This evergreen shrub looks great even in winter. Take a look at the photo, its glossy bright green, rounded leaves confidently look out from under the snowdrifts, symbolizing life. It is believed that evergreen boxwood is able to protect from evil spells and fulfill wishes. In this article, everything about a variety of varieties, planting, proper care, the intricacies of growing, methods of reproduction of the buxus.
Varieties and varieties of evergreen boxwood
There are three known areas of growth of boxwood (buxus) in nature: on the African continent; in the north of Mexico and the island of Cuba. The largest natural area of \u200b\u200bdistribution of buxus is the southern regions of the European continent, the foothills of the Caucasus, China and Japan.
Colchis boxwood
In Russia, buksus grows wild on the territory Krasnodar Territory, in Adygea, in the gorges of the Caucasus mountains, where mountain rivers flow. The only species of boxwood is found here - the Colchian (Buxus colchica). Unfortunately, the natural growing area of \u200b\u200bboxwood in Russia is constantly decreasing, the reason for this is the barbaric felling of shrubs and the deterioration ecological situation: culture is listed in the Red Book.
Only about 30 types of bux are known, but only some of them are widely used for ornamental gardening. Boxwoods are long-lived in the world of shrubs. The life span of one bush can be equal to 500 years.
For landscaping the territories of gardens and parks, the following varieties of evergreen buxus (Buxus semperv irens) are used:
- Suffruticosis - characterized by a strictly vertical direction of growth;
Suffruticose variety
- Blauer Heinz - tough shoots are directed straight up, grows very slowly, the color of the leaves is bluish;
Blauer Heinz variety
- Elegans - used in landscape design to form spherical garden forms... The bush is naturally spherical, the leaves are green;
Elegans variety
- Treelike buxus - resembles in shape large bush or a small tree. The leaves are dark green. Highest of all grades;
Treelike buxus
- Winter Gem is a low-growing, slow-growing shrub with small leaves, suitable for creating garden topiary forms and container cultivation.
Winter Gem variety
Proper planting is the key to good growth of boxwood bushes
The place for landing the axle box must meet a number of requirements. The thing is that the culture grows well and develops on moderately moist soils. Areas with sandy loam 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 be taken to improve the structure of the soil.
High groundwater levels will adversely affect the development of the boxwood root system. Given that the culture has been growing in one place for more than 500 years, the site should be selected carefully, taking into account the existing relief, soil composition and groundwater level.
Soil composition is very important for boxwood
Boxwood has a special relationship to the effects of sunlight. The plant prefers to grow in partial shade. Of course, it is difficult to avoid sunlit plantings if boxwood bushes are used to create hedges. But, ideally, the plant grows well and develops in the presence of shading from direct sunlight.
Evergreens continue to grow in winter when they may lack moisture in deeply frozen soil, which is exacerbated by planting in full sun. A dehydrated boxwood bush can lose most of its leaves and even die.
Boxwood seedlings
Usually, the planting of the buxus in the garden is carried out in the spring, decorating it with alpine slides or rockeries. Particular attention should be paid to the condition of the crown and root system of seedlings. The roots should not be dry and broken, and the crown should not have bare spots and yellow leaves.
For planting bushes, separate pits or trenches are made (when arranging hedges), the depth of the prepared pits should be twice the length of the roots of the seedlings.
Advice! The distance between the 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.
Boxwood care: some of the intricacies of growing a crop
Planting and caring for the crop, done correctly, in compliance with agrotechnical requirements, will allow you to grow a healthy plant that can decorate the garden for many years.
Crop care includes:
- Periodic watering.
- Loosening the soil.
- Timely weed removal.
- Shading the plants from the scorching sun during the summer months.
- Regular feeding, seasonal fertilization.
Boxwood requires regular maintenance
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 the growing boxwood bushes.
Separately, it should be noted the rules for caring for boxwood when performing formative pruning of bushes and creating curly trees. It is allowed to carry out pruning in the warm season during the period of plant growth - from April to September. Cutting the bushes is repeated at intervals of 4 weeks, while it is necessary to fertilize and feed the forming plants.
Advice! In winter, in severe frosts, it is useful to snatch the wintering boxwood bushes with special films that conduct light.
Fertilization and feeding of evergreen buxus
From April to August, boxwood needs regular feeding. Best of all, plants assimilate special fertilizers in liquid form, which are applied weekly under the root, or in the form of foliar feeding on the leaves.
Several times a year, boxwood must be fed.
The plant itself is capable of signaling a lack of nitrogen: its leaves acquire a reddish color with a tinge of bronze.
When planting boxwood bushes, in landing pits add granular organic and mineral fertilizers. In the fall, it is useful to feed boxwood with potash fertilizers.
Breeding methods for boxwood
If necessary, you can get young boxwood plants yourself. For this there is method of grafting plants. Although the crop does not grow rapidly, the boxwood stalk takes root and forms a young plant during the warm season.
Rooted boxwood cuttings
Cuttings at least 20-30 cm long should be harvested from healthy plants... It is best not to cut them off from the mother's stem, but to break them out with a heel. Cuttings are planted in humus-rich soil in special boxes, which are located in a greenhouse or greenhouse. It is not necessary to cover planted boxwood cuttings with foil.
Seed method propagation culture is rarely used, given the slow growth.
Diseases and pests: how to properly protect boxwood
The presence of alkaloids in the leaves of the buxus 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.
- Great harm to the plant is caused by the mining boxwood fly (boxwood gall midge). 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 take root inside the leaf blades, form swellings, hibernate, settling in the spring on unaffected leaves.
Boxwood fly
- Boxwood felt is another crop pest that infects the crown of a plant, penetrating leaves and young shoots. The affected parts of the bush are cut out and burned.
- The spider mite colonizes the plant during the dry summer months. Systematic spraying of the plant over the leaves can prevent the appearance of the pest. Treatment - treatment with fufanon, actellik, neoron, phytoverm.
Advice! Spray plants more often in summer period.
- Often shoots with dried tips appear on boxwood bushes. The disease is caused by the fungus Volutella buxi. Control measures - pruning and treatment with systemic fungicides.
Damage by the fungus Volutella buxi
- Boxwood and cancer that develops on broken or old branches are ill. Such shoots need to be cut to healthy wood.
Boxwoods in landscape design: photo
Boxwood - present long-lived plant, with proper care can live 500-600 years! In nature, there are about 30 species of this plant, however, in ornamental gardening, mainly only one species is successful.
A visitor from southern latitudes takes root well in the climate of the middle zone, but requires care. Especially crucial periods are autumn and winter.
Boxwood: cuttings in the fall, planting and transplanting a plant.
Since boxwood blooms in spring, then for planting better fit autumn... For sufficient rooting, the plant needs about a month.
Therefore, the landing time should be chosen so that so that the roots have time to strengthen before the first frost... The nature of the soil does not really matter, the only difference is that on fertile soil the shrub will grow faster.
Do not plant boxwood on places where groundwater is too high and tends to stagnate. Swampy areas can kill the plant.
Planting boxwood in autumn
How to plant boxwood in the fall? The day before boarding, the seedling in the pot should be watered especially abundantly, this will make it easier and safer to remove the earthen ball with roots. The hole for planting is dug out wider and deeper than the earthen ball, about 3 times.
The soil obtained from the hole is useful, so it must be carefully folded into a pile. So that the roots of the seedling do not suffer from stagnant moisture, at the bottom of the hole you need to make a drainage layer. Perlite is perfect for this, a layer of 2-3 cm will be sufficient.
Next, you need to mix perlite with the dug earth, in a 1: 1 ratio and pour into the hole so much that the top of the seedling's earthen clod reaches the surface of the earth. Having placed the seedling in the hole, cover the empty places around with the mixture. At the same time, to avoid voids around the roots, it is allowed to slightly compact the soil.
After landing the plant needs to be shed well. For this, it is better to use rainwater, if only tap water is available, then it must be allowed to stand for at least a day.
