In almost all countries North America, Asia and Europe, the evergreen plant boxwood is widespread and very popular. This evergreen shrub valued for its thick, beautiful crown, which is easy to shape. With the help of boxwood (buxus) lawns are framed, scenes, borders, and hedges are created.
Owners of their personal plots widely use it as decorative element garden, front garden or cottage. This is due to the fact that the shrub is frost-resistant, tolerates pruning well and is unpretentious in cultivation and care.
Description, types and photos of boxwood
Boxwood is an evergreen shrub whose height can be from 2 to 10 meters. It has become an indispensable element of interior design because of its decorative crown and slow growth. Over the course of a year, a bush can grow only 5-6 centimeters.
Boxwood is distinguished by its dark green, oval-shaped leaves. By rubbing them in your hand you can smell a fairly strong smell. Unisexual flowers of the plant are very small and inconspicuous in size. In October, fruits are formed from them, which are a round box. Small cracks appear on the grayish-yellow bark of boxwood with age.
Boxwood in nature there are more than 30 species, each of which has unique qualities and finds its application in landscape design.
In indoor conditions, evergreen boxwood can be grown like a bonsai. Ideal for this variety "Buxus harlandii Hance". The slow growth of the shrub and its small leaves allow you to create real miniature masterpieces.
To plant a bush, no special knowledge or skills are required. It is recommended to plant young plants in the autumn season. Bushes aged three years and older are replanted from early spring to late autumn.
When purchasing seedlings, it is best to choose the container option. Shoots and leaves should be green, the crown should be lush. Leaves with yellow spots they say that the plant is sick and will soon die.
Planting should be carried out on a cloudy day in holes prepared in advance, which should be twice the volume of the horse system. The bottom of the hole must be covered with turf soil, leaf humus and sand (2:4:1). You can add potassium fertilizer.
The seedling is placed in the hole very carefully. The roots are straightened, covered and compacted. A depression is formed around the trunk and the plant is shed. It is recommended to mulch the soil around the plantings with agrofibre or bark coniferous plants.
So that the bushes grow strong and densely leafy, the soil for them should be:
- well drained;
- breathable;
- loose;
- nutritious;
- with neutral acidity;
- loamy.
Evergreen boxwood can grow in poor soils. Wherein the crown will be dense and dense, but its growth will noticeably slow down. Therefore, it is recommended to add compost and slaked lime to such soils.
It is best to temporarily bury buxus seedlings purchased in November in a leeward shady place garden, sprinkled with light, permeable soil. In winter they will need to be covered with snow. On permanent place bushes are planted in April.
Properly planted plants take root within three weeks. After this, you can start trimming the bushes. This is needed not only to receive beautiful shape, but also to increase root growth and good growth of green mass.
Features of caring for evergreen boxwood
Shrub care is quite simple, however has its own characteristics and nuances.
Caring for boxwood at home
Buxus as indoor culture quite capricious. Therefore, it is necessary to take care of it at home subject to some rules.
- The place for the plant should be chosen in a bright place, but without direct sunlight. It is best to grow boxwood near western and eastern windows.
- Watering should be regular. The plant is watered in small doses and sprayed from the aerator. It is necessary to ensure that water does not accumulate in the pan. This can lead to rotting of the root system.
- In winter optimal temperature for buxus it is 6-10C. To do this, the pot with the plant can be placed near the glass balcony door, or place between double frames. Watering in winter is reduced to a minimum.
- Boxwood is replanted every 2-3 years. This should be done carefully. To avoid damaging the roots, remove the plant from the old pot with a lump of earth.
- You can trim indoor bushes throughout the year.
Boxwoods propagate by cuttings, which are harvested from late June to mid-July. To do this, young shoots with three internodes that are lignified at the base are selected.
Cuttings with two upper leaves, cut into two internodes, are immersed in a mixture of peat and garden soil. Only leaves should remain on the surface. To create a greenhouse effect, the cuttings are covered with film or a glass jar. The container is placed in a warm, bright place, but not in direct sunlight. Watering should be frequent, but not abundant.
After about a week the cuttings will begin to take root and sprout. At this time, they will need to be seated in separate containers. IN open ground young plants are planted in the first days of September. They should have time to take root well before frost. For the winter, the seedlings are covered with covering material, since young boxwoods are afraid of frosts below -15C.
Diseases and pests of boxwood
Of great importance in caring for the buxus is its protection from pests and disease prevention. With proper care there should be no problems, but the most common hazards should be studied.
