Planting boxwood and caring for it are not particularly difficult, but there are some nuances to which we will draw your attention. Boxwood is an unpretentious evergreen shrub with bright, juicy leaves that attracts glances, ennobles our gardens, house adjoining territories. This plant is distributed in almost all countries of Europe, Asia, North America. Of its many species, we have only one - boxwood is evergreen, growing as a low tree (up to 10 m) or, most often, as a bush.
This plant perfectly withstands partial shade or even shade, tolerates summer heat well. The box is frost-resistant, can withstand temperature drops to -20-22 ° C. Winter protection, shelter in the south for boxwood is not necessary. It tolerates the adverse conditions of the city - smoke, high gas content. It easily withstands planting, transplanting (no matter how old the bushes are), as well as cutting, for a long time keeping its shape.
Today, evergreen boxwood is widely used by landscape designers. With certain skills, various geometric shapes and animal silhouettes are created from his crown. The creation of hedges, the artistic cutting of green bushes is called topiary art.
Boxwoods - what types can be grown on a site or a summer residence?
Boxwood is not a capricious plant, but on loose, fertilizer-rich soil it will feel better, which will affect the density of the crown, its size. It is characterized by high shade tolerance, moisture-loving, but also relatively drought-resistant.
For different decorative ideas, the corresponding types of shrubs are used. For example, for low borders, slowly growing, frost-resistant species (Bleuer Heinz, Suffruticosa) are optimally suited. Lush hedge of boxwood is possible thanks to the variety Rotundifolia, Buxus sempervirens or Handsworthiensis. To create balls or small figures suitable grade Green Gem.
On some varieties, it is worthwhile to pay attention, since they are most often used to design summer cottages:
- Buxus Sempervirens is the most common type of boxwood in our country. He is experiencing excellent winters, lends himself well to haircut, shaping figures.
- Buxus Suffruticosa is frost-resistant, optimally suited for medium-sized hedges, characterized by vertical crown growth, egg-shaped leaves.
- Blauer Heinz is a squat, slow-growing species. The growth direction of the shoots is up, the leaves have a bluish tint. This boxwood is used to form "rugs", low borders, curly ornaments. Bred relatively recently, more frost-resistant than Suffruticosa.
- Buxus Arborescens is a shade-tolerant tall shrub with a dense crown, fleshy egg-shaped leaves. It has a rich dark green color of the sheet with a lighter transition down. Not capricious to the composition of the soil, but feels better on calcareous, not very dry drained soils.
- Buxus Winter Gem microphylia is a small-leaved shrub with a dense crown; it belongs to fast-growing varieties and lends itself well to forming. It is optimally suited for topiary works, edging flower beds. He loves the sun and partial shade, fertile soil, systematic watering.
- Buxus Faulkner microphylia - when growing, gives a natural spherical shape of the crown, which is very convenient for the subsequent formation of balls. Also prefers sunny and semi-shady places, regular watering, fertile soil rich in microelements.
- Buxus colchica - Colchis boxwood. This is a wild Caucasian variety, which is the most frost-resistant among its counterparts. It has small fleshy leaves, has a very slow growth, is listed in the Red Book of the Russian Federation.
You can buy a boxwood for planting in the corresponding online stores, specialized departments of supermarkets. For these purposes, already grown seedlings are sold, packed in agrofibre or special pots.
How to propagate boxwood?
Boxwood propagation by cuttings is carried out by selection of young, but already lignified shoots that are easily rooted. For this, the upper, normally formed part with a length of 10 cm is used. The calendar period of cuttings is important. This should be done either early in the spring (February, March), when the growth points of the shoots awaken, or closer to the fall (August-September).
Before rooting, the cuttings are disinfected with a cherry-colored manganese solution. It is advisable to use growth stimulants such as Cornevin (Heteroauxin) or a new, highly effective SILK.
Rooting is carried out in boxes, on shelves of the greenhouse or in the open ground. When rooting, sand is usually used, which is poured with a 5 cm layer onto a thicker layer of loose, fertile soil.
Watering is carried out regularly with a watering can. During the heat, cuttings are watered at least 5 times a day, and at a temperature of less than 20 ° C you can limit yourself to three waterings.
With summer rooting, shading of the nursery is necessary. Early spring cuttings of boxwood allows you to get seedlings suitable for planting after one year, and summer - only after two years.
Video how to propagate boxwood:
Boxwood - planting and care
Before planting boxwood, the soil must be saturated with appropriate fertilizers. If fertile soil is used when planting boxwood, then they will grow faster, and if the soil is not rich in mineral compounds, useful top dressing, then it will be slower. The main requirement is well-drained soil.
When planting bushes, it is necessary to take into account the time for rooting the bush - about 1 month. According to an old omen, it is better to plant plants blooming in spring in the fall (or vice versa). Spring is the flowering time of this plant, so a boxwood transplant in autumn will be more appropriate. But if you want to postpone the landing time in early spring, then nothing bad will happen. Experienced gardeners claim that spring adaptation of seedlings goes without problems.