The first feeding is carried out in a month, but if winter has come, then this procedure should be postponed until spring. During the growth period, the plant is fed once a week.
Transfer
How to transplant boxwood in the fall? An adult boxwood tolerates a transplant well at any age, and it is considered a favorable time for its transplant from July to November.
Immediately after transplanting boxwood in autumn, the plant needs increased watering.
Transplanting an adult plant is carried out in the same way as the initial planting in open ground, that is, together with a lump of earth. After transplantation, in the area of \u200b\u200bthe root circle, it is necessary to make mulching pine bark.
Reproduction and grafting
Reproduction of boxwood by cuttings at home in the fall. Cutting for autumn planting prepared in early September.
It should be about 7-10 cm long and have 2-3 internodes. The lower leaves are removed, only the upper ones should be left.
Cuttings are planted in a mixture of soil and peat, in a 1: 1 ratio. It is helpful to cover the seedlings with glass jars or plastic wrap at first. As a rule, about 90% of cuttings take root successfully.
About after 3-4 weeks the cuttings will take root, and small leaves will appear on the trunk. It's time to transplant it to a place prepared in the garden.
But if, for some reason, the seedlings did not have time to harden properly, it is better not to risk it and not plant it in open ground. Better to let them overwinter in a pot, in room conditions, and postpone the landing until next season.
Pruning bushes
Boxwood: pruning in the fall, is it necessary? Plant pruning is done to give a certain shape or just for decorative purposes.
Circumcision is performed on average once a month, but more often. This can be done from May to the end of September, during a period of active growth.
Just before winter cropping doesn't make sense. After cutting, more abundant watering should be done so that the plant recovers better.
In boxwood cages contains plant poison, the maximum concentration of which is in the leaves.
To avoid poisoning, when circumcising, you must remember the safety rules. Wear rubber gloves on your hands, and rinse the scissors thoroughly after the procedure.
Only bushes are allowed to be refined, have reached the age of 2, with sufficiently strong roots. It is undesirable to prune in hot weather, this leads to burns on the tips of the leaves. Immediately after pruning, the bush must be watered abundantly, and so that the water also gets on the leaves. Fertilizers can be added to the water to stimulate growth.
Before wintering the plant needs careful watering, but fertilization after September is highly undesirable.
Boxwood is relatively frost-resistant, but in regions with severe winters, it is better to cover it with spruce branches or burlap. Small bushes can be simply covered wooden crates... This will allow the plant to successfully overwinter, and in the spring it will again please the eye with its unusual appearance.
Boxwood is a genus belonging to the Boxwood family, which includes almost a hundred species. I am the homeland of these plants East Asia and the Mediterranean. Boxwood is also called buxus - this name comes from ancient Greece.
The plant is grown both on the streets and as indoor flowers. It is a shrub or tree with opposite leathery oval foliage.
Boxwood is a melliferous plant, but honey cannot be used for food, as it is poisonous. Among the abundance of boxwood species, not so many are cultivated. In our gardens, you can mainly see the following species and varieties:
Varieties and types
Boxwood evergreen mainly grown as a tree, rarely seen as a shrub. The stems are abundantly covered with shiny matte foliage. Inflorescences are light green. It is quite painful for frost. The following varieties are derived from this species: suffruticosis, Blauer Heinz, Elegans other.
Small-leaved boxwood this species withstands temperature drops better than evergreen buxus. We grow varieties Faulkner and Winter Jam.
Colchis boxwood a species that grows very slowly and withstands very low temperatures, and also lives for a long time.
Balearic boxwood the plant has rather large foliage, grows quickly, but does not tolerate frost.
Boxwood planting and care in the open field
Having made the decision to plant boxwood at home, you need to find out how best to do it and what conditions need to be prepared. The best time for planting is the beginning of autumn, because it is necessary that the plant has time to take root before the cold weather.
The lighting of the planting site should not be abundant - this plant needs shade. The soil for planting is clayey, loose, including lime.
The day before planting, the material is placed in a container with water or the container with the plant is watered abundantly, so that later it is easier to get it out of the soil.
A planting hole is needed three times more than the past earthy coma. A couple of centimeters of perlite is placed at the bottom of the pit as a drainage layer. The earth from the hole is also mixed with perlite.
The roots of the plant must be straightened and carefully lowered into the hole, filling it with a substrate, so that the layer is dense and there are no air cavities in it. After that, the boxwood must be watered abundantly with rainwater. After watering, the soil will compact and settle, add some more substrate to the top of the hole.
Make sure that the axle box barrel is placed exclusively vertically. Twenty centimeters from the tree, make a mound in a circle, and cover the area inside the shaft with a thin layer of perlite. This is done so that the tree gets all the liquid when watering.
Watering boxwood
In general, caring for boxwood is not difficult; it follows the usual logic of caring for plants.
If it is hot outside and there is no rain, then water it every seven days. You need to use about 10 liters per meter tree.
If the weather is very dry, then you do not need to water more often, but you need to increase the amount of water. Following watering, you should loosen the soil and remove weeds.
In May, when it becomes quite warm, you need to cover the area with peat mulch, but do not allow the peat and the stem of the tree to come into contact.
Fertilizers for boxwood
Also important point is fertilizer. The first time it should be done 30 days after planting (in the case of planting in the spring. If you planted the buxus in the fall, then this feeding is not necessary).
And then you need to feed the boxwood during the growing season. For this use organic fertilizers or complex mineral dressings. In autumn, when the site is being dug up, the plant is fertilized with top dressing with potassium and phosphorus, but without nitrogen.
Boxwood transplant
Transplanting boxwood shouldn't be too difficult for you either. It is best to carry out the procedure in the spring, following the same steps as when planting. Adult plants must be moved to a new place along with the earthy clod.
In summer, the tree can also be replanted, but a not too hot spring is better for this.
In the fall, it is undesirable to start this procedure, because the plants after transplantation are quite sensitive, and they still need to take root and get used to the new growing place.
Pruning boxwood
In the middle of spring, you need to prune the boxwood. The bush can be shaped as you like. After giving the crown a shape, in the future you will just need to correct it sometimes.
Pruning is painless for the tree and it begins to branch even more. But keep in mind that frequent haircuts will cause boxwood to need to be fertilized more frequently to get the nutrients synthesized in the clipped foliage.
Shelter boxwood for the winter
Winter and early spring are very difficult times for buksus. In winter it gets very cold, and with the arrival of spring it can burn out in the warm sun.
Therefore, in order to save the tree, even before the onset of frost, it is necessary to well saturate the area with the plant with moisture and cover it with mulch (peat). Do not cover the soil with dry leaves, as it can cause fungi in box trees. As the temperature drops to -10ºC, a shelter should be prepared from the cold.
If you have standard tree, then they make a support so that the piercing winter wind does not damage the trunk, and wrap it with spruce branches. Bushy plants and those with a crown also need to be covered. For this, a non-woven material is used, which is wrapped a couple of times over a tree.
In order to avoid breaking branches under the weight of snow, they are tied. With the onset of spring, the shelter is immediately removed, since the buxus can rebuke. At the same time, one ball of shelter is left to protect the trees from burns by the warm spring sun.
Boxwood seed
For reproduction of boxwood, a vegetative method is usually used, but sometimes the use of seeds is also found.
To grow buxus from seeds, you need to take only fresh seeds. They are poured for a day with warm water diluted with a growth stimulating agent. Next, they need to be placed between a couple of damp towels (but not wet). They will stay in this state for about thirty days. After 15-20 days, white shoots will appear.
With the formation of sprouts, the seeds are sown in sand mixed with peat, while the sprouts should deepen into the substrate.
The containers with the planted material are covered with foil and kept in a warm, shaded place. After about 15-20 days, the first shoots will appear. After that, the film must be removed and the container with the boxwood must be moved to partial shade.