Of the pests, boxwood can suffer from moth, leaf flea or gall midge.
- The moth is a nocturnal moth that can affect large areas of green shrubs. Its caterpillars entangle shoots and leaves with cobwebs, causing drying out of parts of the plant or the entire bush. When foliage changes color, boxwood should be checked for the presence of moth caterpillars. Infected trees are treated special drugs.
- The leaf flea turns the leaves white and bends them. Affected leaves should be removed and the crown treated with mineral oil.
- Gall midge appears as nodular swellings on the bottom of the leaf and yellow spots on the top. The leaves dry out and die. In this case it is required regular pruning and treatment with chemicals.
Among the most common diseases of boxwood are the fungus Cylindrocladium buxicola, which causes leaf loss, and the fungus Volutella buxi, which causes shoot necrosis. In both cases Pruning of infected branches is required and escapes. Fungicide treatment does not control diseases. But it can be used as a preventive measure.
In landscape design, buxus is very popular as a hedge, green scenes, framing ridges and flower beds. From its bushes you can make geometric shapes and all kinds of shapes.
Plants can be shaped into a pyramid, ball, cone or oval. With their help you can decorate front gardens, paths and flower beds.
High varieties of boxwood, which include “Rotandifolia” and “Latifolia”, used to form hedges. The Handorthiensis variety is distinguished by its unusual strength. It looks original and beautiful as a backdrop against which roses bloom.
It is better to plant buxus for hedges in the spring. For this purpose, holes are prepared, the distance between which should be 30-40 centimeters. The sprouts are removed from the container, placed in a prepared hole, covered with soil and watered.
Boxwood will look good in a flowerbed in combination with heuchera. By placing a bush with red leaves in the central part, you can plant boxwood along the edges. Against the background of its greenery, the heuchera will contrast and stand out.
If form a shape from boxwood or you yourself are unable to create the composition, you can always use the services of professionals, or buy a ready-made, original plant.
If you follow all the rules for planting and caring for boxwood, the plant will delight you with its beauty for many years. And the hedges, shapes and figures formed from it will decorate your garden plot to the envy of all your neighbors.
Planting boxwood and caring for it is not particularly difficult, but there are some nuances to which we will draw your attention. Boxwood is an unpretentious evergreen shrub with bright, succulent leaves that attracts the eye and enhances our gardens. local areas. This plant is widespread in almost all countries of Europe, Asia, and North America. Of its many species, we have only one - evergreen boxwood, growing like a low tree (up to 10 m) or, most often, like a bush.
This plant perfectly withstands partial shade or even shade, and tolerates summer heat well. Boxwood is frost-resistant, withstands temperatures down to -20-22°C. Winter protection and shelter in the south are not needed for boxwood. He tolerates it well unfavourable conditions cities - smoke, increased gas content. It easily withstands planting, replanting (no matter how old the bushes are), as well as pruning, maintaining its given shape for a long time.
Today, evergreen boxwood is widely used by landscape designers. With certain skills, all kinds of geometric shapes and animal silhouettes are created from its crown. Creation of hedges, artistic haircut green bushes called topiary art.
Boxwoods - what types can be grown on a plot or cottage?
Boxwood is not capricious plant, but on loose soil rich in fertilizers it will feel better, which will affect the density of the crown and its size. It is characterized by high shade tolerance, moisture-loving, but also relatively drought-resistant.
For different decorative ideas appropriate types of shrubs are used. For example, for low curbs Slow-growing, frost-resistant species (Bleuer Heinz, Suffruticosa) are optimal. Curvy hedge from boxwood is possible thanks to the variety Rotundifolia, Buxus sempervirens or Handsworthiensis. The Green Gem variety is suitable for creating balls or small figures.
Some varieties are worth paying attention to, since they are most often used for decorating summer cottages:
- Buxus Sempervirens is the most common type of boxwood in our country. It survives winters well, lends itself well to cutting and shaping.
- Buxus Suffruticosa is frost-resistant, optimally suited for medium-sized hedges, characterized by vertical crown growth, ovoid leaves.
- Blauer Heinz is a stocky, slow-growing species. The direction of shoot growth is upward, the leaves have a bluish tint. This boxwood is used to form “rugs”, low borders, and figured ornaments. Bred relatively recently, more frost-resistant than the Suffruticosa variety.
- Buxus Arborescens is a shade-tolerant tall shrub with a dense crown and fleshy ovate leaves. It has a rich dark green leaf color with a lighter transition downwards. It is not picky about 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 is a fast-growing variety and lends itself well to shaping. Ideal for topiary work and edging flower beds. Loves sun and partial shade, fertile soil, systematic watering.
