Boxwood – evergreen, which fits perfectly into the landscaping of a summer cottage. Today it is quite often used in the design of the landscape of the territory. The advantage of the plant is easy care, fast growing and attractive appearance. Its crown is powerful, dense and can be easily shaped. The topic of this article is boxwood: planting and care in the Moscow region. From it we will learn how to grow a plant in the Russian climate, and what care it needs.

Boxwood: planting and care in the Moscow region

Boxwood is a beautiful shrub in your yard

Despite the fact that this plant is heat-loving, it easily tolerates frost, and if you follow the correct planting and care technology, the shrub can delight you with its beauty for many years. Thanks to its luxurious crown, boxwood can be given any shape. The wood is quite dense, and the height of the bush can exceed 20 meters.

Today, more than 40 types of boxwood are known. The most popular tree in our area is the evergreen boxwood. The shrub grows slowly, but if it is not pruned, it can grow very large. The leaves of the plant are green and shiny. The flowers are small, the fruit is presented in the form of a round box with outgrowths. The plant is quite resistant to climatic surprises and rarely succumbs to attack by pests and various diseases.

Boxwood - planting and care

What is needed to plant a plant? First of all - quality planting material, for which you can use purchased seedlings or grow from cuttings. Boxwood can be planted at any time warm time. This is mainly March – November. If seedlings are planted in the summer, then they need to be watered more often - this way they will better take root and prepare for winter.

Seedlings purchased in November cannot be planted; they need to be buried in the garden in the shade. You cannot bury seedlings in a hole, as this will destroy the plant. Boxwood is purchased with the soil in which it grew. The roots must be untangled. If this is not done, the plant may not take root in its new location.

Planting is carried out in several stages:

Stage 1. To plant the plant, you need a small hole, the depth of which should be slightly larger than the root system of the shrub.

Stage 2. Boxwood loves fertile soil, so it is recommended to fertilize it first. You can add fertile soil, humus, compost, humus, peat.

Stage 3. During planting, the plant is filled with a small amount of water, and the soil is compacted tightly. This is necessary so that when watering the water remains near the plant.

Stage 4. After completing planting, you need to water it abundantly. The first two weeks need to be watered daily, especially if the weather is hot.

After watering, the soil should be mulched using bark or peat. Three weeks is enough for the plant to take root. Then you can trim it.

What does caring for boxwood include? An important point is the application of fertilizer. Complex formulations containing nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus can be used as additional nutrition. They are introduced in the spring. In the fall, fertilizers without nitrogen are applied. All fertilizers are applied dry, by spreading around the bush.

How to propagate boxwood? Reproduction is done by cuttings. For this purpose, material is prepared at the end of June, beginning of July. It is necessary to select young shoots. The cuttings should have internodes and several leaves. The finished cuttings are dipped into the peat mixture to the level of the leaves. Then cover the top with a jar or film. It is necessary to water the cuttings daily. After a week you can plant them in separate pots.

In autumn, the bush is placed in open ground. It will have time to take root before winter. For the winter, plants are covered with material so that they do not die due to frost.

So, boxwood, planting and care Moscow region which is uncomplicated, will be an excellent decoration for your summer cottage. Even if you are a novice gardener, you can easily cope with growing this beautiful bush. We hope that our tips will be useful to you.

Boxwood (buxus, buxus, stone tree) is known as a decorative evergreen shrub a very long time ago. This is one of the best plants for landscaping areas and creating hedges. It is flexible, easily tolerates shaping haircuts, and even in winter it can boast of its impeccable appearance.

General information about the plant

Boxwood belongs to the genus evergreens. It has almost 100 various types. IN wildlife axle grows in the Mediterranean, East Africa, Asia Minor, Central America, and the Caucasus.

Buxus is a shrub that in nature grows tall up to 15 meters, in culture it is more often no higher than 6 meters. The dense crown of the bush is covered with shiny, leathery, fragrant leaves oval shape. Upper part leaves are colored dark green, the leaves below are yellow-green.

In our climate, buxus rarely blooms. Small, fragrant yellow-green flowers appear in March - April.

Types of boxwood

The most common species in our country are:

• evergreen or ordinary;
• small-leaved;
• Colchian or Caucasian;
• Balearic.

Evergreen boxwood is found in the southern regions of the country both as an ornamental and as a wild plant (in the Caucasus). Growing possible both in partial shade and in the sun.

Homeland small-leaved boxwood are Japan and Korea. Therefore, this species is more resistant to winter cold and, even without shelter, can withstand frosts down to minus 30 degrees. Colchis boxwood is listed in the Red Book. It is a long-liver and specimens are known to have lived to almost 600 years. It grows in height up to 20 meters with a trunk diameter of 30 cm.

Balearic boxwood is the most close-up view. Its leaves are up to 4 cm long and 3 cm wide. Different rapid growth, high decorative qualities. Wintering is possible only at positive temperatures.

Planting evergreen boxwood

Choose a place for planting in advance: bright, but without direct sunlight.

Buxus grows in almost any type of soil, but the ideal soil for planting is:

• loamy;
• having neutral acidity;
• well drained.

Particular attention should be paid to drainage. This bush is simply will not grow in areas where water stagnates. In this case, it is better to grow it in large flowerpots.

Best time for planting young seedlings in the Moscow or Leningrad region - this is autumn. It will take about a month for the axle box to root. Therefore, the planting time must be calculated so that the seedling takes root before the first frost. Plants older than 3 years can be planted at any time of the year, except winter.

When purchasing seedlings, inspect them carefully: foliage and shoots should be lush and green. Leaves with yellow spots indicate that the bush will soon die.