Young plants need to be watered and fertilized from time to time with a weak solution of dressings. The grown trees are planted in the soil when it becomes clear that frosts will not return.
Boxwood propagation by cuttings
In spring, boxwood can be cuttings. To do this, use young stems up to 15 cm long, which are not yet fully lignified. The material must be cut at an angle. After that, a third of the leaves are torn off, and the cuttings are soaked for a day in a means to enhance root formation.
After that, the twigs need to be washed and can be planted in the soil. The main condition for the substrate is nutritional value. The twigs are lowered into the ground up to the foliage and covered with a jar. Air the plants and spray them every day. After a couple of months, the jar is removed, since by this time the rhizome is formed.
If you propagate buxus in the fall, then plant the cuttings in pots, because in the open ground they will not survive the winter, even under insulation. And in the spring, you can transplant seedlings to an open area.
The use of layering is also practiced. According to the usual scheme, the branches are bent to the soil and added dropwise. Then they need to be watered and fertilized, and when a rhizome forms, you can plant a new boxwood in another place.
Diseases and pests
- Another reason for yellowing and drying of leaves is the spider mite, which most often appears in hot weather.
- Leaf spots and dry leaves can be associated with burns caused by excess light.
- Also, boxwood is vulnerable to shoot necrosis, which manifests itself in spots on the foliage and the death of branches.
- Your plant will not grow well if it lacks nutrients.
- Also, boxwood can suffer from plant cancer. In case of this disease, cut off all diseased areas, along with adjacent healthy parts.
There are 100 known species of both trees and shrubs belonging to the Boxwood family. From this family I would like to highlight the boxwood buxus - Buxus. The regions of its distribution include the Mediterranean countries, the West Indies and the east of the Asian part of the continent. Boxwood is a very ancient ornamental plant that has been cultivated for as long as mankind can remember. The name of the plant (buxus) was mentioned in ancient Greek sources. But the etymology of the word has no k greek no relation. Where the Greeks borrowed it from, from what language, will remain a mystery.
Currently, scientists have identified several natural areas the growth of boxwood is Eurasian, African, Central American. It is known both as a garden culture and as a home culture. In regions with warm, humid climates, the plant acts as a hedge. Due to the flexibility of the shrub for painting (pruning), landscape designers are very fond of it and often use it as an object for decorating park and garden areas. For indoor plant lovers, boxwood is a great find for bonsai. He does not need tubs of soil, even a small pot is enough to grow a fluffy bush with small leaves, which can be pruned and obtained a work of art.
Description of boxwood
Boxwood in landscape design photo
Small, round or elliptical, boxwood leaves have a solid edge. They are located on a branch alternately, opposite each other, that is, opposite. Small flowers form an axillary inflorescence. They are same sex. The fruit of the boxwood is a three-celled box, which ripens and cracks. Black, shiny seeds are scattered around.
The fragrant smell of boxwood attracts bees, but boxwood honey is poisonous, like the plant itself, and therefore is prohibited for use.
Designers are attracted by the beauty of the plant, which lies in the dense elastic crown, the shine of each leaf. Experts appreciate the opportunity to work with the shape of the bush, carry out pruning, according to a creative idea. For a simple gardener, boxwood, first of all, is an unpretentious ornamental plantthat can grow in shady areas.
When and where to plant boxwood
- Boxwood blooms in spring. And like everyone blooming in spring plants, you need to plant it in the fall at the optimal time, which falls on September and the first decade of October. In 1 month, the culture will take root well and will perfectly endure the winter cold.
- Some gardeners manage to plant boxwood in the spring and summer. This is also possible if you adhere to certain rules. A prerequisite for planting a plant is that the soil under the boxwood is clayey, well calcified, permeable and constantly moist.
- When planting, you need to choose only shady places, since the leaves of the box dry out from the strong sun.
How to plant boxwood correctly
Boxwood photo planting Boxwood shrub photo and care when to cut boxwood
If the purchased boxwood seedling has a closed root system, then, approximately 24 hours before planting, it must be highly moistened. This is done in order to facilitate the process of removing the plant from the container and release twisted roots. And if you manage to immediately after the purchase place the seedling in a container with settled water, for a period of 12-16 hours, then you can get perfectly prepared material for planting.
- The volume of the hole for planting should be 3 times the volume of the root system of the seedling both in depth and in width.
- Before placing the plant there, it is necessary to lay out the hole with a layer of drainage. To do this, use perlite, at least 2-3 cm thick. Also, the earth extracted from the pit is mixed with perlite in equal shares.
- After that, take a seedling and straighten its roots. In this form, the boxwood is placed in a prepared hole and sprinkled with earth and perlite tightly.
- When planting, you need to ensure that the trunk of the boxwood stands upright, without tilting.
- After planting, the earth is moistened.
It's good if it is rainwater, although settled water is also fine. The amount of water for irrigation must be calculated. On average, a seedling up to 20-25 cm high will need 3 liters of water. After the first watering, the land always subsides. Its deficiency is compensated by the remaining earth with perlite. So that when watering the water is concentrated near the plant and does not spread, you can build a small earthen roller around it, 20 cm from the trunk. If you sprinkle the formed circle with perlite (with a layer of no more than 2 cm), then you can minimize the loss of moisture during evaporation.
How to care for boxwood in the garden
There are certain rules for caring for boxwood, following which you can get a very good result. And intuition can come to the rescue in time. In the absence of rain, the first watering of the seedling must be carried out a week after planting.
A circle near the boxwood, bounded by a shaft, serves as a watering place. For one plant with a height of 1 meter, 8-10 liters of water are needed for a single irrigation. In case of persistent drought, you should not increase watering frequency. It is only necessary to increase the volume of liquid poured under the plant. Either morning or evening watering is recommended, after which the soil is loosened and weeds are removed. With the onset of stable heat, and this is the beginning or mid-May, the land near the boxwood must be mulched. This is done with peat, which is scattered in a circle so as not to touch the trunk with shoots. The thickness of the mulch can be up to 8 cm.
Boxwood needs to be fed regularly. After planting, in about a month, it will take root well and during this period the first portion of mineral nitrogen-containing additives and organic matter will be required. Exactly the same feeding is necessary for the plant during the period of its intensive growth. Digging up the soil in the fall, they prepare it for winter. Therefore, fertilizers based on elements such as phosphorus and potassium will come in handy. Nitrogen-containing minerals at this time are excluded due to their uselessness in the winter period.
The best time to transplant boxwood
Spring is the best time to transplant boxwood. Over the summer, he will get stronger, take root and safely endure the winter. If the plant is adult, then it is better to transplant it together with the ground. Younger bushes are transplanted in accordance with the principles that are followed during the initial planting of the plant. This procedure is completely painless for buxus if all actions are carried out correctly.
Pruning boxwood When to cut boxwood
How to crop boxwood photos
Somewhere in late April and early May, boxwood is pruned... You can form a geometric shape from it. The most popular of these are the cone, ball and cube.
And you can specially grow boxwood, like a standard tree. To do this, leave a central shoot, which differs from the rest in that it is very strong, elastic and durable. The rest of the shoots are cut at the root. As a rule, a ball is formed from the apical young shoots of the stem by pruning. Moreover, the figure from the plant is cut only once, then it is slightly corrected. This is explained by the fact that boxwood is not characterized by rapid growth. Only young growth is corrected, but the base remains unchanged.
She is touched if the bush no longer meets the requirements of visual beauty and appeal. Pruning is easy and painless with boxwood. The thicker it is, the more often you have to resort to pruning shears and garden shears.
- How often do you prune your boxwood? According to the recommendations of professionals, the buxus needs to be cut every month in order to maintain its attractiveness and grooming appearance.
- There is only one note: frequent haircuts require no less frequent watering and feeding. This should be done in order to replenish the plant with nutrients, which it does not receive due to pruning of young shoots.
- It is they, young leaves and stems, that are the main suppliers of vital components.
