Boxwood: expert tips on evergreen boxwood

Hardly any other evergreen plant is as popular with us as the boxwood. Here you can find out what you need to consider when planting, cutting and the like.

Box trees (Buxus) have become an indispensable part of our garden landscape. As a hedge, shrub, ball or even in imaginative shapes, box trees decorate gardens and parks. In order for your box tree to thrive, there are a few things to keep in mind. With us you can find out everything from planting and caring to propagation to wintering of the evergreen shrub.

Boxwood: origin and demands

The name "boxwood" is derived from the Greek word "pyxís", which means "Büchse" (English "Box Wood" - from "Box") in German. Because even in ancient Greece, boxes and cans were turned from the wood of the boxwood. The boxwood family (Buxaceae) includes 70 species worldwide.
The boxwood is a shrub that can also occur as a tree. The leaf dress is evergreen and consists of dark green, leathery leaves. The box tree makes little demands on its location and is otherwise very easy to care for. He also copes very well with frequent cutting. However, the evergreen bush grows very slowly, just 10 to 20 centimeters in a year.

Buy boxwood

When buying your box tree, you should make sure that the plant looks healthy and well cared for. Make sure you don't find any signs of disease or pests on the boxwood. In addition, the foliage should be rich and green. The root must also be checked for its health.
You can buy box trees in garden centers, hardware stores or tree nurseries. Many online retailers also offer box trees for shipping.

More, more detailed tips on Buying your boxwood You will find here.

Boxwood species and varieties

Two types of the boxwood family (Buxus) are interesting for cultivation in our gardens: The Buxus sempervirens and the Buxus microphylla. Buxus sempervirens is the common boxwood and is native to the Mediterranean region. Buxus microphylla, the Japanese or small-leaved boxwood, originally comes from Korea and has also been grown in Japan for centuries. Below we introduce you to popular varieties of these two types.

Buxus sempervirens:

• ‚Suffruticosa‘: The variety best for edging flower beds and as a hedge. It forms long, medium-sized, light green leaves and usually does not grow taller than 50 cm
• ‚Blue Heinz‘: This variety is also suitable as a border border, as it is low-growing and frost-hardy. The leaves are bluish in color
• ‚Aurea‘: This type of boxwood is interesting because of its special leaf color. After sprouting, the leaves are golden yellow and later turn green
• ‚Globosa‘: If you want a boxwood ball, you should choose this variety; this grows a bit spherical by itself

Buxus microphylla:

• ‚faulkner‘: A popular variety of the Buxus mircophylla. This has shiny, olive-colored leaves and is very resistant to drought and cold. Faulkner box trees grow very bushy and are therefore well suited as ground cover
• ‚Herrenhausen‘: Another proven boxwood variety. This is particularly suitable for hedges and borders, is rather small and resistant to fungal attack

Planting boxwood: location and instructions

The frugal box tree is satisfied with almost all locations, but you should consider a few points in order to create ideal growth conditions. The ideal location for your boxwood should be sunny and warm. The box tree especially loves locations with morning and evening sun. On the other hand, he doesn't want to stand in the blazing midday sun. The soil should be well loosened and ventilated. You should avoid waterlogging by working sand into soil that is too heavy. Slightly moist, alkaline soils with a pH value between 6.5 and 7.5 offer ideal conditions for your boxwood.

Box trees feel particularly at home in this location:

• Sunny to partially shaded location
• Loose, well-ventilated soil
• Soil rich in humus
• PH value between 6.5 and 7.5

The optimal time to plant the boxwood is in spring between March and May. Dig a sufficiently large planting hole. Now put the boxwood in the middle of the hole, then the hole with the excavation, if you like, with a nutrient-rich organic soil like ours Plantura organic potting soil, fill up and pour. When planting as a hedge, a spade-wide trench is drawn and the box trees are planted at a distance of 20 centimeters for low hedges and 30 to 35 centimeters for high hedges.

