj
which herbicide did you use? I have squirrels and birds running through this area, but I could cover the stubble with some sort of tarp or even old sheets for a while. I've never used an herbicide, but confess that this sounds like a good way to protect the brick planter for something different.

How long did it take yours to deteriorate enough to remove the roots?

c
pjtexgirl
15 years ago
Roundup concentrate "painted" on the stump is what I used to kill it. Round up degrades quickly into a non toxic combination after you apply it BTW. I did the shrubs in August and pulled the rootsystem at the end of September. With the organic method (black plastic and sugar) it took a year at the old house.
What I wrote didn't make sense in the last post!EEEKK! I put in an evergreen perenial raingarden because of the downspout. It will look good and stop erosion from carrying my topsoil far away :)
cynthianovak
Original Author
15 years ago
Thanks PJ
I had a bottle of Roundup Brushkiller in my hand at HD. Their resident "specialist" told me that I had to spray it so it wouldn't get on other things.....(scary isn't it). Being the usual me, I asked her why painting it on would make get it in more areas than spraying? She just said that's what you're supposed to do spray it directly on the brush.

Being in the right mood, I asked her if she'd ever us it. No, hadn't used that product. Had she ever removed boxwoods or brush of any kind? No. Was there anyone there with more experience? No. They don't have a horticulturist on staff.

Anyway, I think I'll get the purple Roundup since I've heard the most about it. Your post has spurred me on.
c

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