Re: moving buxus

Thanks for the info Marge.  Sounds like my box may have a chance.
I referred to it as an "unmaimed" box because I hate it when a box is cut
into a box or globe shape.  The natural shape is so much nicer.

Kitty

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Marge Talt" <mtalt@hort.net>
To: <gardenchat@hort.net>
Sent: Wednesday, June 16, 2004 12:45 AM
Subject: Re: [CHAT] moving buxus


> Well, Kitty, it's not optimum time to move evergreens on account of
> the heat, but you're getting lots of rain, so that should help.
>
> Box can be pruned back quite hard and will re-grow, but I would not
> prune back beyond leaves - often the interior of box becomes bare
> stems with all the foliage on the outside.  I have found that
> sometimes those bare stems will sprout new leaves and sometimes they
> just die off, so just cut back to a good set of leaves.
>
> My totally unscientific theory with box, azaleas, holly and yew is
> that if you whack the entire plant back to bare wood, it will often
> regrow nicely, but if you just whack back a few stems, leaving most
> of the foliage, those stems often just die back instead of
> re-sprouting since there's so much foliage left the plant doesn't
> want to put out the energy to sprout from one or two bare stems.
>
> If you lost a bunch of roots, it probably would not hurt to take a
> few inches off the shrub all around - just keep the shape you want as
> you prune.  You could wait a bit and see if you're getting any
> wilting of leaves on the plant - if not, you could do nothing; if you
> see leaves wilting in spite of all the water you've had and the
> protection from sun, then do some pruning.
>
> You might get some die back if it can't support all the foliage, but
> since box have fairly shallow, fibrous root systems, they are
> actually easy to move plants, so I doubt that you'll lose it in the
> end.
>
> Around here, you can see guys sitting by the side of the road with
> open trucks full of boxwoods - old, old plants (some are huge) that
> have obviously been dug from some old homestead or other that's been
> sold for development or something...they dig and B&B and hawk them by
> the side of the road at pretty cheap prices.  I've bought box from
> these types, myself, over the years.  Plants have grown away fine
> when replanted and they were never root pruned nor prepped before
> they were dug.  I never pruned them back nor saw any signs that the
> sellers had done this.
>
> So, basically, I wouldn't worry too much.  Box are subject to several
> diseases, but otherwise they are pretty tough plants.
>
> And, to answer your question...yes, a pruned boxwood, if left to its
> own devices, will eventually regrow in natural form...will take a few
>  years as they aren't fast growers, but they will.
>
> "This is an unmaimed box"
> I hope you haven't been maiming your box - that would be cruelty to
> plants and I'd have to report you to the plant police:-)
>
> Marge Talt, zone 7 Maryland
> mtalt@hort.net
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> ----------
> > From: Kitty <kmrsy@comcast.net>
> > OK, I know I should have asked you folks first, but it's already
> done so now
> > you can tell me what to expect and how to correct it.
> >
> > I had a largish Boxwood 'Green Mountain' next to my favorite
> Japanese Maple
> > (Orangeola) and noticed they were about the same size now.  It
> seemed like
> > the maple wasn't filling out evenly in the direction of the box as
> if the
> > box was inhibitting its growth.  So I decided to move the box over
> a few
> > feet.  This is an unmaimed box, with a naturally graceful pyramidal
> shape
> > about 4 feet high by about 3 feet wide.
> >
> > If I did this to a deciduous shrub I would cut it back by 1/3 to
> 1/2, but I
> > don't want to destroy the shape of the box.  And of course I did
> severe
> > damage digging it out, but it did seem to have a fairly shallow
> root system
> > so, maybe not so bad.
> >
> > So, how do you think it will do?  It's in a shady spot so it won't
> suffer
> > hot sun right away adding insult to injury.  But will it survive?
> Should I
> > cut it back? if so, how?  Would it eventually resume its shape?  I
> tried to
> > water it in well, but these days our soil won't accept much more
> water.  If
> > things dry up a bit I'll try giving it some root stimulator.
> >
> > I'd really hate to lose the box, but Orangeola is the more
> valuable.
> >
> > Kitty
> >
> >
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