Planting boxwood: how to proceed step by step:

• Dig the planting pit
• Place the boxwood in the center of the planting hole
• Fill the planting pit with excavated material and compost
• Pouring on

Transplant boxwood

You can also transplant box trees when they are old. To do this, choose a frost-free, not too hot day. To dig out the boxwood, you should use a spade to dig up the root ball to the same extent as the crown of the boxwood. The depth depends on the size of the tree - for a small bush at least 40 centimeters, for a large one at least 60 centimeters. Use a digging fork to loosen the soil under the bush as much as possible. Then lift out the boxwood and cut back any damaged roots. After that, the excavated boxwood should be watered in a vessel for half an hour. Then, as described above, it can be planted in its new location or in a pot.

Detailed information and tips on the Planting and transplanting box trees in bed, hedge and pot can also be found here.

Propagate boxwood

There are two vegetative methods for your own propagation of box trees: propagation by cuttings or by division. We will introduce both of them to you below.

Propagate boxwood by cuttings

The best time to propagate by cuttings is in late summer or autumn. Strong, bushy plants are best suited, from which older, branched shoots can be used. But you can also use younger plants for propagation. Annual shoots are particularly suitable here.

The propagation of the boxwood by cuttings in a nutshell:

• Tear off approximately 15 centimeters long biennial shoots against the direction of growth
• Shorten shoot tips by a third
• Remove leaves from the lower third of the branch
• Cut off protruding bark tongue
• Plant in pots with soil for cuttings up to the base of the leaves
• Pour on and keep constantly moist
• Let grow at room temperature
• Transplant to the field next year

Propagate boxwood by dividing it

When dividing a box tree is cut and divided into two parts. However, this is associated with a high risk of loss, since entry points for diseases and pests arise as a result of the division. In addition, fewer young plants are obtained in this way than with cuttings.

Multiplying boxwood by dividing - summary:

• Cut out the plant generously around the root ball (the radius is at least the current height of the tree)
• Divide the bale with a spade or saw on a hard surface
• New partial plant should have at least two shoots
• Planting either outdoors or in pots

A detailed guide to the Propagation of the boxwood You will find here.

Maintain boxwood

Even if the boxwood is generally very easy to care for, it also wants to be adequately watered and fertilized. We will give you tips on the correct watering and fertilization of your box tree and tell you what is important when cutting the evergreen bushes.

Water the boxwood

Since the box tree only has shallow roots, it cannot draw water from deeper soil layers. That is why he is dependent on regular watering when it is dry. With potted plants, you should take special care that the soil does not dry out - even in winter. If you see brownish leaves and shoots after winter, this can be a sign of too much dryness in the cold season. In hot and dry summers in particular, the box tree is happy to be showered with a hose or watering can so that dust is removed from the leaves.

Fertilize boxwood

Typical symptoms that your boxwood suffers from a lack of nitrogen are reduced growth and yellowish discoloration of the leaves. But to ensure that it doesn't get that far, the box tree is dependent on regular fertilization. The best time to fertilize is from spring to early summer. You should not fertilize later, however, as the shoots promoted by the fertilizer quickly die off in frost. For box trees, we recommend fertilizing with a fertilizer that has an organic long-term effect - such as compost and ours Plantura organic universal fertilizer. An organic long-term fertilizer provides the plants with long-term nutrients and at the same time promotes healthy soil life and the build-up of humus.

You can find detailed instructions for the ideal fertilization of your box tree here.

Cut boxwood

The cut plays an important role in the boxwood: it promotes growth, the bushes become denser and more lush, and so the boxwood can be brought into the desired shape. You can cut between April and September. It is also important that the sun does not shine fully on the day of cutting and that it does not rain. Both hand scissors and electric scissors are suitable for cutting, but they should be sharp. In order to bring the boxwood into the desired shape, stencils can also help.

More tips and tricks for Pruning boxwood You will find here.