- Buxus Faulkner microphylia – when growing, it gives a natural spherical crown shape, which is very convenient for the subsequent formation of balls. It also prefers sunny and semi-shaded places, regular watering, fertile soil rich in microelements.
- Buxus colchica – Colchian boxwood. This is a wild-growing Caucasian variety, which is the most frost-resistant among its fellows. It has small fleshy leaves, is characterized by very slow growth, and is listed in the Red Book of the Russian Federation.
You can buy boxwood for planting in the appropriate online stores and specialized departments of supermarkets. For these purposes, already grown seedlings are sold, packaged in agrofibre or special pots.
How to propagate boxwood?
Boxwood is propagated by cuttings by selecting young but already lignified shoots that take root easily. For this, the upper, normally formed part, 10 cm long, is used. Important has a calendar period for cuttings. This should be done either in early spring (February, March), when the shoot growth points awaken, or closer to autumn (August-September).
Before rooting, the cuttings are disinfected with a cherry blossom manganese solution. It is advisable to use growth stimulants such as Kornevin (Heteroauxin) or the new, very effective drug SILK.
Rooting is carried out in boxes, on greenhouse racks or in open ground. When rooting, sand is usually used, which is poured in a 5-centimeter layer onto a thicker layer of loose, fertile soil.
Watering is done regularly using a watering can. During the heat, the cuttings are watered at least 5 times a day, and at temperatures below 20°C, you can limit yourself to three waterings.
During summer rooting, shading of the nursery is necessary. Early spring cuttings of boxwood allow you to obtain seedlings suitable for planting in one year, and summer cuttings only after two years.
Video on how to propagate boxwood:
Boxwood - planting and care
Before planting boxwood, the soil must be saturated with appropriate fertilizers. If you use fertile soil when planting boxwood, they will grow faster, and if the soil is not rich in mineral compounds and useful fertilizers, then they will grow more slowly. The main requirement is well-drained soil.
When planting bushes, it is necessary to take into account the time for rooting of the bush - approximately 1 month. According to an old saying, plants that bloom in spring are best planted in autumn (or vice versa). Spring is the time of flowering for this plant, so replanting boxwoods in the fall will be more appropriate. But if you want to postpone the planting time to early spring, then nothing bad will happen. Experienced gardeners They claim that the spring adaptation of seedlings takes place without problems.
How to replant boxwood:
- The seedlings are watered abundantly on the eve of transplantation - this is necessary for subsequent convenient removal of the plant from the pot.
- At the bottom of the dug hole (which should be twice as deep and wide as root system bush) perlite is poured in a layer of 3-4 cm. It will act as drainage.
- The seedling is carefully removed from the pot, but its roots should not be bent. After this, the bush is placed in a prepared hole, the space around it is filled with earth mixed with perlite (1:1). Make sure the barrel is pointing straight up.
- The hole is filled to the top, the soil is pressed a little with your hands, after which the plant follows abundant watering.
- We fill up the soil that has sagged after watering and again add a layer of perlite on top (2-3 cm) - this completes the planting of boxwood.
The bush requires serious care during changeable weather conditions in late autumn or winter. The alternation of frosts and thaws is not the best way affects the plant and its roots, so protection of boxwood must be taken care of in advance.
IN middle lane In Russia, 5-7 days before the onset of frost, the bushes need to be watered abundantly, and the ground under the bush should be covered with peat or needles (or finely chopped bark) of coniferous plants. To avoid ruining the plant, do not use foliage for mulching. If the winter is not very severe, the leaves will begin to rot, thereby provoking the growth of pathogenic fungi.
To the question: is it necessary to cover boxwood for the winter, the answer will be positive. With the onset of frost (at least -10°C), these plants require insulation. Globular bushes are covered with wooden or plastic containers, which must have ventilation holes. Boxwood bushes of other shapes are tied up and covered with dense material (for example, lutrasil, spunbond, spantex).
In Kuban, boxwood is not covered for the winter.
When it gets warm, all covering materials are removed to avoid rotting and overheating. It is advisable to remove snow to ensure access to sunlight to the soil.
April or May - best time for pruning boxwood bushes. Correction of the crown must be careful, since one should not forget about the rather slow growth of this shrub.
The plant is pruned for the first time a year after planting, when it becomes clear that its root system has gained strength and strengthened.