How to cut boxwood, the video will tell:
How to deal with boxwood pests and diseases
The main pest of boxwood is considered to be boxwood gall midge.at. It begins its destructive activity by laying eggs on the leaves of young shoots in the month of June. The larvae that hatch from these eggs penetrate the leaf tissue, feed on its juices and turn into a pupa there in order to winter safely. At the end of spring, an adult hatches from the pupa, which continues its genus in the same way as the ancestors.
Diseases that plague this garden culture include shoot necrosis and cancer. With necrosis, dry spots appear on the leaves, the ends of the branches die off. For treatment, fungicides are repeatedly used. But the most terrible disease considered cancer. If its symptoms are noticed, it is necessary to cut out the affected parts until healthy wood appears. Treat the cut sites with "Fundazol".
Planting and caring for boxwood in the Moscow region
Reproduction of boxwood in spring how to propagate boxwood by cuttings When to prune boxwood
- Planting rules and agricultural technology for the cultivation of boxwood in the Moscow region is identical to the agricultural technology for growing this plant in temperate latitudes.
- The only thing you need to pay attention to is the winter period, when severe frosts can destroy the plantings.
- Therefore, it is necessary to prepare for winter: cover the bushes and tie them up so that heavy snowfalls do not break the branches, and the frost does not destroy the young shoots.
- We will tell you more about preparing for winter below.
Reproduction of boxwood
There are 2 ways to propagate a culture: the main one is vegetative and, very rarely used, seed. The reason for the unpopularity of the seed breeding method lies in the very seed materialwhich does not germinate well. After collecting the seeds, the germination rate becomes worse and worse every day and ultimately comes to zero. If you want to use boxwood seed for growing a crop, read the instructions on this issue in order to avoid gross mistakes.
Reproduction of boxwood by cuttings
Boxwood propagation by cuttings How to propagate boxwood
This is the most popular breeding method for boxwood. And it is better to spend it in the spring.
- For planting material select strong, without signs of lignification, young shoots.
- Their optimal length is 12-15 cm. The cut of the cutting should be oblique.
- The leaves from the lower third of the shoot are removed and sent to the root solution for a period of 24 hours.
- At the next stage, the cuttings are washed with water and the bare side of the cuttings are planted in prepared soil, which should contain equal proportions of sand, leafy soil and humus. It is important for the soil to be nutritious and light.
- The cuttings are deepened by 1/3, up to lower leaves... Each is covered with a plastic bottle prepared in a special way... The bottle must be at least 5 liters in volume. The bottom is cut off and, like a cap, the handle is covered. For watering and airing, unscrew the bottle cap and, through the hole, spray water or start air.
- You can also leave the cuttings in water, and when roots appear, plant them in grow pots.
- After about 1 month, roots begin to sprout from the cuttings planted in the ground, after 2 - full root system will be ready. It is at this time that the bottle is removed, and the young boxwood begins to get used to the natural conditions of existence.
- To create more loyal wintering conditions for a young box tree, cover it with spruce branches.
The video will tell you about boxwood cuttings:
If you use the autumn period of time for plant propagation, then planting cuttings should be carried out not in open ground, but in a container or flower pot... An unrooted plant planted in the ground before winter will certainly die even if it is carefully covered. In the cold season, cuttings planted in a container are placed in a room where the air temperature is kept at + 10 ° C. And only in the spring, after frosts, this planting material should be planted on the garden plot.
Reproduction of boxwood by layering
- The layering method is also very reliable.
- This method of vegetative reproduction is reduced to the fact that in spring the extreme shoots of boxwood are carefully bent to the ground and sprinkled, fixing with staples.
- In the future, nothing special is done. The cuttings receive the same watering and feeding as the mother plant.
- Numerous shoots will let you know that the layers have taken root, a new bush is subsequently separated for transplantation to a new place.
Growing boxwood from seeds
How to grow boxwood from seeds How to propagate boxwood
Immediately after ripening, for a period of 24 hours, the seeds are placed in a growth stimulant solution. It can be a solution of the stimulant "Epin" or "Zircon". After a day, take 2 wet towels and place the seeds between them.
Since it takes a long time for the seeds to hatch, the towels have to be periodically moistened. Only a month later you can see the first white sprouts. If this does not happen, then shock therapy is worthwhile. It consists of moving the seeds (directly in the towels) into the drawer of the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator. A few days later, they are again transferred to a warm place and await pecking.
How to plant boxwood seeds photo seedlings
- While waiting, you can take care of the soil for planting the plant. To do this, sand and peat are combined in equal shares, and the mixture is moistened.
- As soon as sprouts appear, the seeds are carefully planted one at a time in separate cups in the prepared soil. It is also possible in common containers at a distance of 4-5 cm from each other. They are planted in such a way as not to damage, the sprouts themselves should be directed towards the soil. It is best to spread the seeds over the surface and sprinkle with substrate only slightly.
- From above, the container for germination is covered with a foil and put away in a comfortable warm
a place. The first shoots should be expected in a couple of weeks. - With the germination of the first green shoots, the film is removed by placing the container in a shady place.
- Before the seedlings get stronger, they are cared for, which consists in periodic watering and fertilization of the weakest concentration (half the norm).
- Boxwood is planted in the garden when the threat of spring frosts disappears.
Wintering boxwood Autumn preparations of boxwood for winter
No wonder boxwood is widespread in those countries where the concept of "severe winter" is completely absent. For plant cultivation in temperate climates to winter conditions you need to prepare in advance. And evergreens hibernate during the cold snap. This is especially true of their root system, which is shackled by frozen soil even at a time when the first rays of the spring sun stimulate the green crown of evergreens to life.
It is at that moment that the leaves and branches need nourishment, which the unawakened root cannot provide. For this reason, not only branches dry out, but also whole shrubs. The only way out of this situation is to plant bushes in the most shaded place.
Somewhere in the beginning of the month of November, before the upcoming onset of frost, the boxwood is watered in order to charge it with moisture for the entire winter period. Then, peat or matted needles are introduced into the area of \u200b\u200bthe trunk circle, but not dry leaves, which in a rotted state can cause fungal lesions in boxwood.
How to properly cover boxwood for the winter
As the air temperature drops to a stable + 10 ° C, the boxwood begins to cover. The trunks are not only covered, but also tied up so that heavy snow does not cause the trunk of the bush to break. And only after that, the plant is completely tied with spruce branches or wrapped in a warm non-woven cloth. You can also whitewash the trunk of adult plants, and then you will have to cover one crown. Do not forget about a live boxwood hedge and wrap it up with sacking in 2-3 layers. Sprinkle the edges with earth.
Before you cover any bush or hedge, you need to tie them up so that the branches do not break from a large amount of snow. The cuttings, as mentioned earlier, are covered with spruce branches, the trunk circle is mulched with warm peat. With the onset of spring, they begin to slowly remove the shelter, choosing a cloudy day for this, so as not to shock the boxwood with the bright sun. You can even change the shelter to a lighter one, use it as a kind of visor from the active spring sun. It is also impossible to overdue the deadline for removing the protection, because the boxwood will begin to rot and deteriorate under the influence of heat.
Types and varieties of boxwood with photos and descriptions
The most attractive forms of boxwood are grown in the garden plots. Here is some of them.
Evergreen boxwood Buxus sempervirens
It is often found in natural areas of the Mediterranean and the Caucasus. It lives in the undergrowth of mixed and pure deciduous forests. Prefers places with dense shade. Evergreen boxwood is a tree (rarely a shrub), the height of which reaches 15 meters. Its straight shoots have a tetrahedral shape, they are densely covered with dark green foliage. The arrangement of the leaves is characterized by the opposite, but in appearance they are smooth, shiny.
The top side of the plate is different in color from the bottom. If the top is bright, glossy, then the bottom is matte, faded, light green with yellowness. The shape of the leaves is elongated-elliptical, 1.5 - 3.0 cm long. Greenish small flowers of unisex boxwood. The set fruit is a small globular box with valves. During the maturation of the seed, the valves open. Evergreen boxwood is a poisonous plant.