Hibernate boxwood

The box tree can survive our winters well in beds or as a hedge. It is different with box trees in pots. They are more delicate and require some measures to keep them from freezing to death. If you can carry the pot, then simply put the boxwood somewhere sheltered from the wind, for example in front of a house wall. To protect the pot from the cold from below, it is best to place it on a wooden plate. If the pot is too big or too heavy to move, the bucket can also be protected from frost with jute sacks. On particularly cold days and nights, the boxwood itself can be packed in the jute sacks. Don't forget to water your boxwood regularly even in winter - but only on frost-free days.

You can find out what damage frost can do to your boxwood and how you can prevent it in our special article on the subject Boxwood damage by environmental conditions.

Boxwood diseases

Unfortunately, some diseases do not stop at the boxwood and can affect it very strongly. Here we give you a brief overview of the most important boxwood diseases.

Boxwood crab

The fungus can through the bark of the boxwood Volutella buxi penetrate the plant and initially cause growths and later the death of shoots. If your boxwood is affected by cancer, then you should cut back the infected parts and remove them.

Boxwood shoot deaths

Triggered by the fungus Cylindrocladium buxicola The boxwood shoot death causes whole boxwoods to wither away. The first signs of an infestation are brownish or orange spots on the leaves that keep getting bigger. Eventually, the bush sheds all of its leaves, and the shoots become bare. In the event of such an infestation, the only thing that helps is to remove the affected plants; alternatively, a pesticide can help.

How do you do that Boxwood shoot deaths and what can be done about it, you can read here. A more detailed description of the Boxwood mushroom can also be found in our special article.

Boxwood rust

Another disease caused by fungi is boxwood rust. Rust fungi usually color the leaves of the plant rust-red to brown. To combat it, the affected parts of the plant can simply be cut off and disposed of.

A detailed guide on how to Boxwood diseases we have prepared for you here.

Boxwood pests

The most famous boxwood pest is probably the boxwood moth. But other pests can also taste the leaves of the bush. Here we introduce you to the most important boxwood pests.

A comprehensive overview of Boxwood pests and information on how to combat them can be found here.

Box tree moth

For several years the caterpillars of the boxwood moth have been eating (Cydalima perspectalis) holes in our box trees. From mid-May they will be up to mischief. Everything you need to know about the Box tree moth you can also find out in our special article.
If the infestation is detected early enough, it can be done with biological sprays like ours Plantura borer-free XenTari^® be fought.

You can find out how to get rid of the nuisance with tried and tested home remedies in our article Fight the box tree moth with home remedies. If these also no longer help, we will give you further tips on how to do this Control of the box tree moth. All the important information on how to get the Dispose of the moth caterpillars and can touch, we've put together for you here.

Tip: With pheromone traps like that Plantura moth trap an infestation of the box tree moth can be detected at an early stage. So you can react quickly and fight the borer.

Shoot tip mite

Twisted shoots and leaves are caused by the shoot tip mite. This won't harm your box tree, but it doesn't look very nice. If you discover infected parts of the plant, then cut back and remove them.

Boxwood leaf flea

The boxwood flea can also taste the leaves of your bush. You can recognize the infestation on spoon-shaped, crooked leaves. Against the flea, it helps to cut off infected areas.

Boxwood: Toxic for humans and animals?

It is true that it is safe for boxwood moths and co. To feed on boxwood. For everyone else, however, the evergreen bush is highly toxic. This is due to the 70 different alkaloids in the roots and leaves of the plant. But since these taste very bitter and inedible, no one will quickly get the idea to eat their fill. However, you should be careful with children, as even a small amount of the poison can have dire consequences when they are low in body weight. So supervise young children in the garden and teach them not to eat the plant at an early age. This allows the beautiful bush to grow in your garden without posing any danger.

In-depth information on the topic "Boxwood: poisonous or not?“, Can be found in our special article.

But maybe it doesn't always have to be boxwood? About possible Alternatives to boxwood you can find out more here.