When boxwood is cut, a kind of stimulation of the growth of lateral branches occurs - this process also has a positive effect on the density of the crown.
Pests and diseases of boxwood
Caring for and planting boxwood are important stages, but protecting the plant from pests and diseases is of great importance. With proper care, the risk of a problem can be reduced as much as possible, but the most common dangers for evergreen shrubs need to be mentioned.
Photo of a boxwood affected by the boxwood moth (Armavir, Krasnodar region— 2016):
Many people want to have such an attractive ornamental plant in their garden or dacha, but not everyone succeeds. The reason for this is ignorance of biology and techniques for growing boxwood. Planting and caring for boxwood in accordance with all the rules, as well as timely protection from pests, is the key to the beauty and individuality of your site.
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Plant boxwood (lat. Buxus)- a genus of evergreen, slow-growing trees and shrubs of the Boxwood family, of which, according to the latest data, there are about 100 species in nature. They are native to the West Indies, East Asia and Mediterranean countries. The name of the plant “buxus” was borrowed by the ancient Greeks from an unknown language. In nature, there are three large areas of boxwood - African, Central American and Euro-Asian. In culture, the boxwood tree is one of the most ancient ornamental plants, grown as potted and garden culture. In warm areas, boxwood bushes are used not only as hedges and borders - picturesquely formed boxwood bushes decorate gardens and lawns.
Boxwood at home is the most popular crop for bonsai because it can grow in a small container, bushes well, has small leaves and tolerates pruning well.
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Planting and caring for boxwood (in brief)
- Landing: from mid-September to early October, but if necessary it is possible in spring and even summer.
- Bloom: the plant is grown as an ornamental foliage plant.
- Lighting: shade or partial shade.
- The soil: any, but better calcareous, loose and well fertilized.
- Mulching: in early May with a layer of organic matter 5-8 cm thick.
- Watering: after planting, the first watering is a week later. In the future - regular watering at a consumption of 1 bucket of water per meter-high bush. During drought, watering is carried out according to the same scheme, but the consumption is doubled.
- Feeding: After planting, fertilizers are applied no earlier than a month later. Subsequently, during the period of active growth, organic matter and complete mineral fertilizers, and in the fall - only potassium-phosphorus complex.
- Trimming: in April or early May.
- Reproduction: most often by cuttings, but it is also possible by seed method.
- Pests: boxwood gall midges, psyllids, moths, scale insects, false scale insects, mealybugs, felt bugs, spider and gall mites.
- Diseases: root rot, rust, shoot necrosis, cancer.
Read more about growing boxwood below.
Boxwood plant - description
Boxwood leaves are opposite, entire, leathery, elliptical or almost round. The flowers are fragrant, small, unisexual, collected in axillary inflorescences. The fruit is a three-lobed capsule that cracks when ripe and scatters shiny black seeds. Boxwood is a honey plant, but boxwood honey cannot be consumed, since all parts of the plant are poisonous. Landscape designers value boxwood for its beautiful crown, shiny leaves and ability to tolerate pruning well. Gardeners, among other things, value decorative boxwood for its unpretentiousness and shade tolerance.
Planting boxwood
When to plant boxwood
If you adhere to the folk wisdom that says that plants that bloom in spring are best planted in autumn, and vice versa, it is better to plant boxwood in the autumn, from mid-September to early October, giving it a month to take root before the onset of cold weather. Although some gardeners successfully plant boxwood in early spring and even summer. It is best to plant the plant in a semi-shaded or shady place, in clay, moist and permeable soil containing lime. In bright sun, boxwood leaves quickly become damaged.
How to plant boxwood
A day before planting in open ground, boxwood seedlings with a closed root system need to be watered abundantly to make it easier to remove the root system with an earthen lump from the container. It will be even better if you can remove the seedling and immerse its roots in water for a day. The hole for boxwood should be approximately three times deeper and wider than the earthen ball with the roots of the seedling. A drainage layer of perlite 2-3 cm thick is placed at the bottom of the hole, and the soil removed from the hole is also mixed with perlite in equal parts. The roots of the seedling are straightened, placed in a hole and the roots are gradually covered with a mixture of soil and perlite, trying to avoid the formation of air cavities.
After filling the hole, lightly compact the soil and water the seedling with settled rainwater (for a seedling height of 15-20 cm, you will need 3 liters of water). When the soil in the hole sags after watering, add more soil mixture, but do not compact it. The trunk of the boxwood should be positioned strictly vertically. 20-30 cm from the stem, pour a low earthen bank around the circumference so that during further watering the water does not spread out, but goes deeper, and cover the near-trunk circle inside the circle with a layer of perlite 1-2 cm thick.