Its best varieties include:
Caring for boxwood growing on the street Boxwood Blauer Heinz photo in the garden
Blauer Heinz... It is a stiff, squat shrub with bluish green leaves. It is frost-resistant and compact. It belongs to new varieties and is intended for drawing up low, up to 20 cm, ornaments for carpets.
Boxwood plant planting and care Boxwood Dwarf Sufrutikosis photo in the garden
Sufructicosis - refers to evergreen shrubs that grow very slowly and reach only 1 meter in height. The original leaves are ovoid or obovate, 2 cm long and opposite. Dotted with small flowers. Just perfect for creating living fences, curbs.
How often to prune boxwood Boxwood evergreen elegans photo
Elegance variety stands out from the rest by the color of the leaf plate (they are variegated with a white border). It is a very dense shrub that has spherical crown... The height is not great, up to 1 meter. But the shoots are straight, densely covered with foliage. Differs in drought resistance.
Small-leaved boxwood Buxus microphylla
This type of boxwood is a descendant of Japanese-Korean species, it is frost-resistant. According to observations, it can withstand and does not freeze at minus 30. But it is afraid of the spring sun, therefore it requires shelter from it. Preference is given to the following varieties of small-leaved boxwood:
When to prune boxwood Small-leaved boxwood Winter Jam photo in the garden
Winter jam... Easily pruned, although the crown is dense. The variety is frost-resistant and grows rapidly, which is extremely rare in the boxwood family. Reaches maximum height 1.5 meters and is suitable for creating topiary.
Small-leaved boxwood Faulkner Buxus microphylla ‘Faulkner’ photo
Faulkner... It grows very slowly, reaching 1.5 meters in height. They cut it mainly under the ball, since the very shape of the bush begs for this. Colchis boxwood (Latin Buxus colchica). It is also called the Caucasian boxwood. It is the smallest and most frost-resistant boxwood of all European species. Its life span is 600 years. It grows slowly, rising only 15 - 20 meters with a trunk diameter in the lowest part of 30 cm. It is a relic of the Tertiary period.
Bolear boxwood Buxus balearica
Bolear boxwood Buxus balearica How boxwood blooms photo
Refers to the western look. Its ancestral origin is the territory of the Bolear Islands, southern Spain, as well as Portugal and northern Morocco. It is distinguished by its large leaves among all species of the Euro-Asian region. The length of its leaf can be up to 4 cm (width - 3 cm). Fantastically decorative, growing rapidly. But it cannot boast of such quality as winter hardiness. These are not all types of boxwood that have adapted to the temperate climate and that can be found in the garden plots of summer residents. The rest are extremely rare.
With properly organized boxwood planting and caring for this plant, you can get a wonderful evergreen garden decoration. The unpretentious handsome man will perfectly complement the most exquisite design solutions of the infield.
Description of the plant
Boxwood evergreen (buxus sempervirens) is a genus of evergreen shrubs and small trees from the Samshitov family. Under favorable conditions, the plant can live up to 600 years. Buxus grows slowly.
Small, succulent leaves are elliptical and have a characteristic odor. Most species have green foliage, but variegated varieties are also available. Spikelets of greenish-yellow flowers appear in the leaf axils in March or April. They are inconspicuous and fragrant. In place of the flowers, boxes with black seeds are formed. Over time, these fruits crack, and their contents scatter around.
Variety of varieties
Boxwood is used for outdoor cultivation and indoor floriculture. About 30 species of this plant grow in various regions. Numerous varieties differ in growth intensity and appearance.
- Slow-growing varieties Suffruticosa and Blauer Heinz are suitable for the formation of small trimmed figures and balls. The second option has another important advantage - high frost resistance.
- Buxus sempervirens is a wild evergreen boxwood for tall hedges.
- Strong growing varieties Rotundifolia and Handsworthiensis are also suitable for large plantings.
- Elegantissima is a beautiful variegated variety, sensitive to low temperatures... It is better to plant this variety in an area protected from the wind and carefully cover it for the winter.
- Some slow-growing varieties of boxwood make wonderful bonsais - indoor "potted trees". For these purposes, for example, Buxus harlandii Hance is used.
Reproduction of buxus
There are three ways to get new specimens of an evergreen.
- Cuttings.
The easiest and most affordable breeding option. The best time for such an operation is July or August. Young bushes planted during this period will have time to take root well and get stronger before frost. This will help them get through the winter easily. You can carry out cuttings in September, but then the survival rate of the buxus decreases.
The beds for young plants are pre-dug, weeds are removed and the soil is watered abundantly. The site should be in shade or partial shade. The soil is needed clay and loose, with a high humus content.
Choose branches with a length of at least 20-30 cm. Cuttings are harvested by cutting off one- or two-year shoots at an angle with a pruner or sharp scissors on a box tree just before rooting. The workpieces must not be placed in water or dried in the sun. The shoots are shortened by removing a third of the cuttings. Leaves are left. Then they are planted in a place protected from the wind in partial shade. The spacing between plants is about 8 cm, the row spacing is about 15-20 cm. Young plantings can not be covered with film, the ground around them is slightly compacted.
In autumn, the bushes will reach a height of about 15 cm.They need to be covered with leaves for the winter, and placed on permanent place cultivation.
When carrying out cuttings in the fall, the rooted bushes can be transplanted into a container of a suitable size and transferred to a cool place for the winter until spring.
- Reproduction by seeds.
The seed is pre-soaked in water for a day, it is advisable to add a growth stimulator to the liquid. The seeds are then placed on a damp cloth and kept in a warm place. Do not allow the material to dry out. After about a month, the first shoots hatch. They are sown in the ground from equal parts of peat and sand. The seeds are placed in the ground, directing the sprouts down. Cover with glass or plastic wrap and put away in a warm place without access to the bright sun. Seedlings appear in about 15-20 days. After that, the glass or film is removed and regular maintenance is provided: timely watering, loosening and feeding with a very weak solution of fertilizers. They are transplanted into open ground when there is no threat of return frosts.
- Layers.
In the spring, branches located near the surface of the soil are pressed to the ground. They need to be fixed and sprinkled with soil a little. Layers are watered all summer. It can be planted when the root system is formed and the "baby" begins to grow.
How to plant boxwood correctly?
It is believed that the best time to plant boxwood in open ground is from mid-September to early October. In this case, the plant has time to root well before the onset of frost. However, some gardeners plant the buxus in both spring and summer. Pre-prepare the site: carefully dig up and level the soil, remove weeds and, if necessary, add compost.
Small copies of the buxus are sold in containers with soil or with an open root system. The seedlings are pre-placed in a bucket of water for a day. Planted after sunset or on a cloudy day. Large pits are prepared in which the roots will easily spread. Sand, leafy humus and sod land are placed at the bottom in a ratio of 1: 4: 2.
The spacing between plants when planting will depend on the type of boxwood and how the bush is used. To form a border per square meter, about 10 young plants about 13 cm high are planted. The bushes are watered and shortened by a third.
Bushes need about a month to root. During this time, they should be watered weekly, the ground should be constantly moist. Gradually, the number of irrigations is reduced, and at the beginning of summer, for the first time, they are fed with complex fertilizer.
Cultivation secrets
Buxus is an unpretentious plant. In leaving, you should adhere to simple rules.
- It is better to underfill than overflow - it is a drought-resistant shrub. However, if boxwood grows outdoors in a pot, then in dry hot weather it will have to be watered almost daily. The plant is sprayed from time to time.
- Buxus is resistant to cold, however, shelter will be required if the temperature drops below -20 degrees in winter.
- You need loose soil with good drainage and neutral acidity. Loamy soil containing lime is best suited. Mature compost is additionally introduced into the depleted sandy soil. Soil with a high groundwater level and areas where water stagnates for a long time after rains will not work. Excess moisture can lead to root rot.