Planting is carried out after sunset or on a cloudy day. Dig a hole to size approximately three times larger than an earthen clod seedling. To plant a hedge, a trench is dug. A drainage layer is laid at the bottom. If the soil is poor, you can add fertile soil or compost on top of the drainage.

After removing the plant from the container, you need to carefully straighten all the roots. The quality and timing of its rooting depends on this. To make the soil looser and more breathable, you can add perlite to the soil. Place the seedling in the hole, fill it with soil, tamp it down lightly and water.

Rules for care and cultivation

During the growing season, care is quite simple. The first feeding is carried out a month after planting. Subsequently, fertilizing is repeated 1-2 times a month throughout the growing season. Fertilizers rich in nitrogen are applied in the spring, and phosphorus-potassium fertilizers are applied in the summer and autumn.

When watering, they are guided by weather conditions. If there is no rain, then water once every 1 - 2 weeks.

Before the onset of cold weather, the buxus is watered abundantly, and the soil around the trunk is mulched. Despite the fact that evergreen boxwood tolerates quite well subzero temperatures, long severe frosts can kill the plant. Small bushes are covered with boxes of ventilation holes. The hedge is covered with non-woven material specially designed for this purpose.

In the spring, do not delay cleaning the shelter to avoid possible damping of the axle box or the development of fungal diseases.

To maintain the shape of boxwood new growth needs to be pruned. To get curvy beautiful bushes, a haircut should be done once every 4 weeks.

Reproduction

Boxwood can be propagated:

• seeds;
• cuttings;
• layering.

Seeds

Buxus is propagated by seeds extremely rare. This is due to the fact that its seeds quickly lose their viability.

IN warm water dissolve growth stimulant(Zircon or Epin) and soak fresh ripened seeds in this solution for 24 hours. After this, they are laid out between wet wipes or cotton pads. Within 2 - 3 weeks, white sprouts hatch.

Boxwood seeds

The seeds are placed in a container filled with a mixture of peat and sand in equal parts. In this case, the sprouts must be directed into the soil. Cover the top of the container with film or glass and place it in a warm place at home, shaded from direct sunlight.

After green sprouts appear, the glass or film is removed. You can plant it in open ground in the spring after How will the threat of frost pass?.

Cuttings

The most common method of propagating axle is spring cuttings. From an adult plant young, non-lignified shoots are cut at an angle about 15 cm long.

Leaves are removed from the lower part of the cutting, the lower tip is dipped in Kornevin and buried in the lung, nutrient soil by a third of the length. Cover with a plastic bottle on top.

Necessary ventilate daily plants. Water the cuttings by spraying water from a spray bottle on them. The first roots appear in about a month.

By layering

For propagation by layering in spring shoot bend to the ground and dig in. During the summer period, the buried shoot is watered and fed along with the mother bush. After the shoots begin to grow, they are separated and planted.

Diseases and pests

Most buxus diseases occur due to improper care behind it or due to damage to the plant by pests.

The most common diseases are:

• root rotting;
• loss of foliage and shoots;
• late blight;
• white leaf spot;
• cytosporosis;
• drying of branches and leaves.

The most dangerous for this plant are the following pests:

• boxwood moth;
• gall midge;
• boxwood psyllid;
• spider mite;
• slowpoke;
• boxwood felt;
• scale insect;
• mealybugs.

Use in landscape design

Slow growth, plasticity, easy care, unpretentiousness, the presence of foliage in winter - all these qualities inherent in buxus open landscape designers endless possibilities for using this plant.

Separately planted bushes are given a variety of shapes with the help of haircuts: from simple geometric to complex shapes. Low-growing and slow-growing species are used to frame flower beds and lawns and create borders. Strong and tall-growing varieties produce a dense living fence that protects from noise, wind and prying eyes.

This shrub is also used to hide unsightly objects on the site: trash cans, compost heaps. In flower beds, boxwood is often used as a background for other beautiful flowering plants.

A dense hedge or beautiful green figures will decorate any area; you just need to spend a little effort on the simple care of this wonderful plant.

A winning option for landscaping a backyard area is growing boxwood; even a novice summer resident can handle planting and caring for this plant in the Moscow region. This is one of the most ancient decorative representatives; today it is cultivated as a garden and houseplant. A luxurious green fence, border or unusual topiary is grown from bushes on the site.

Boxwood hedges

Long-liver with character: description and advantages

Boxwood, or buxus (from Latin Buxus) is a slow-growing evergreen shrub or tree with a height of 0.7 to 15 m. It is widespread in East Africa, the Mediterranean, Asia Minor and Central America.

If for landscaping local area boxwood selected, planting and care in open ground will require attentiveness from the gardener. But at the same time, a highly decorative bush will grow in the garden area, retaining its attractiveness for a long time. The lifespan of a buxus in nature reaches 500-600 years. For example, Nana fir cannot boast of such indicators. On the site, life expectancy is limited to several decades.

Boxwood plantings

Despite its apparent mediocrity, the shrub attracts gardeners with its glossy green leaves. The upper part of the leaf blades is dark, and the lower part is light, yellow-green. The leaves are elliptical in shape and remain on the branches. all year round. In autumn, their color changes from green to dark brown.

Another reason to grow buxus is its pleasant aroma. It produces small yellowish-green flowers that bloom in April or May. Over time, fruit boxes measuring 1-1.5 cm in size form in their place.

Slow growth is a characteristic of the plant. The annual growth is 5-6 cm.

IN wild conditions the plant reaches 15 m; when grown on a plot, a maximum height of up to 6 m can be achieved. Boxwood, with proper care, is not capricious. Its main advantages:

How to choose the best boxwood seedlings?

Plants are sold with an open or closed root system. If she closed type, then such a specimen can be planted in the summer. Specimens with an open root system require preparation before planting. The roots must be trimmed and placed in a bucket with warm water. Planting of such a sample is carried out only in the spring.