Caring for boxwood in the garden
How to grow boxwood
Growing boxwood is not at all a hassle, and if you don’t know how to care for boxwood, follow general rules gardening and simple logic. After planting, if there is no rain, water the boxwood every other week. Water consumption for further watering is approximately one bucket per meter-high plant. Water must be poured inside the circle that you marked with an earthen roller. You need to water boxwood in the morning or evening, and during droughts or dry hot winds, you need to water boxwood not more often, but more abundantly.
After watering, be sure to loosen the soil, simultaneously removing weeds from the area. At the beginning of May, when the earth has already warmed up sufficiently, the trunk circle of the boxwood is mulched with a layer of peat 5-8 cm thick, but in such a way that the mulch in no case comes into contact with the shoots and trunk of the boxwood.
Caring for boxwood involves regular feeding of the plant. The first time boxwood is fertilized only a month after planting, if you planted it in the spring, since only a rooted plant can be fertilized. Subsequently, during the period of active growth, complex mineral fertilizers or organic matter are applied to the soil, and in the fall, when digging into the soil, only those fertilizers that contain potassium and phosphorus, since nitrogen in the autumn and winter time the plant does not need it.
Boxwood transplant
It is better to replant boxwood in the spring so that the plant has time to take root safely and prepare for winter. Adult plants need to be replanted together with a lump of earth. Boxwood transplantation is carried out according to the same principle as the initial planting, and if you do everything correctly, the plant will undergo the procedure painlessly.
Boxwood trimming
Boxwood pruning is carried out in April or early May. You can form a boxwood bush in the form geometric figure– most often these are cubes, cones or balls. You can grow boxwood as a standard tree, leaving only the central, strongest shoot on it, and cutting out all the others at the root. Young shoots growing in the upper part of the central shoot of the trunk are usually given the shape of a ball. Once the plant is formed, you will only have to slightly adjust the shape, since boxwood grows very slowly.
When adjusting, usually only young growths are pruned, before pruning old wood the matter can only come to fruition if the bush has finally lost the required outline. Boxwood tolerates cutting very easily, and the more often you cut it, the thicker it becomes. Professionals recommend adjusting the boxwood crown monthly. However, keep in mind: the more often you prune your boxwood, the more often you will need to water and feed it so that it can replenish the lost nutrients provided by the pruned leaves.
Pests and diseases of boxwood
The main enemy of the plant is the boxwood gall midge, which lays its eggs in early summer in young leaves at the ends of the shoots. The hatched larvae eat into the leaf tissue and overwinter there, and in May adult insects emerge from their pupae. If the occupation of boxwood by gall midges is total, its leaves dry out and fall off. The fight against boxwood gall midge is carried out with the following drugs: Aktara, Karbofos, Fufanon, Tagore. If after one treatment you do not notice any improvement, repeat spraying after ten days. The same insecticides will help you in the event of the appearance of felt moth on the boxwood, the vital activity of which is manifested by swelling on the leaves and wilting of the shoots. Spider mites, which appear on the plant during severe dry weather, are also destroyed by the listed drugs.
Among the diseases, boxwood suffers from necrosis of shoots, accompanied by the death of the ends of branches and spots on the leaves. This disease is treated with fungicide treatment, and possibly repeated. The worst thing is if boxwood is affected by cancer. If this happens, trim the affected areas of the plant, taking in healthy wood, and treat the wounds with Fundazol.
Boxwood in Moscow and Moscow region
Planting and caring for evergreen boxwood in Moscow and the Moscow region is not much different from the plant’s agricultural practices in other areas with a temperate climate. However, in places where winter frosts are very severe, measures to prepare boxwood for winter cannot be neglected. Read about how to ensure a safe winter for the plant in the corresponding section.
Boxwood propagation
How to propagate boxwood
Boxwood is most often propagated vegetatively, but sometimes the seed propagation method is also used. The problem is that boxwood seeds lose their viability very quickly, but if you want to try growing a bush from a seed, use our recommendations.
Growing boxwood from seeds
Fresh, just ripened seeds are soaked for a day in warm water with a growth stimulator - Epin or Zircon. Then they are laid out between two damp (not wet) towels or napkins and wait until the white sprouts appear - this usually happens after a month, and during this time you must maintain the fabric in which the seeds are lying. wet. If sprouts do not appear within 2-3 weeks, place seed napkins in vegetable box refrigerator, and then move it again to a warm room.