- The plant does not like direct sunlight and hot southern parts of the garden. In such a place, the leaves are quickly damaged, the buxus may even die. It is better to plant an evergreen handsome man in partial shade.
- Pruning is an important part of boxwood care. It is carried out with sharp garden shears about once a month from April to September. The more often you trim an evergreen handsome man, the thicker and more magnificent its crown will be. As a result of shortening, the plant loses some of the nutrients that were located in the cut branches. The more often a plant is reduced in size, the more moisture and nutrients it needs. Such specimens are watered and fertilized more than others.
- In November, water-charging irrigation of the bucket is carried out. Before the frost begins, the bushes are saturated with moisture before the long winter period.
- In the spring, it is useful to add nitrogen-based top dressing for boxwood, in late spring - organic fertilizers. To increase winter hardiness, potassium is fertilized in September - it accelerates the lignification of shoots, helping the plant to better survive the winter cold.
When choosing a pinnate boxwood, you need to know that such varieties are more demanding on the conditions of detention. They are less resistant to low temperatures and other adverse factors.
Diseases and pests
- When boxwood gall midge attacks, swellings with convex yellowish spots appear on the lower part of the leaves. The plant quickly loses its former beauty and may die if not treated.
- From a boxwood flea, the leaves become whitish and sticky.
- Buxus can also damage felt and spider mites.
- The boxwood moth loves to feast on boxwood leaves. One caterpillar completely eats a medium-sized leaf in four hours.
Usually, the development cycle of pests is longer than the time of action of the insecticide, therefore two, and sometimes three treatments are carried out with an interval of 2-3 weeks.
The plant is sprayed on both sides, it is also necessary to wet the soil under the plantings with pests. Work is best done in evening time after sunset: many chemicals at temperatures above +25 degrees are highly toxic to humans.
Boxwood branches are damaged by rust. Spores of this fungus can migrate to the plant from the pear, therefore, it is not recommended to grow representatives of Pink and Boxwoods nearby. The affected branches are removed. To prevent the disease, boxwood is sprayed with copper-containing agents, the diseased plant is treated with drugs that support immunity.
On the shoots of boxwood damaged by necrosis, the tops of the branches die off. This disease is fought with the help of fungicides. In case of cancer damage, areas with diseased wood are completely removed, and the wounds are treated with Fundazol.
Wintering
If in winter the temperature drops below 10 degrees of frost, it is advisable to throw a cover of two layers of burlap on the curbs and hedges made of boxwood and fix it well.
Plants growing outdoors in a container should also be protected from the cold. It is convenient to use the pot-in-a-pot method. The container in which the boxwood is located is placed in a larger container. The space between the pots is filled with fine bark. The plant itself is placed on a small wooden platform.
- In the Leningrad region, the transplanting period for boxwood is shorter than in the southern regions. It is held from late April to early October. In this region, the most important time for growing a plant is winter. Care must be taken to protect the axle box from low temperatures. It is advisable to mulch the land under the plantings with needles conifers, and when the temperature drops to -10 degrees, insulate the trunk and branches. To do this, large specimens are covered with boxes of plastic or wood, and small bushes are wrapped in non-woven material and fixed.
- For many decades, varieties have been created that can be grown in Siberia, the Far East and the Urals. For example, Buxus Sempervirens can withstand temperatures as low as -40 degrees. To protect against cold winds and frost, boxwood in these regions is planted on the southern slopes. In winter, it is bent closer to the ground and covered with spruce branches. Be sure to wrap up with snow. Do this carefully so that the branches of the plant do not break.
For mulching, it is better to use coniferous needles or coniferous bark. Leaves can cause rotting.
Boxwood is easily curly cut. To decorate the southern parks and gardens, artists create amazing evergreen sculptures from this plant. It is ideal for shaping curbs and hedges. A dense crown with shiny leaves give the shape of various geometric shapes: cube, cone, ball.
Boxwood can be grown as a standard tree, leaving only the central shoot of the plant.
Medicinal properties and contraindications
The chemical composition of all parts of evergreen boxwood contains many tannins, alkaloids, bioflavonoids and resins. Since ancient times, preparations from the leaves and bark of the plant have been used to treat coughs and upset stomach.
Boxwood has a diuretic, diaphoretic, hypotensive and antiseptic effect. An infusion of leaves gives an analgesic effect, with a decoction, infected wounds and abrasions can be washed. In homeopathy, buxus is used to treat infection with worms and rheumatism.
Official medicine practically does not use boxwood for the production of medicines, since this poisonous plant... In case of poisoning, convulsions, involuntary tremors of the limbs, cutaneous hyperemia, breathing problems, vomiting and diarrhea are observed. If the victim does not receive urgent medical attention, death from respiratory arrest is possible.
The plant is credited with mystical abilities. It is believed that a sprig of boxwood under the pillow protects from evil forces and drives away nightmares. The axle box has strong and heavy wood, which is used in joinery production.
Evergreen boxwood is the choice of those who like to enjoy greenery at any time of the year. It will become a bright spot in the garden even on the most cloudy gray days.
Planting boxwood - a great way to decorate your garden with hedges and various green shapes. For novice gardeners, it is best to start with this plant. Boxwood (Búxus)- evergreen from the Samshitov family. This plant is found both in the form of a bush and in the form of small trees.
This plant is difficult to "kill", it tolerates a short period of drought or waterlogging. But boxwood grows best in warm, humid places, and this should be taken into account when choosing a planting site.
Optimal timing of planting seedlings
Many gardeners talk about planting boxwood in different ways: some say that it should be planted in the fall so that by spring it will please you with its new shoots, others - that this plant can be planted all season - with the first rays of March until the first November frosts.
But still, most are inclined to believe that it is best to plant boxwood in the fall. If before that you grew your plant, and now you decide to "settle" it to a permanent place in open ground, then it is best to carry out such a boxwood transplant in the fall.
Important! For the first shoots to emerge, you need at least one calendar year, so do not be alarmed if your plant did not rise within the usual time frame.
If you do not need the box to grow fully to give the desired shape in the first season, then the box can be planted in the spring - then the plant will root better.
Choosing a landing site
It is best to plant boxwood in shady or semi-shady areas. In principle, the plant is unpretentious, but it is very difficult to tolerate summer heat, open sun rays or cold winds and drafts. Therefore, it is best to plant the plant in the shade of trees.
How to prepare the ground for planting
Under natural conditions, boxwood grows on the slopes of mountains, the soil of which has a very high level Ph. But when planting this plant in your area, you don't have to think about the special composition of the soil. Although, of course, the soil for boxwood must be fertile. It’s not so much the quality of growth that depends on how quickly your boxwood grows.
Of course, in soil rich in trace elements and natural minerals, the plant will grow faster. In loose soil, boxwood will grow faster and the shoots will be more abundant, while in poor soil the shoots will lose their appearance faster.
Did you know? Although boxwood is enough moisture-loving plant, but he "does not like" stagnant water, therefore, if water accumulates in your flower beds after rain, then it is better not to plant a plant there.
The main features of caring for boxwood
By its origin, boxwood does not require special care, but there are certain subtleties, because, like any evergreen plant, boxwood can get sick at any time for no particular reason.
Irrigation mode
Very often it is necessary to water the boxwood in the summer, since the root system gives all the moisture to the leaves, and to preserve them decorative look you need to water boxwood literally every 3 days in summer. If there has been no rain in your area for more than a week, then water the boxwood once a week additionally.
Particular attention should be paid to watering the plant in the off-season, so boxwood should be watered abundantly before winter in order to saturate the roots with moisture for months, and after the frost has left, in order to additionally "saturate" the plant, thus helping it germinate better.
Important! Boxwood needs to arrange a "shower", that is, from time to time to spray the leaves to wash off the settled dust.