Signs of a quality seedling:

• the foliage is green and lush, without damage;
• yellow spots are a sign of a disease, so they should not exist;
• soil in a container without mold;
• the earthen lump is braided with roots.

When growing this representative, it is important to remember that it is poisonous. The composition contains the alkaloid buxin, which in toxic quantities causes vomiting, convulsions and respiratory arrest. In most cases, it is dangerous for domestic animals when branches after pruning are used as bedding.

Varieties for the Moscow region

There are several dozen types of boxwood. For growing in middle lane Russia uses the following types:

• evergreen;
• favorite small-leaved by many;
• Colchian, or Caucasian;
• Balearic.

Evergreen boxwood has dark green glossy foliage up to 3 cm in length. Most often it is a tree; shrubs are rare. Popular varieties:

Blauer Heinz

Small-leaved buxus is sensitive to cold, but there are also frost-resistant varieties:

• Winter Gem is a dense bush up to 1.5 m in height, which can be shaped. Used to create shaped objects.
• Faulkner – miniature view axle box, from which a ball is most often formed.

The Colchian, or Caucasian species is most suitable for survival in the middle zone. It tolerates cold and sunlight better than others, and has the smallest foliage. It can live up to 600 years, growing up to 20 m. It goes well with almost any flowering shrubs.

Balearic is the largest and fast growing species, but wintering is possible only at positive temperatures.

Some varieties survive winter not only in the Moscow region, but also in Siberia due to their resistance to cold. In such regions, more attentive care, regular feeding and careful preparation for winter are required. Colchian and Balearic species practically do not take root in cold regions, but varieties of evergreen boxwood do well.

Choosing a place and timing of landing

To grow a decorative specimen, you need to choose the right place for placement. First of all, the level of illumination is taken into account. Boxwood grows successfully in a shaded area, but in conditions of constant light the foliage may suffer. Full sun is acceptable if the soil is light and fertile and watering is regular. Bushes do not tolerate drafts well, so choose a place protected from the wind, for example, along a wall or under a large tree. For the development of roots, a retreat of at least 1 m is required from the bush to the building.

Planting work

Boxwoods are grown in loose soils with drainage. Humidity is welcome, but waterlogging has a negative effect on the roots. The plant does not like acidic soils, so choose areas containing lime. In the Urals and Siberia when landing in poor soil add compost or fertile soil to the hole. To loosen the soil, additional perlite is added.

Boxwood should be planted in the spring so that the plant has time to take root and settle into the area before the onset of cold weather. Some gardeners allow planting in the fall. The main thing is to do this before frost, so that the seedling has time to adapt.

To plant a bush correctly, you should follow a few simple rules:

1. Planting work is carried out in cloudy weather or in the evening.
2. A hole is dug three times larger than the earthen clod. If planted hedge, then prepare a trench instead of several holes.
3. A drainage layer is laid at the bottom of the hole or trench.
4. The seedling in the container must be watered abundantly the day before planting.
5. All roots are carefully straightened. The seedling is placed in a hole and covered with earth. The soil can be lightly compacted.
6. Immediately after planting, the tree trunk circle is watered and mulched with peat, leaf humus or compost.

Video with landing details.

Shrub care: watering, fertilizing, pruning

The rules for caring for boxwood include watering, fertilizing, pruning and preparing for winter. It is enough to water the bush once a week during the entire growing season in the absence of rain for a long time. The first application of fertilizers is made a month after planting, then the bush is fed monthly. In the spring, buxus will need nitrogen fertilizers, in the summer and autumn - potassium and phosphorus.

Fertilizers for ornamental shrubs:

• specialized drug "Buxus-Azet";
• mineral complex PETER PEAT;
• For organic fertilizers, mullein solution (1:10) and bird droppings (1:20) are suitable.

The main reason for choosing a boxwood bush is its predisposition to form topiary figures. From the evergreen buccus you can grow a ball, cube, pyramid and more complex shapes. To maintain the shape, only new growth is pruned. Trimming stimulates the branching of the bush. The frequency of the procedure is once every 4 weeks. In the Moscow region, pruning can begin in April.

Haircut of young growth

Boxwood shelter for the winter

One of the difficult stages in care is the transition of boxwood into a dormant state and its wintering. The boxwood tree is prepared in advance for the onset of cold weather. In the fall, before frost, it is watered abundantly. Tree trunk circle mulch so that the root system does not freeze. It is better to cover the soil with peat rather than foliage, since during the winter it can rot and block the access of air to the roots.

Covering methods:

1. Small specimens can be covered with boxes with ventilation holes. Large bushes and hedges are insulated with non-woven material or spruce branches.
2. Border plantings are covered with non-woven insulation, burlap or special nets to prevent branches from breaking off under the snow.
3. Standard boxwoods are tied to supports and wrapped in spruce branches.

Boxwood in winter in the Moscow region needs to be protected from sunlight. Most often, the plant suffers from bright rays, and not from cold. The bush is at rest, and if there is an excess of light in the leaves, the process of photosynthesis can begin. When the soil is frozen, the plant goes hungry, which can cause it to turn brown, dry out, or even die. In the spring, with the arrival of warmth, the shelter is removed as soon as possible so that fungal diseases do not begin to develop.

Boxwood caterpillar

Boxwood moth: how to deal with an annoying guest?

This pest literally “mows down” boxwood plantings, turning them into bare shrubs. Measures must be taken immediately, otherwise you will have to say goodbye to landscape plantings. To know for sure that the moth, or Cydalima perspectalis, has started, you will have to inspect the plant.

The box moth is a butterfly with brown wings covered with a white border. She lays eggs on inner surface leaves. The caterpillars quickly eat the greens, turning the plant into a bare bush.