After white sprouts appear, the seeds are sown in a mixture of peat and sand in equal parts, directing the sprouts into the soil, and cover the container with glass or film. The container is kept in a warm place in partial shade and seedlings are awaited, which should appear within two to three weeks. As soon as the green sprouts hatch, the film or glass is removed and the container is moved to partial shade. Caring for seedlings involves watering and fertilizing young plants with fertilizers of a weak consistency. Strengthened and grown seedlings are planted in the ground after return frosts have passed.
Propagation of boxwood by cuttings
Spring cuttings of boxwood- the most common method of propagation of this shrub. For cuttings, young, strong, but not completely lignified shoots 10-15 cm long are prepared, which are cut obliquely, and, after removing the leaves from the lower third of the cutting, they are soaked for a day in a root-forming solution. Then the cuttings are washed and planted in open ground with approximately the following composition: old, long-rotted compost or humus, leaf soil and sand in equal parts.
The composition may be different, the main thing is that the soil is light and nutritious.
The cuttings are buried in the substrate up to the leaves and each is covered with a five-liter plastic bottle with a cut out bottom. To water the cutting, you will need to unscrew the cap of the bottle and spray water inside from a spray bottle. In the same way, you can ventilate the cuttings daily. The roots begin to form in a month, and after two months the boxwood will already have a root system formed, and the bottle can be removed. Do not forget to cover the cuttings with spruce branches during the first winter, otherwise they will die.
You can propagate boxwood by cuttings in the fall, but they need to be planted in pots, since they will not have time to take root and become stronger before winter, so they will probably die even under cover. The cuttings need to be brought into a room with a temperature of 10 ºC, where they will wait out the winter cold, and in the spring they will be planted in a permanent place.
Reproduction of boxwood by layering
This is another reliable and proven method vegetative propagation. In spring, boxwood shoots are bent to the ground and buried. All summer they are watered and fed together with the mother bush, and when they take root and begin to grow, they are separated and planted in a permanent place.
Boxwood in winter
Boxwood in autumn
The most difficult period in cultivating boxwood is winter - the evergreen shrub is very sensitive to cold temperatures. In addition, the dormant root system does not provide the shoots and leaves of boxwood, which awaken to life at the first ray of sun, with moisture and nutrition, which is why they dry out. This is why it is important to plant boxwood in the shade. And this is why it is so important to take all necessary measures to prepare boxwood for winter.
Immediately before the onset of frost, in early November, it is necessary to carry out abundant pre-winter watering of boxwood, which will saturate the plants with moisture for the long winter months. After this you need to mulch tree trunk circles rotted pine needles or peat. Dry leaves are not suitable for this, because in a wet winter they can support and provoke the development of fungal diseases in the boxwood.
Boxwood shelter for the winter
When the air temperature drops to -10 ºC, they begin to organize the boxwood shelter. Before covering the boxwood for the winter, standard plants need to be tied to a support so that heavy snowfall does not break the boxwood stem. After this, you should completely wrap the trunk with non-woven material or tie it with spruce branches. In adult trunks, you can whiten the trunk, then only the crown of the plant will need to be tied with fabric. A border or hedge made of boxwood also needs shelter - they are completely covered with two or three layers of non-woven material or burlap, which are secured by sprinkling the edges with earth. But first the boxwood bushes need to be tied up - large masses of wet snow can break its branches.
Rooted cuttings and young boxwoods are tied with spruce branches, mulching the trunk circles with peat or pine needles. Remove the cover as soon as spring comes, otherwise the boxwood may dry out in the warmth. They do this on a cloudy day, and not all coniferous paws and layers of fabric are removed - leave one layer of burlap, lutrasil or spunbond and a little spruce branches for shading from the too bright spring sun. You need to gradually accustom boxwood to spring.