Mulching and fertilizing
Mulching is usually carried out before the first frost. Before mulching, in 2-3 days it is necessary to water the plant abundantly (if desired, feed it). Mulch is better to use finely crushed bark of conifers, overwintering under the tree needles of spruce or pine, peat.
If you plant a plant in a soil rich in minerals, then it needs feeding in September, before wintering. However, if the roots of the newly planted box tree have already taken root, then they need to be "fed" with any of the fertilizers for evergreens.
Top dressing of boxwood in the spring can be done with the help of fertilizer, which contains nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Many people are interested in how to fertilize boxwood in the fall - there is a nuance here: for fertilization in the fall, it is better to use fertilizers that do not contain nitrogen, since the root of the "plant" can dry out during wintering.
Pruning and trimming boxwood
You should not prune boxwood in the first year of active growth; it is better to start from the second season. You need to start pruning during the period of constant heat (April-May) and carry out until the boxwood "sleep".
Gardeners unanimously repeat: the more often you cut the boxwood, the better... This is true, but you need to pay attention to the fact that the boxwood grows slowly, and if you want to give the bush a certain shape, then it is better not to prune the boxwood in the fall.
Often on the forums there is a question: how to rejuvenate boxwood. It's simple - the scissors are in your hands: before the onset of cold weather, cut off all the shoots, leaving only those whose leaves have not yet grown, and in the spring your boxwood will delight you with fresh shoots.
Did you know?If, after pruning, you fertilize your boxwood with any fertilizer, it will grow much faster, since the "area" of growth will decrease, and the "return" from the root system will be greater.
Preparing boxwood for winter
Preparing for winter is a guarantee of what kind of shoot your plant will delight you with in spring. In the fall, boxwood is fed and mulched, and additional plentiful watering of the plant is also carried out before winter, but the main thing in preparing for winter is the shelter of the box for the winter.
To hide small bushes, use plastic or wooden flasks with holes inside for ventilation; the bushes are wrapped in lutrasil, spunbond or other non-woven material; the top of the boxwood is covered with a cloth, and the whole bush is tied to a support; if your bush is very sprawling, it is best to tie it at the base of the branches.
Important!As a shelter for the winter, you cannot use iron structures (as they freeze very quickly) and polyethylene, because many fungal diseases develop under it.
Breeding methods for boxwood
Usually, boxwood propagation is carried out in a vegetative way, since the cuttings root better, and they can be planted immediately in open ground; You can also use seeds, but remember that the seed germination rate is lower.
Cuttings
Most often, cuttings are carried out in the spring. To do this, at an angle of 45 degrees, you need to cut off the shoot and remove the leaves by a third. After that, the cutting should be placed in a root former solution for three days..
After that, the stalk must be rinsed well without damaging the small shoots, and planted in the soil, having previously fed it with humus, leafy soil and peat. The plant is covered with a plastic bottle and watered every 3-5 days, depending on the climatic characteristics of your region.
It is better to use a spray bottle for watering. You will notice the first signs of growth in a month, and the root system will be fully formed in two to three months.
Did you know?Daily airing of the cuttings contributes to their better and faster rooting.
Frequently asked question: how to plant boxwood in the fall? This can be done, but it is best to plant boxwood in pots, and not in open ground, because the root system will not have time to form and will die.
Seeds
Before planting, the seeds must be soaked in warm boiled water for a day, then put between two wet wipes and kept in this form until white shoots appear. If sunrises do not appear within 2-3 weeks, you can put napkins in the refrigerator for a few days. However, it is important to keep the wipes moist.
After the seeds germinate, they are sown in a mixture of peat and sand in equal parts and covered with glass or foil. The container is removed to a warm place in partial shade. As soon as the first shoots appear, the "roof" must be removed. Caring for such seedlings consists in feeding with a weak solution of fertilizers and watering. It is not necessary to loosen the soil, as you can damage the sprout.
Boxwood is one of the few ancient ornamental shrubs, which to this day are able to delight summer residents. Boxwood is widely used in landscape design - it greens territories and creates beautiful hedges from it.
This shrub is an evergreen plant, therefore, even in winter cold weather it has a rather flawless appearance. Consider the rules and recommendations for planting, caring for and growing boxwood at their summer cottage.
Boxwood varieties - distinctive features
There are about 30 types of boxwood, native to the Mediterranean and some Asian regions. Each species has unique featuresBy which it differs from other varieties of plants. Boxwood shrubs differ in:
- Growth rate
- Distribution area
- Bark staining
- The shape and color of the leaves
Russian gardeners most often grow (95%) evergreen or ordinary boxwood. Many lovers of plants and, in particular, ornamental plants, like to grow them in tubs. In this case, it is optimal to use Chinese low-growing varieties.
Registration suburban area using boxwood.
Boxwood evergreen - widespread distribution of this plant species in Mediterranean countries and in the Caucasus. Boxwood of this species grows well in semi-shady and sunny places. In cases where the bushes are not pruned, they reach a height of 3 meters.
Small-leaved boxwood - this type of plant differs from the species described above in that this dwarf shrub is not afraid of winter cold. This plant is a descendant of the boxwood family, which grows in the territory of South Asia. It can withstand temperatures up to 30 degrees below zero - even in such frosts, it can not be covered. Gardeners appreciate this type of plant because of its compact shape and decorative crown.
Balearic boxwood - is the most close-up view family boxwood. The size of its leaves reaches a length of 5 cm. In its natural environment, this plant grows in the Balearic Islands - this is Spain. This type of boxwood is also widespread in other territories: in the southern regions of Spain, on the territory of Portugal, on the coast of the Crimean peninsula.
How to properly plant boxwood on your site
No special gardening skills or knowledge is required to plant boxwood. Transplanting three-year-old and older plants is possible in a fairly long period of time: you can start replanting them in early spring, summer, and finish transplanting when late autumn comes. Boxwood that has not reached the age of three is recommended to be replanted in the fall.
When choosing seedlings, it is better to purchase plants grown in containers. Be sure to pay attention to the color of the boxwood leaves and shoots - their color should be green, and the leaves themselves should be lush. When stains are found yellow color on the leaves of a plant, you should not buy it, as it may soon die.
Planting and caring for box trees.
It is most convenient to plant boxwood on cloudy days. First, you need to prepare the site, then dig holes in the soil, which should be slightly larger in width and depth than the root ball. When digging holes, you can navigate in size to the container in which the bush was grown. If you decide to plant several trees to form hedge or a curb, a ditch of sufficient width and depth is dug.
Dig out a trench and pour 10-15 cm of compost on the bottom. Using a conventional pitchfork, mix the compost and soil.
Then you need to prepare the seedlings. In this case, you need to spread the roots and make sure that they do not stick out in different sides... Having inserted the bushes into the trench, they are covered with soil, and a depression is made around the trunk so that moisture accumulates in it. After planting, the boxwood bush is thoroughly watered.
In order for the roots of the boxwood not to remain dry, it is necessary to immerse them in water before planting and leave them for a day.
In what ways does boxwood multiply
Gardeners propagate boxwood bushes using only the cuttings method. They plant the cuttings in the beds. The best time planting boxwood is considered the spring period. Autumn planting is also a good option, but if box trees are planted about a month before the cold weather sets in. It is not recommended to plant later, since the plants will not have time to take root and will be unprepared for winter frosts.
The cuttings are planted in prepared soil, which is preliminarily loosened and enriched with humus. Boxwood has a good survival rate - about 80% of the planted plants take root well. Despite this, it is a good idea to cover young plants. For this, cans or plastic wrap are used. If you provide the plants with regular watering, they will take root in a month, or even earlier.
For growing in short time tall trees, it is necessary to plant cuttings longer than 20 cm.
Despite the fact that boxwood shrubs are not considered too demanding, and caring for them is not very troublesome, you still need to know about some existing subtleties that must be observed in order for a beautiful hedge to appear on your site after a while.