Signs of pest infestation:

• shoots are covered with cobwebs;
• inside the bush there are many yellowish-green caterpillars with black heads;
• the trunk circle is strewn with the remains of leaves and insect feces;
• The boxwood dries out and loses some of its foliage.

Bi-58, Fufanon and the long-established Actellik or Operacot are considered effective for pest control. All drugs are toxic, so treatment must be carried out in a protective suit, without neglecting personal safety measures. Protective action solutions lasts for 3-14 days. Experienced gardeners It is recommended to combine contact agents with systemic drugs. Aktaru is one of these.

Carry out 3-4 sprayings, alternating Aktara with any contact preparation.

When planning processing, you will have to take into account the temperature environment to prevent high toxicity. If the thermometer reading is above +26 °C, then it is better to postpone spraying.

Moth development cycle

Among the biological agents that are effective are:

• Actofit – requires 8-10 ml per 1 liter of water;
• Guapsin to combat emerging caterpillars.

During the period of struggle, it is necessary to change the feeding regime. The application of nitrogen fertilizers is temporarily excluded. They are replaced with potassium sulfate (20 g per bucket of water). A single application of calcium chelate will not hurt.

Plants native to the subtropics and tropics can be grown successfully in cold regions. The secret is in the right variety and proper care for it. Boxwood only needs fertile soil, timely fertilizers and winter shelter from cold and sunlight.

Boxwood is a perennial crop, which at proper cultivation and maintenance is capable of maintaining its unusual appearance for many years and decorating any garden plot. How to grow evergreen crop in Siberian conditions? The main advantage is considered ability to maintain shape even after the cutting process. Leaves continue to grow evenly around the entire perimeter of the crop.

It is considered the most common shrub for topiary (a type of topiary cultivated plants and trees), as well as for creating hedges. It can be grown at home as a simple indoor flower.

Varieties of culture

Now there are more than thirty varieties of boxwood, among which you can find frost-resistant varieties that are especially valued and loved by flower growers. The shrub grows for quite a long time, and lives for a very long period of time - up to 500 years.

On the territory of our country there are several widespread varieties of boxwood that are able to efficiently withstand the harsh winter in our climatic conditions. The varieties differ from each other in their height, foliage color and intensity of growth.

Buxus sempervirens.

Boxwood of the evergreen type, or otherwise ordinary, is a miniature tree with a beautiful trunk or tall bush. It blooms with small and inconspicuous flowers, which most resemble brushes in March or April.

The most common varieties of culture are:

1. Angustifolia. A culture with long and tapered leaves of a bluish tint, used for planting in topiary.
2. Mytifolia. Quite a small shrub with yellow leaves. This plant feels good in a dark place and is used to create hedges.
3. Suffruticosa. Boxwood for border cultivation has small lemon-colored leaves.
4. Bullata. The culture can reach a height of up to four meters and differs from other crops in its dark green leaves.
5. Marginata. Culture with oblong leaves. It feels great in the city and can be grown in city flower beds.

Buxus microphylla.

Small-leaved boxwood is a crop that does not exceed one and a half meters in height. The leaves of this shrub are small and round in shape or ellipsoidal.

This culture blooms with fragrant inflorescences, and the fruits of this culture are capsules, which, after ripening, are scattered with small dark seeds throughout the territory where the flower grows.

The most common varieties:

1. Microphulla. The plant, which reaches one and a half meters in height, has round, leathery leaves.
2. Faukner. A low crop with small leaves that fit perfectly into the garden when forming balls. This plant has winter-hardy properties.
3. Winter Gem. One of the most common plants that grows quickly and can tolerate even the most low temperatures outdoors, the plant also retains its bright green color even in the winter season.

Preparing soil mixture for planting

Boxwood is a crop that unpretentious to landing, so choosing a site for planting will be quite simple for the gardener.

Most of all, the plant prefers shaded places, as well as partial shade. Boxwood is able to grow in open areas and in sunny places, but it needs regular watering, and winter time or early spring needs a shading process.

The plant is not particularly demanding on the soil mixture, but most of all prefers to grow on airtight and slightly alkaline or calcareous soil. If soil mixture poor in organic matter, then boxwood begins to give a very short growth, while the crop improves the density of its crown. This is considered the main property in the process maintaining the plant's geometric shape and certain figures.

If on garden plot pass groundwater and at the same time at a shallow level from the surface of the earth, then boxwood will be best planted in special pots.

It is worth planting the crop with the advent of spring, since in conditions of unfavorable temperatures, it is important that the plant is well strengthened and firmly rooted in the soil. If the process growing a crop occurs in a flowerpot, then the crop can be replanted at any time of the year; to do this, you just need to water it well and plant the plant, using a large lump of earth.

Boxwood planting and care in open ground

Boxwood planting process:

1. Hole for further planting It is worth digging three times deeper and wider than the old container in which the shrubs were previously grown.
2. It is imperative to lay a layer of drainage at the bottom of the hole, while maintaining a layer of at least 10 centimeters. This layer must necessarily include crushed stone, sand, and also serve as a high-quality drainage from the roots excess moisture. After drainage, it is worth covering with a small layer of soil.
3. The culture should be removed from the container and straightened out thoroughly. root system and place it in a hole, while filling the root collar of the plant with soil substrate.
4. The soil should be compacted a little with your hands and watered generously. For a seedling up to twenty centimeters, use about 3 liters of water. It is best to use water either from rainwater or to let it settle well beforehand.
5. After completing the process of watering the plant, you should wait until the soil settles firmly in the hole. It is best to mulch the soil next to the crop trunk, not reaching five centimeters to the trunk itself. To do this, you can use specialized materials, peat-based crumbs, compost, and fallen leaves. This will help preserve the soil and create special protection for the soil mixture from the erosion process.