Types and varieties of boxwood
There are not many types of boxwood grown in cultivation, but it has very attractive garden forms that we would like to introduce you to. So:
Evergreen boxwood (Buxus sempervirens)
Distributed in nature in the Mediterranean and the Caucasus, where it prefers to grow in the undergrowth of deciduous and mixed forests, even in dense shade. This is a tree up to 15 m high, and much less commonly a shrub. The shoots of this species are straight, tetrahedral, densely leafy, and green. The leaves are opposite, almost without petioles, bare, shiny, dark green on the upper side of the plate and matte light green, even yellowish, on the bottom. The shape of the leaves is elongated-elliptical, length from 1.5 to 3 cm. Small unisexual greenish flowers are collected in compact capitate inflorescences. The fruit is a small spherical capsule with valves that open when the seeds ripen. All parts of the evergreen boxwood are poisonous! The best varieties:
- Suffruticosis- an evergreen shrub that grows slowly strictly vertically up to 1 m in height. The leaves are ovate or obovate, opposite, up to 2 cm long. The flowers are small. The plant is ideal for hedges and borders;
- Blauer Heinz- a squat, slowly growing shrub with tougher shoots than Suffruticosa and leathery bluish-green leaves. This is a relatively new variety, which is used to create carpet patterns no higher than 20 cm. More compact and frost-resistant than the previous variety;
- Elegance– a dense shrub with a spherical crown up to 1 m high with straight, densely leafy shoots and oblong variegated leaves with a white border. Drought resistant.
Small-leaved boxwood (Buxus microphylla)
Unlike evergreen boxwood, this species is much less sensitive to winter frosts. This is a Korean or Japanese descendant of boxwoods, which can withstand thirty-degree frosts in winter without shelter, but nevertheless needs shelter from the bright spring sun. The most popular varieties in cultivation:
- Winter Jam- a very frost-resistant variety of boxwood with a dense crown, which is great for creating small topiary forms. Tolerates pruning well. A fast-growing variety rare for boxwoods, reaching a height of 1.5 m;
- Faulkner- a compact, slow-growing shrub up to 1.5 m high; most often its bushes are pruned in the shape of a ball, which is favored by the natural growth of the crown.
Colchian or Caucasian boxwood (Buxus colchica)
A slow-growing relict of the Tertiary period, which is the smallest-leaved and winter-hardy boxwood of the European species. This species lives up to 600 years, reaching a height of 15-20 m, the diameter of the trunk at the base is 30 cm.
Balearic boxwood (Buxus balearica)
It is the most western type of boxwood. It is native to the Balearic Islands, southern Spain, Portugal and the Atlas Mountains in northern Morocco. This is the largest-leaved species of the Euro-Asian range: the Balearic boxwood leaf reaches a length of 4 and a width of 3 cm. It grows quickly, has extremely high decorative qualities, but, unfortunately, is not winter-hardy at all.
There are several other types of boxwood that can be cultivated in our climate, but so far they are very rare in our gardens.
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This evergreen shrub looks great even in winter. Take a look at the photo, its glossy bright green, rounded leaves confidently peek out from under the snowdrifts, symbolizing life. It is believed that evergreen boxwood is able to protect against evil spells and fulfill wishes. This article is all about the variety of varieties, planting, proper care, the intricacies of cultivation, and methods of propagating buxus.
Varieties and varieties of evergreen boxwood
There are three known areas where boxwood (buxus) grows in nature: on the African continent; in northern Mexico and the island of Cuba. The largest natural distribution area of buxus is the southern regions of the European continent, the foothills of the Caucasus, China and Japan.
In Russia, buxus grows wild in the Krasnodar Territory, in Adygea, in the gorges of the Caucasus Mountains, where mountain rivers flow. Found here the only kind boxwood - Colchis (Buxus colchica). Unfortunately, the natural habitat of boxwood in Russia is constantly shrinking, which is due to barbaric cutting down of bushes and deteriorating environmental conditions: the crop is listed in the Red Book.
Only about 30 types of buxus are known, but only a few of them are widely used for ornamental gardening. Boxwoods are long-lived in the world of shrubs. The lifespan of one bush can be 500 years.
The following varieties of evergreen buxus (Buxus semperv irens) are used for landscaping areas of gardens and parks:
- Suffruticosis - characterized by a strictly vertical direction of growth;
- Blauer Heinz - hard shoots directed straight upward, grows very slowly, leaves are bluish in color;
- Elegans - used in landscape design to form spherical garden forms. The bush is naturally spherical in shape, the leaves are green;
- Tree buxus - shaped like a large bush or small tree. The leaves are dark green. The tallest of all varieties;
- Winter Gem is a low-growing, slow-growing shrub with small leaves, suitable for creating garden topiary forms and container growing.
Proper planting is the key to good growth of boxwood bushes
The place for landing the axle box must satisfy a number of requirements. The thing is that the crop grows and develops well in moderately moist soils. Areas with sandy or loamy soil composition are ideal for planting. Heavy, acidic soil is not suitable for planting evergreen boxwood bushes, therefore, in such areas, measures should first be taken to improve the soil structure.