Compliance with temperature and humidity
Severe frost has a negative effect on boxwood bushes. If the air temperature drops to 20 degrees below zero, some weakened plants die if timely measures are not taken and they are not covered.
Therefore, before the first snow falls, preferably at the end of autumn, it is necessary to wrap up the plants, for which burlap or other materials are used that can protect the boxwood from icy winds and exposure to direct sunlight on frosty days.
To prevent trees from being damaged by unfavorable weather, plant them in semi-shaded areas. It is better to select frost-resistant species.
It is forbidden to use cellophane film to cover the boxwood. Excess moisture is created under the film, which has a detrimental effect on plants.
How to properly water boxwood
If tub plants require daily watering, then boxwood planted in open areas should only be watered on hot summer days. The rest of the year, watering is not required, since the plants have enough moisture, which they receive from rainfall. If a long time the weather is dry, boxwood must be watered abundantly once every four weeks.
From time to time, plants should receive a short shower - thanks to it, the dust that has settled on them is washed off the leaves. In addition, the shower has a beneficial effect on the seedlings - they take root faster. The main thing is to often loosen the soil near box trees so that their roots receive more air.
Correct lighting
Boxwood plants are not very demanding. And this is closely related to illumination. Boxwood perfectly tolerates shade, it can perfectly coexist next to other plants.
But direct sunlight adversely affects the plant, so take care of it: artificially create shade for the boxwood, and this will protect its leaves from possible sunburn.
Ensuring proper feeding of boxwood
Boxwood bushes should be planted in a nutrient and, which must be fed from the time the bush is well rooted. Organic fertilizers are suitable for feeding.
With the onset of spring, when the soil is dug up, it is necessary to apply complex fertilizers with a large amount of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.
In the autumn period of the year, it is better to use nitrogen-free fertilizers for feeding shrubs - these are superphosphate and potassium salt.
Correct pruning of boxwood
Similar to top dressing (the introduction of fertilizers into the soil), boxwood bushes are trimmed in the second year after planting, since it is necessary to finally make sure that the bushes have taken root. Pruning of bushes is carried out no more than once a month, during periods when the shrub grows most actively - in May-August.
Pruning boxwood will give your shrubs the right geometric shapes and create a neat look for your garden.
Using garden shears and others special devices, the plants are trimmed - they are given the desired geometric shape. A month after the haircut, the shape must be corrected - to remove the protruding branches.
Frequent pruning of boxwood shrubs requires more frequent watering and fertilization, which replenishes the loss of nutrients and prevents the plant from losing leaves.
What diseases and pests are dangerous for boxwood
Boxwood leaves contain in their leaves a large amount of toxic and dangerous components that can harm health and the human body, but these components are not able to protect the plant from the damaging effects of all kinds of pests.
Most often boxwood bushes are affected by boxwood gall midge and. These pests lay eggs on plant shoots. After some time, larvae hatch from the eggs, penetrating into the leaves and damaging them. In order to avoid infestation with these pests, it is necessary to constantly remove fallen leaves and regularly prune boxwood bushes. Chemical treatment of plants is also required from May to June.
Another known pest is a fungus called Volutella buxi. When a boxwood bush is attacked by a fungus, the shoots begin to die off. It is possible to effectively combat this pest using fungicide treatment and by cutting off shoots affected by the fungus.
Diseases of boxwood bushes and discoloration of leaves along the edges in a yellow tint can occur due to irregular watering and poor-quality feeding. To avoid these problems, shrubs need to create favorable conditions for growth and development. Thanks to the timely application of fertilizers, the trees are protected from damage.
It is interesting for breeding is not quite the traditional boxwood plant, cultivation is possible even for young amateur gardeners.
Boxwood refers to evergreen trees and shrubs of the boxwood family, of which there are more than 100 species in nature. The homeland of the plant is India and Asia. In Latin, the name of the shrub is "buxus" (buxus). The plant is used to form hedges and grow in pots for interior decoration.
Description of the plant
The leaves of the plant are leathery, oval or almost round. Flowers are small, collected in inflorescences, possess pleasant aroma... Designers value boxwood because of its interesting appearance, shiny leaves, and good tolerance for crown pruning. The fruit develops in the form of a box from which the seeds fall out. It is a melliferous plant, but boxwood honey cannot be used for food, because the plant is poisonous.
It is preferable to plant boxwood in early autumn, in September. Choose a shady place with moist soil. The soil is fertilized with lime. Before the onset of frost, the plant will have time to take root. Some hobbyists plant boxwood in summer and even spring, but you should be aware that leaves can suffer from the bright sun.
Before planting in open ground, it is recommended to propagate boxwood by cuttings at home. Before planting seedlings, you need to water them or place the root system in water. Pits are dug, the bottom of which must be covered with a 2-3 cm layer of drainage (gravel, expanded clay, perlite), the root system of the seedling is straightened and carefully filled with soil. After filling the hole with soil, trample it down a little and pour it over with settled water. After the soil has shrunk, it is worth adding more soil without compacting upper layer... Make a small indentation around the trunk so that water does not drain from the slide when watering.
Caring for a plant is no different from growing other garden plants. Suffice it to water intermittently (in a plant of 1 m takes about 1 bucket of water per week). Watering is done in the evening, after which the soil is loosened, weeds are removed.
In the spring, a layer of peat up to 8 cm thick is poured around the boxwood seedling (the trunk itself and the twigs should not be covered), and watering is performed. Further care consists in feeding with complex fertilizers. It should be remembered that you can only fertilize those plants that have already taken root.
It is best to transplant a bush in spring, in this case, the plant will have time to take root and gain strength before winter. The bush is transplanted along with part of the surrounding soil.
The formation of the crown of the bush is best done in early spring... By trimming the plant, you can give different shapes - a cube, a ball, a cone. The bush tolerates shearing well, grows slowly, so there is no need to adjust the crown often. After each leaf pruning, the plant should be fed to replenish the lost nutrients.
To prevent insect attacks on the bush, you should use standard insecticides. The plant rarely gets sick.
Reproduction of boxwood
How to propagate boxwood? Which is better - cuttings, seeds or cuttings?
It is possible to grow a bush from seeds, but they do not have a long shelf life and have a low germination rate. Reproduction of boxwood is usually carried out in a vegetative way. The selection of planting material is recommended in spring. Boxwood cuttings are performed as follows:
- choose shoots 10-15 cm long;
- branches are cut obliquely;
- the lower part of the cutting is cleaned of foliage and placed in a nutrient solution for 24 hours;
- after a day, the cuttings must be planted in nutrient soil.
After that, the shoots are closed with a cap made of cut plastic bottle, are ventilated daily and watered periodically. After 4-8 weeks, a developed root system appears. Cuttings should be placed in a room with a temperature of about + 10ºC for the winter. In the spring, you can plant the plant in the ground.
In addition to propagation by cuttings, there is a reproduction of boxwood by layering. A branch of boxwood is buried in the ground in spring and watered until autumn. After the branches have a root system, they are separated from the main bush and transplanted to a permanent place.
Wintering plants
Winter is a tough test for boxwood. The shrub is sensitive to low temperatures, so it is recommended to prepare it for the onset of cold weather.
In November, they make good watering of the soil around the bush to saturate it with moisture for the winter months. After watering, mulching is carried out with peat or rotten needles.
To protect it from damage, the bush is tied to a wooden stick stuck in the soil - this will avoid breaking the trunk from the weight of the snow. It is advisable to whitewash the bases of the branches of the bush.
Before frost, the bushes are covered with 2-3 layers of garden non-woven material (you can use spunbond or regular burlap). It is necessary to remove the fabric in the spring, when the threat of frost on the soil has passed. This is done in rainy weather. It is recommended not to remove all layers of material at once: the boxwood should get used to the changes environment.
It is not difficult to grow this shrub. It is worth following all the recommendations, and then the evergreen plant will become a decoration of the personal plot.