Boxwood evergreen planting and care

Caring for boxwood after planting includes a standard set simple actions which is used for everyone decorative varieties plants.

At what time should you start fertilizing?

After the crop is transplanted into the soil, there is no need to fertilize it for one month. IN spring time or in the fall, when the soil mixture is subjected to digging, additional organic substances in the form of fertilizers should be added to it.

In spring, you can use special mineral fertilizer complexes, which will include phosphorus, nitrogen, and potassium. So that before the onset of winter and frost the shoots of the crop can ripen well and become stronger in the soil, it is worth stopping feeding mineral fertilizers plants until the end of July.

If this is necessary for the plant, then in the autumn you can use fertilizers that do not include nitrogen.

The process of watering a boxwood plant

If there is no rain outside for seven days, then the boxwood should be watered on its own. If the soil underneath is completely dry, and weeds begin to actively develop, then the leaves of the crop also begin to quickly turn yellow.

The process of pruning evergreen boxwood.

It is necessary to trim the bush, but only after it has been able to fully strengthen its roots in the soil, this most often happens in the second year after planting.

When planting a low-growing shrub, you can cut off the top of the plant by no more than ten centimeters already in the second week after planting it. Shrubs that grow freely can be trimmed once a year in June. This pruning process will help give the shrub an attractive and decorative crown.

If unusual geometric figures were made from the culture, then for them decorative look and maintaining shape, it is worth doing three haircuts at once: the first one occurs in April, and after that - at the beginning of June and at the end of August.

In the fall, it is not worth pruning the bush, since at this time the young shoots of the plant do not have time to ossify before the development of the first low temperatures outside.

Mowing dense crops should be done on cloudy and bad days. Young crops with sparse shoots can be pruned any day.

It is worth getting rid of the development of weeds by carrying out regular and comprehensive weeding on the site. If the leaves of the plant turn bronze or red, this means that they are experiencing an acute lack of nitrogen.

How to prepare boxwood shrubs for cold weather?

In order to prepare the plant for wintering, it is necessary to thoroughly water the crop so that it is sufficiently saturated with water. The root area should be covered with peat, leaves or rotted pine needles.

If boxwood begins to actively grow on open place where the sun's rays fall, then it should be shaded by any effort so that the bright rays do not hit the shoots of the flower. An effect on plant growth may occur due to the fact that its rhizomes are dormant.

With the development of low temperatures and frosts, the plant should be covered with a wooden or plastic shield. Under no circumstances should you use metal, as this may cause the death of the plant. For small bushes, special burlap should be used.

Boxwood planting, care, reproduction

The plant is propagated by cuttings.

When young plants and their shoots have already become woody, they should be cut off at the very base, by about two or three nodes, which is about 10 centimeters. It is worth leaving the top leaves on the shoots and completely eliminating the bottom ones.

The process of harvesting cuttings should be carried out from the end of June to mid-July, as well as from the end of August to mid-September.

The cuttings should be planted in the shade and sprayed generously, while carefully monitoring the moist state of the soil itself. Plants take root once a month.

In order for the plant to reproduce at an accelerated pace and form a certain hedge, it is worth tilting one of the shoots and then covering it with soil. In autumn, the crop should be planted one month before frost develops, so that it can take root well in the soil.

Special plant diseases

Boxwood is not used in official medicine, since all its parts are truly poisonous and contain alkaloids. IN folk medicine Boxwood mixture can be used as an antiseptic, in most cases applied to the surface of the skin.

The process of growing boxwood does not involve any particular difficulties; even simple gardeners can cope with it; at the same time, it looks good and can become an excellent decoration for the garden. The culture is considered an ideal plant for decorating the surrounding area and garden plot.

This ornamental plant- just a godsend for landscaping a room or open area. His lush, evergreen hair goes well with other indoor flowers, both plain and with bright buds. For readers of “Popular about Health” today we will tell you everything about the boxwood plant: planting and care, propagation at home - these are the moments and other features of the content of this beauty that we will highlight.

It takes root well, is not demanding, grows slowly, but it decorative leaves attracts with its density and brightness. Before you get a boxwood at home, keep in mind that it comes from the wild, where calcareous soil and rocky terrain predominated. Therefore, it needs to be cultivated taking into account these features.

Planting boxwood

Experts recommend choosing autumn as the most suitable time for transplanting and planting boxwood. It will take about a month and a half to take root, so you need to take the plant out into the open ground before the first frosts begin. Some gardeners believe that both spring and even summer planting are suitable for the plant. The most important thing is to carefully remove the earthen ball with the flower from the pot. Before this, the soil needs to be well moistened several hours before.

We are preparing a hole for our bush: focusing on the size of the earthen clod, we make a depression 3 times larger than it. The width is similar - it should be 3 times larger than the width of the lump of earth taken out of the pot.

The bottom of the hole is covered with a 3 cm layer of expanded clay, perlite or other material for drainage. This way the roots will be protected from excess stagnant moisture. Having slightly straightened the root part of the plant, it is immersed in the prepared recess exactly vertically. The hole is filled with soil mixed with expanded clay. The substrate used is a mixture of chernozem, sand and turf land. It will also be suitable clay soil on the site if you add black soil or a little lime to it.

The soil needs to be strongly compacted to remove all voids near the roots.

If boxwood is planted to create a hedge or border, then there should be a distance of at least 25 cm between the bushes. If the bush is planted as a single plant, then any tub with soil, a pot, a spacious and deep recess anywhere in the area is suitable for it. Required condition planting - laying a drainage layer!

For planting, choose a place that is well lit by the sun, but in hot weather summer days needs to be shaded from scorching rays.

You can’t plant boxwood close to other crops, as its roots can damage the root system of the “neighbor” and pull out all the beneficial substances from the soil.

