This is how to keep the bush in check

Choose slow-growing boxwood varieties

For Buxus sempervirens alone there are about 60 different ones sorts known with partly very different growth behavior. If the box is to remain small, preference should be given to weak-growing varieties. These include, for example:

• 'Suffruticosa': also dwarf boxwood, only grows three to five centimeters per year, a maximum of 100 centimeters high
• 'Herrenhausen': grows between eight and 15 centimeters per year, a maximum of 60 centimeters high
• 'Faulkner': annual growth between five and 15 centimeters, up to a maximum of 200 centimeters high
• 'Elegantissima': variegated leaf variety, annual growth between four and six centimeters, maximum 150 centimeters high
• 'Blauer Heinz': annual growth between four and six centimeters, a maximum of 50 centimeters high

But be careful when choosing the variety: The two smallest varieties, 'Suffruticosa' and 'Blauer Heinz', are particularly susceptible to infestation by the

Box tree moth. Variegated-leaved varieties such as 'Elegantissima', on the other hand, have a particularly high decorative value, but are quite sensitive to them frost and other winter weather conditions.

Keep boxwood small by cutting

You can have your book regularly between April and September cut back, whereby you should only shorten the new shoots down to a small remainder - otherwise there could be unsightly gaps in the book that will only grow back very slowly. There should be a rest period of at least four weeks between the individual editing appointments. in the autumn and winter, on the other hand, is not cut. Frequent pruning leads to the boxwood branching out heavily, becoming very compact and dense. This exterior has a high decorative value and is quite desirable for many hedges and shaped cuts, for example. However, the compact growth also endangers the plant, making it more susceptible to pest or other infestation fungal diseases will.