High level groundwater will adversely affect the development of the boxwood root system. Considering that the crop has been growing in one place for over 500 years, the site should be selected carefully, taking into account the existing topography, soil composition and groundwater level.
Boxwood has a special relationship with exposure to sunlight. The plant prefers to grow in partial shade. Of course, it is difficult to avoid illuminating the plantings from the sun if boxwood bushes are used to create a hedge. But, ideally, the plant grows and develops well in the presence of shading from direct sunlight.
Evergreens continue to grow in the winter, when they may lack moisture in deeply frozen soil, which is aggravated when planting on sunny places. A dehydrated boxwood bush may lose most of its leaves and even die.
Usually planting of buxus in the garden is carried out in the spring, decorating it or. Special attention You should pay attention to the condition of the crown and root system of seedlings. The roots should not be dried out or broken, and the crown should not have bare spots or yellow leaves.
To plant bushes, separate holes or trenches are made (when constructing hedges); the depth of the prepared holes should be twice the length of the roots of the seedlings.
Advice! The distance between planted boxwood bushes in a row should be at least 30 cm.
Young boxwood plantings respond well to watering and spraying the bushes on the leaves.
Caring for boxwood: some subtleties of growing the crop
Planting and caring for a crop, done correctly, in compliance with agrotechnical requirements, will allow you to grow a healthy plant that long years can decorate the garden.
Crop care includes:
- Periodic watering.
- Loosening the soil.
- Timely removal of weeds.
- Creating shade over plants from the scorching sun in the summer months.
- Regular fertilizing, seasonal fertilization.
Diseased plants that have been attacked by pests should be treated with special preparations. To prevent the development of diseases, it is necessary to periodically inspect growing boxwood bushes.
Separately, it should be noted the rules for caring for boxwood when performing formative pruning of bushes and creating figured trees. It is allowed to carry out pruning in the warm season during the growth period of plants - from April to September. Trimming the bushes is repeated every 4 weeks, and it is necessary to fertilize and feed the developing plants.
Advice! In winter, during severe frosts, it is useful to cover wintering boxwood bushes with special films that conduct light.
Fertilizer and fertilizing of evergreen buxus
From April to August, boxwood needs regular feeding. Plants best absorb special fertilizers in liquid form, which are applied weekly at the roots, or in the form of foliar feeding on the leaves.
The plant itself is capable of signaling a lack of nitrogen: its leaves acquire a reddish color with a hint of bronze.
When planting boxwood bushes, in planting pits granular organic and mineral fertilizers are added. In the fall, it is useful to feed boxwood with potassium fertilizers.
Boxwood propagation methods
If necessary, you can get young boxwood plants yourself. For this there is cutting method plants. Although the growth of the crop is not fast, the boxwood cuttings take root and form a young plant during the warm period.
Cuttings at least 20-30 cm long should be prepared from healthy plants. It is best not to cut them off from the mother stem, but to break them off “with the heel”. The cuttings are planted in humus-rich soil in special boxes, which are placed in a greenhouse or greenhouse. It is not necessary to cover planted boxwood cuttings with film.
Seed method Culture propagation is rarely used, given its slow growth.
Diseases and pests: how to properly protect boxwood
The presence of alkaloids in buxus leaves greatly reduces the risk of plant damage by pests and the development of diseases on the bush. However, some pests are so persistent that they can harm the plant, despite its dense, glossy leaves.
- The leaf-mining boxwood fly (boxwood gall midge) causes great harm to the plant. Timely detection of the pest on the leaves of the plant and treatment with special preparations will save the plant from damage by these pests. The fly, remaining on the plant, multiplies rapidly; the larvae of this pest do not die even in winter. They penetrate inside the leaf blades, form swellings, overwinter, settling in the spring on unaffected leaves.
- Boxwood felt is another crop pest that affects the crown of the plant, penetrating into the leaves and young shoots. The affected parts of the bush are cut out and burned.
- Spider mites infest the plant during the dry summer months. Systematic spraying of the plant leaves can prevent the appearance of the pest. Treatment – treatment with Fufanon, Actellik, Neoron, Fitoverm.
Advice! Spray plants more often in summer.
- Often shoots with dried tips appear on boxwood bushes. The disease is caused by the fungus Volutella buxi. Control measures include pruning and treatment with systemic fungicides.
- Boxwood also suffers from cancer, which develops on broken or old branches. Such shoots need to be cut back to healthy wood.
Proper pruning of boxwood: video
Boxwoods in landscape design: photos