Boxwood care requirements will be provided by!

If boxwood grows on open area, then in winter it is insulated, otherwise when the temperature drops to -10, the bush will die. The best shelter for a seedling is light soil that allows moisture to pass through, and a sufficient layer of snow on top.

Boxwood requires regular watering, especially on hot days. The flower is not picky about water hardness, but still does not tolerate chlorine content in it.

In summer, the soil is mulched: the ground around the plants is sprinkled with crushed bark from coniferous plants or special agrofibre. Oak bark or shavings colored with iron oxide are not suitable for mulching, as over time the soil may acidify.

An essential part of caring for boxwood is pruning the bushes. And it is produced not only to form the desired crown, but also to stimulate growth. All shoots and branches that stick out and protrude beyond the main contour of the bush crown are cut off. Over time, the plant will become lush and dense.

Fertilizers for boxwood are selected taking into account their nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus content. In autumn, fertilizing is done using potassium salt and superphosphates. All compositions are used in dry form, distributed evenly around the entire bush closer to the trunk.
If the plant overwinters in the room and not on summer cottage, then it needs dry air, a minimum of watering (1-2 times a month) and a temperature of up to +15 degrees. This is a mandatory period of rest, after which boxwood begins to grow with renewed vigor.

Reproduction of boxwood at home

In the wild, the plant is capable of reproducing by seeds, which appear at the end of ripening and are spread over many tens of meters in the area. At home, Boxwood is propagated using cuttings:

In the summer, several young shoots of the bush, which are already slightly woody, are cut off (usually this is done in June-early July);

At the beginning of autumn, small cuttings 8-10 cm long are cut off, on which 1-2 internodes have formed.

Carefully cut cuttings are placed in peat tablet or a substrate of peat and ordinary garden soil (1:1). They need to be deepened by 2 internodes, leaving only 2-3 leaves above the soil surface. The pot with cuttings is covered with film to achieve a greenhouse effect and speed up the rooting process. It is better to place it on a shaded windowsill, water it daily and open the film for a few minutes.

Rooting usually occurs quickly - in 6-7 days. After this, you can transplant each cutting into a container of appropriate size and place it on a sunny windowsill. Seedlings can begin to be taken out open ground no earlier than April.

In almost all countries North America, Asia and Europe, the evergreen plant boxwood is widespread and very popular. This evergreen shrub is valued for its dense, beautiful crown, which is easy to shape. With the help of boxwood (buxus) lawns are framed, scenes, borders, and hedges are created.

Owners of their personal plots widely use it as decorative element garden, front garden or cottage. This is due to the fact that the shrub is frost-resistant, tolerates pruning well and is unpretentious in cultivation and care.

Description, types and photos of boxwood

Boxwood is an evergreen shrub whose height can be from 2 to 10 meters. It has become an indispensable element of interior design due to its decorative crown and slow growth. Over the course of a year, a bush can grow only 5-6 centimeters.

Boxwood is distinguished by its dark green, oval-shaped leaves. By rubbing them in your hand you can smell a fairly strong smell. Unisexual flowers of the plant are very small and inconspicuous in size. In October, fruits are formed from them, which are a round box. Small cracks appear on the grayish-yellow bark of boxwood with age.

Boxwood in nature there are more than 30 species, each of which has unique qualities and finds its application in landscape design.

IN room conditions Evergreen boxwood can be grown as a bonsai. Ideal for this variety "Buxus harlandii Hance". The slow growth of the shrub and its small leaves allow you to create real miniature masterpieces.

To plant a bush, no special knowledge or skills are required. Young plants are recommended to be planted in autumn season. Bushes aged three years and older are replanted from early spring to late autumn.

When purchasing seedlings, it is best to choose the container option. Shoots and leaves should be green, the crown should be lush. Leaves with yellow spots they say that the plant is sick and will soon die.

Planting should be carried out on a cloudy day in holes prepared in advance, which should be twice the volume of the horse system. The bottom of the hole must be covered with turf soil, leaf humus and sand (2:4:1). You can add potassium fertilizer.

The seedling is placed in the hole very carefully. The roots are straightened, covered and compacted. A depression is formed around the trunk and the plant is shed. It is recommended to mulch the soil around the plantings with agrofibre or conifer bark.

So that the bushes grow strong and densely leafy, the soil for them should be:

• well drained;
• breathable;
• loose;
• nutritious;
• with neutral acidity;
• loamy.

Evergreen boxwood can grow in poor soils. At the same time the crown will be dense and dense, but its growth will noticeably slow down. Therefore, it is recommended to add compost and slaked lime to such soils.

It is best to temporarily bury buxus seedlings purchased in November in a leeward shady place garden, sprinkled with light, permeable soil. In winter they will need to be covered with snow. On permanent place bushes are planted in April.

Properly planted plants take root within three weeks. After this, you can start trimming the bushes. This is necessary not only to obtain a beautiful shape, but also to increase root growth and good growth of green mass.

Features of caring for evergreen boxwood

Shrub care is quite simple, however has its own characteristics and nuances.

Caring for boxwood at home

Buxus is quite capricious as an indoor crop. Therefore, it is necessary to take care of it at home subject to some rules.

1. The place for the plant should be chosen in a bright place, but without direct sunlight. It is best to grow boxwood near western and eastern windows.
2. Watering should be regular. The plant is watered in small doses and sprayed from the aerator. It is necessary to ensure that water does not accumulate in the pan. This can lead to rotting of the root system.
3. In winter optimal temperature for buxus it is 6-10C. To do this, the pot with the plant can be placed near the glass balcony door, or place between double frames. Watering in winter is reduced to a minimum.
4. Boxwood is replanted every 2-3 years. This should be done carefully. To avoid damaging the roots, remove the plant from the old pot with a lump of earth.
5. You can trim indoor bushes throughout the year.