How to transplant boxwood:
- Seedlings are watered abundantly on the eve of transplanting - this is necessary for subsequent convenient extraction of the plant from the pot.
- Perlite is poured at the bottom of the dug hole (which should be twice as deep and wider than the root system of the bush), with a layer of 3-4 cm. It will act as a drainage.
- The seedling is carefully removed from the pot, while its roots should not be bent. After that, the bush is placed in a prepared pit, the space around it is filled with earth mixed with perlite (1: 1). Make sure that the barrel is pointing straight up.
- The hole is filled to the top, the soil is pressed a little by hand, followed by abundant watering of the plant.
- We add the soil sagging after watering and again add a layer of perlite (2-3 cm) from above - this completes the boxwood landing.
The shrub requires serious care during changeable weather conditions in late autumn or winter. The alternation of frosts with thaws does not affect the plant and its roots in the best way, therefore protection of the boxwood must be taken care of in advance.
In central Russia, for 5-7 days before the onset of frost, the bushes must be abundantly watered, and the ground under the bush should be covered with peat or needles (or finely chopped bark) of conifers. In order not to ruin the plant, do not use foliage for mulching. If the winter is not very severe, then the leaves will begin to churn, thereby provoking the growth of pathogenic fungi.
To the question: is it necessary to shelter boxwood for the winter, the answer will be yes. With the onset of frost (at least -10 ° C), these plants require warming. Spherical shrubs are covered with wooden or plastic containers, which must have ventilation openings. Boxwood bushes of a different shape are tied up, covered with dense material (for example, lutrasil, spanbond, spantex).
In the Kuban, boxwood is not harbored for the winter.
When heat arrives, all covering materials are removed to avoid heating and overheating. It is advisable to remove snow in order to provide access of sunlight to the soil.
April or May is the best time for pruning boxwood bushes. Correction of the crown should be accurate, as one should not forget about the rather slow growth of this shrub.
The plant is sheared for the first time a year after planting, when it becomes clear that its root system has gained strength, strengthened.
When boxwood is sheared, a kind of stimulation of the growth of the lateral branches occurs - this process also positively affects the density of the crown.
Pests and boxwood diseases
Boxwood care and planting are crucial stages, but protecting the plant from pests and diseases is of great importance. With proper care, the risk of a problem can be minimized, but the most common dangers for evergreen shrubs should be mentioned.
Boxwood diseases and their causative agents:
- Boxwood gall midge (order Diptera, genus Monarthropalpus) is manifested by the appearance of yellow convex spots on top of the sheet, nodular swellings from below. Orange larvae nest inside the galls; upon damage, the leaf dries out and dies. To prevent the occurrence of this pest, the bushes are treated with a chemical solution (for example, Fufanon, Karbofos-500, Bitoxibacellin). Regular pruning partially helps to stop the activity of the parasite.
- The mushroom Volutella buxi provokes shoot necrosis, which is indicated by pink or orange spots (sporangia). Infected shoots must be removed, since fungicide treatment does not cope with the problem.
- The fungus Cylindrocladium buxicola causes the loss (discharge) of leaves, which begins to attack young shoots, foliage. The disease spreads quite quickly, requires radical measures - cutting off the affected branches. Treatment with fungicides works if it is carried out as a preventive measure. Suffriticosa is the most susceptible to this scourge.
- Boxwood leaf flea bends the leaf, covers it with adhesive coating, and also gives a whitish color. Affected foliage is removed, and spraying the crown with mineral oil (M-30 or M-50) helps to combat this pest.
- Boxwood firefly is a nocturnal butterfly, whose caterpillars entangle leaves, shoots of loose cobwebs, and also provoke the rapid drying of parts of the bush (or the whole bush at once). The presence of the pest is signaled by a change in the color of the foliage, but if you do not take measures, then the fire can hit the vast territories where boxwood grows. Pyrethroids show a good result in the fight against a firearm. The preparations Fastak, Fury, Decis, Karbofos, BI-58, Karate are effective, but they must be used carefully, given the close presence of people or pets. At the initial stage of lesions, you can use the drug "Dimilin" - it is safe for humans, domestic animals. The timely detection of boxwood fire will help defeat her.
Photo of a boxwood struck by a boxwood moth (Armavir, Krasnodar Territory - 2016):
Many have a desire to have such an attractive ornamental plant on a homestead or in a country house, but not everyone succeeds. The reason for this is ignorance of the biology and methods of growing boxwood. The boxwood planting and maintenance performed in accordance with all the rules, as well as timely protection from pests, are the guarantee of the beauty and personality of your site.
Below is a video. The author called it "Dreamy and Classic Boxwood Gardens." Maybe viewing will give you an idea of how best to decorate your garden with boxwood.
Amendments were introduced on 08.25.2016.