Boxwoods propagate by cuttings, which are harvested from late June to mid-July. To do this, young shoots with three internodes that are lignified at the base are selected.

Cuttings cut into two internodes with two upper leaves are immersed in a mixture of peat and garden soil. Only leaves should remain on the surface. To create a greenhouse effect, the cuttings are covered with film or glass jar. The container is placed in a warm, bright place, but not in direct sunlight. Watering should be frequent, but not abundant.

After about a week the cuttings will begin to take root and sprout. At this time, they will need to be seated in separate containers. Young plants are planted in open ground in the first days of September. They should have time to take root well before frost. For the winter, the seedlings are covered with covering material, since young boxwoods are afraid of frosts below -15C.

Diseases and pests of boxwood

Of great importance in caring for the buxus is its protection from pests and disease prevention. At proper care There should be no problems, but the most common hazards should be studied.

Of the pests, boxwood can suffer from moth, leaf flea or gall midge.

1. The moth is a nocturnal moth that can affect large areas of green shrubs. Its caterpillars entangle shoots and leaves with cobwebs, causing drying out of parts of the plant or the entire bush. When foliage changes color, boxwood should be checked for the presence of moth caterpillars. Infected trees are treated with special preparations.
2. The leaf flea turns the leaves white and bends them. Affected leaves should be removed and the crown treated with mineral oil.
3. Gall midge appears as nodular swellings on the bottom of the leaf and yellow spots on the top. The leaves dry out and die. In this case, regular pruning and chemical treatment are required.

Among the most common diseases of boxwood are the fungus Cylindrocladium buxicola, which causes leaf loss, and the fungus Volutella buxi, which causes shoot necrosis. In both cases Pruning of infected branches is required and escapes. Fungicide treatment does not control diseases. But it can be used as a preventive measure.

In landscape design, buxus is very popular as a hedge, green scenes, framing ridges and flower beds. From its bushes you can make geometric shapes and all kinds of shapes.

Plants can be shaped into a pyramid, ball, cone or oval. With their help you can decorate front gardens, paths and flower beds.

High varieties of boxwood, which include “Rotandifolia” and “Latifolia”, used to form hedges. The Handorthiensis variety is distinguished by its unusual strength. It looks original and beautiful as a backdrop against which roses bloom.

Planting bushes for hedges better in spring. For this purpose, holes are prepared, the distance between which should be 30-40 centimeters. The sprouts are removed from the container, placed in a prepared hole, covered with soil and watered.

Boxwood will look good in a flowerbed in combination with heuchera. By placing a bush with red leaves in the central part, you can plant boxwood along the edges. Against the background of its greenery, the heuchera will contrast and stand out.

If form a shape from boxwood or you yourself are unable to create the composition, you can always use the services of professionals, or buy a ready-made, original plant.

If you follow all the rules for planting and caring for boxwood, the plant will delight you with its beauty for many years. And hedges, shapes and figures formed from it will decorate your personal plot the envy of all the neighbors.

Boxwood is a genus belonging to the Samshitov family, which includes almost one hundred species. I am the birthplace 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 honey plant, but honey should not be eaten 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

Mainly grown as a tree, quite rarely found as a shrub. The stems are abundantly covered with shiny matte foliage. The inflorescences are light green. It is quite sensitive to frost. Varieties developed from this species: suffruticosis , Blauer Heinz , Elegance and others.

This species can withstand cold temperatures better than evergreen buxus. We grow varieties Faulkner And Winter Jam .

A species that grows very slowly and can withstand very low temperatures, and also lives a long time.

The plant has fairly large foliage, grows quickly, but does not tolerate frost.

Boxwood planting and care in open ground

Having decided 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 the plant needs time to take root before the cold weather.

The lighting of the planting area should not be abundant - this plant needs shade. The soil used for planting is clayey, loose, and contains 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 remove it from the soil.

The hole for planting is needed three times larger than the previous earthen coma. A couple of centimeters of perlite are placed at the bottom of the hole as a drainage layer. The soil from the hole is also mixed with perlite.

The roots of the plant must be straightened and carefully lowered into the hole, covering it with substrate so that the layer is dense and there are no air cavities left in it. After this, the boxwood should be watered generously with rainwater. After watering, the soil will compact and settle; add a little more substrate to the top of the hole.

Make sure that the axle box barrel is placed exclusively vertically. Make a mound in a circle twenty centimeters from the tree, and cover the area inside the shaft thin layer perlite. This is done so that all the liquid gets to the tree 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 once every seven days. You need to use approximately 10 liters per meter tree.

If the weather is very dry, then there is no need to water more often, but you need to increase the amount of water. After 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 to come into contact with the tree stem.

Fertilizers for boxwood

Also important point is a fertilizer. The first time it should be done 30 days after planting (in 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 they use organic fertilizers or complex mineral supplements. In the autumn, when the site is dug up, the plant is fertilized with fertilizers containing potassium and phosphorus, but without nitrogen.

Boxwood transplant

Transplanting boxwood should also not cause you any difficulties. 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 a lump of earth.

The tree can also be replanted in summer, but a spring that is not too hot is best suited for this.

It is not advisable to start this procedure in the fall, because the plants are quite sensitive after transplantation, and they still need to take root and get used to the new growing location.

Boxwood pruning

In mid-spring you need to prune the boxwood. The bush can be given the shape you want. Having given the crown its shape, in the future you will just need to occasionally correct it.

Pruning is painless for the tree and it begins to branch even more. But remember that frequent haircuts will lead to the fact that boxwood will need to be fertilized more often so that it has enough nutrients, which were synthesized in pruned foliage.

Boxwood shelter for the winter

A very difficult time for buxus is winter and the beginning of spring. In winter it gets very cold, and with the arrival of spring it can burn in the warm sun.

Therefore, in order to save the tree, even before frost arrives, you need to thoroughly saturate the area with the plant with moisture and cover it with mulch (peat). It is impossible to cover the soil with dry leaves, as it can cause fungi in the boxwood. As the temperature drops to -10ºC, you need to prepare a shelter from the cold.

If you have standard tree, then they make a support for it so that the piercing winter wind does not damage the trunk, and wrap it in spruce branches. Bushy plants and those with a crown also need to be covered. For this they use non-woven material, which is wrapped around the tree a couple of times.

To prevent branches from breaking under the weight of snow, they are tied. With the onset of spring, the shelter is immediately removed, as the axle can get in the way. One ball of shelter is left in order to protect the trees from being burned by the warm spring sun.

Boxwood from seeds

To propagate boxwood, the vegetative method is usually used, but sometimes seeds are also used.

To grow buxus from seeds, you need to take only fresh seeds. They are filled with warm water diluted with a growth stimulating agent for a day. Next, they need to be placed between a pair of damp towels (but not wet). They will remain in this state for about thirty days. After 15-20 days, white sprouts will appear.

With the formation of sprouts, the seeds are sown in sand mixed with peat, the sprouts should go deeper into the substrate.

Containers with planted material are covered with film and kept in a warm, shaded place. After about 15-20 days, the first shoots will appear. After this, the film must be removed and the container with boxwood must be moved to partial shade.

Young plants need to be watered from time to time and fertilized with a weak solution of fertilizers. Grown trees are planted in the soil when it becomes clear that frost will not return.

Boxwood propagation by cuttings

In spring, boxwood can be taken from cuttings. For this purpose, young stems up to 15 cm long, which have not yet become completely lignified, are used. The material must be cut at an angle. After this, a third of the leaves are torn off, and the cuttings are soaked for a day in a means to enhance root formation.

After this, the branches need to be washed and can be planted in the soil. The main condition for the substrate is nutritional value. The branches are lowered into the ground right up to the foliage and covered with a jar. Ventilate and spray the plants 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 open ground they will not survive the winter, even under insulation. And in the spring you can transplant the seedlings to an open area.

Reproduction of boxwood by layering

The use of layering is also practiced. According to the usual scheme, the branches are bent to the soil and dug in.

Diseases and pests

• Another cause of yellowing and drying of leaves is spider mites. , which most often appears in hot weather.
• Spots on leaves and their drying out may be associated with burns resulting from excess light.
• Boxwood is also vulnerable to shoot necrosis, which manifests itself in spots on the foliage and the death of twigs .
• Your plant will not grow well , with a lack of nutrients.
• Boxwood can also suffer from plant cancer . In case of this disease, cut off all diseased areas, along with adjacent healthy parts.

Ornamental Gardens – Shrubs Boxwoods Boxwood

Boxwood plant (Buxus) is a dense evergreen shrub. They are planted for elegant landscapes. There are many varieties and varieties of boxwood.

Boxwood in the landscape allows you to create a formal fence, border or border to your site. Boxwood can be planted in the garden as a planting focal point.

This decorative evergreen shrub with a beautiful crown, green leathery leaves, tolerates pruning well.

• Boxwood is pruned at next year after planting, when the plant is well rooted.
• Sometimes, if there is an urgent need to create a border 15-20 cm high, pruning is possible two weeks after planting.

In this case, bushes with a height of 25–30 cm are planted, and then their tops are cut off by 5–10 mm.

Since boxwood is a slow-growing plant, young, non-woody growths are pruned. The branches need to be cut back to the old wood if the bush does not have the desired shape.

The timing of the initial pruning of boxwood depends on the growing zone. In mild climates, the first pruning is possible as early as mid-April, and in colder climates - in May.

Boxwood tolerates regular pruning well, the period of which is four weeks.

There are vigorous species that will have a wonderful crown only if trimmed several times a year. The rule applies here - the more often, the more magnificent and dense.

After a month, the grown young branches are pruned, which stimulates the growth of new shoots, making the crown of the bush more fluffy and beautiful.

The usual rules - when and how to prune boxwood

Boxwood should be trimmed in the evening in cloudy weather - during the period when it is actively growing, that is, from April to September.

The more often the cutting, the more abundant the plant should be watered and fertilized with fertilizers to replenish the loss of nutrients produced in the leaves.

The ideal tool for pruning boxwood is a cordless hedge trimmer. But it doesn’t make sense to buy it for a couple of bushes.

Mechanical shears are suitable for a novice gardener.

For simple pruning, special scissors for cutting boxwood are usually used. Their sharp, finely serrated blades work well with woody shoots. In some countries, boxwood is processed in the old fashioned way using sheep shears, but these shears are only suitable for trimming soft shoots.

• When choosing where to plant your bushes, make sure the location is optimal for that specimen to grow. Boxwood grows successfully in well-drained soils - it prefers organic soils.
• The boxwood plant will appreciate daytime shade and regular watering - shallow irrigation that does not reach the root zone of the growing boxwood. After two years, the boxwood will need watering once a week.
• Find areas for boxwood that are sheltered from winter winds. Plant plants at the same level as they were planted in the nursery or container. Planting boxwood too deep can stress the plant and possibly kill it.

Boxwood care information

Proper mulching of boxwood's shallow roots helps it retain moisture and keep the roots healthy. The trunks of shrubs should not be covered with a thick layer of mulch from last year's leaves.

Shearing or pruning boxwood is the most labor-intensive part of the work, but it must be done to help the boxwood - you will be rewarded with a long-lasting hedge of healthy shrubs.

Caring for old boxwood includes thinning to allow sun to reach the inner foliage.