Can box trees be grown at home?

Boxwood (buskus) - several dozen species of evergreen shrubs, characterized by the presence of a large number of shoots with rather dense dark green shiny leaves. Decorative boxwood is widely used in landscape design to create curbs, hedges, curtains. Considering that the plant perfectly tolerates pruning, geometric shapes and complex plot compositions are created from boxwood bushes in the plots.

Growing boxwood at home

Boxwood is often grown as a houseplant. Due to its small leaves and rather slow growth, boxwood is popular among flower growers who are fond of bonsai - growing dwarf trees. The Garland species is best suited for creating a bonsai from boxwood, which lends itself to any method of formation: pruning, cutting, reshaping with the help of wire frames.

Indoor boxwood: care

When grown at home, the following types of boxwood are popular: evergreen, bolear and small-leaved, perfectly adapting to the small space of the pots. As an indoor culture, boxwood is capricious: it reacts to improper care by dropping foliage.

When organizing boxwood care at home, you should adhere to the following requirements:

• the place where the plant is kept should be well lit, but boxwood does not tolerate direct sunlight;
• a moderate temperature is favorable for a houseplant, in winter boxwood needs coolness (temperature + 6 ... + 10 degrees);
• in the warm season, abundant watering and daily spraying with water at room temperature is recommended. In the autumn-winter period, the amount of watering is reduced, since the roots do not tolerate waterlogging well;
• in spring and summer, the plant needs regular feeding (once every 10 - 12 days). It is advisable to alternate the application of organic and mineral fertilizers. For feeding, complexes designed for azaleas are suitable;
• pruning of indoor boxwood may not be carried out throughout the year as needed;
• boxwood transplantation is carried out annually. The new container should not be too spacious, as the plant will stagnate in growth.

Attention! Boxwood bonsai do not need replanting, as the formed shoots can be damaged.

Boxwood: reproduction

An ornamental plant propagates by seeds and cuttings, but cuttings are most often used. A thick drainage layer is made in the pot, a soil mixture is prepared from leafy earth (2 parts), coniferous soil (1 part), coarse sand (1 part). In August - September, lignified cuttings 7 - 9 cm long with two internodes are cut. Cuttings take root for a very long time, to speed up the process, soil heating and phytohormones are used.

Boxwood: diseases

As already noted, the loss of decorative qualities is caused by improper care of a houseplant.Excessive watering in winter causes rotting of the root system; dry air, irregular spraying in heat - curling and drying of foliage; too warm room temperature in winter - shedding of leaves. A gall midge, spider mite or scale insect can settle on a weakened plant. To destroy pests, experienced florists recommend pruning diseased shoots and treating boxwood with fungicides, and subsequently adjusting the care.

It is very useful to keep boxwood indoors, as the representative of myrtle releases phytoncides that neutralize harmful bacteria. In this regard, the microclimate in the room where the plant is located improves.

More and more primordial garden plants are moving into the rooms. Together with the best annuals and beautifully flowering perennials, numerous evergreens of the garden, for example, boxwood, acquire the status of "indoor". Despite their reputation as a predominantly garden plant, potted boxwoods can beautify more than just terraces. Not the most unpretentious, but charming, albeit poisonous, boxwoods offer to expand horizons and decorate the interior with unexpectedly perfect textures of their dense crown. This is one of the latest additions to the list of indoor garden favorites. How to grow boxwood at home, we will tell in the article.

Boxwood in interior design

Content:

• Boxwood in nature and in the room - differences and features
• Types of indoor boxwood
• Conditions for growing indoor boxwood
• Caring for box trees at home
• Reproduction of indoor boxwood

Boxwood in nature and in the room - differences and features

Boxwood is one of the most recognizable evergreen shrubs. This plant has long become a "must" not only in urban landscaping, but also in garden design. Boxwood is the main star of regular gardens and topiary. It is easy to recognize by both its growth pattern and the beauty of its strikingly dense foliage. But if in gardens or parks boxwood has long been perceived as a classic, then in the room it causes, at least, surprise.

Boxwood is such a "garden" plant that it is very difficult to imagine it in a closed space. But in recent years, along with the best conifers, boxwoods have begun to conquer new heights as indoor plants. In our country, they still seem like a curiosity and novelty, but in the West they have long become one of the wonderful alternatives to the usual decorative leafy accents.

The first designers who flirted with the oriental style began to introduce boxwood into the interiors of the rooms. Today, boxwood is the main star of Chinese and Japanese restaurants, an amazing accent in modern interiors with a focus on minimalism.

In nature, boxwoods are found throughout the Northern Hemisphere, they are especially common in North Africa, the Mediterranean, and Western Asia. As an ornamental plant, boxwood is one of the most popular plants on our planet. These are representatives of the family of the same name Boxwood.

The exterior of indoor box trees is as recognizable as ordinary garden box trees. Despite the maximum declared height of 1 m, the shrub in the rooms is usually limited to 30-60 cm. It is a densely branched, compact, slow-growing evergreen with an amazingly dense crown. Straight shoots are densely covered with sessile leaves in pairs. Small, up to 3 cm, glossy, with a central vein, elongated oval leaves of boxwood are easily recognizable not only by the characteristic shade of a dark green color, which changes on the back side to a lighter one, but also by a pleasant smell.

Boxwood appears to be ideal in terms of density and crown texture. The plant by nature flaunts with dense contours, but indoor boxwoods, like garden ones, are grown only with the formation of strict silhouettes. Boxwood can be set to any direction of growth and any contour. Boxwoods do not bloom in rooms.

Beautiful green boxwood in the interior beckons to touch.But you need to be careful with the plant. All parts of box trees are poisonous, they contain dangerous alkaloids. The toxicity of the plant should be considered not only when pruning, but also when choosing a placement, because this plant is not suitable for growing in homes with small children or pets.

Home boxwoods fully reveal their phytoncidal talents. The plant is considered one of the most beneficial shrubs that can cleanse the air of bacteria and toxins.

Boxwoods in pots

Boxwood species rarely distinguish between themselves. Most often, when buying a ready-made indoor plant, you can see the marking "common boxwood" or just the name of the plant. But it would be a big mistake to think that a single species of the entire genus of box trees is grown in the rooms - the dominant one in landscape design as well.

Common boxwood or evergreen (Buxus sempervirens) is a visiting card of box trees, a species that can be transferred to a pot culture and grown indoors. But in room culture, two other types of boxwood, with more interesting foliage and a thickened crown, with compact sizes, show their properties better. Common boxwood is much more capricious, often sheds leaves, does not forgive mistakes in care.

Small-leaved boxwood (Buxus microphylla) is a densely leafy, strikingly curly shrub. With leaves only up to 2.5 cm long, this boxwood is distinguished by slow growth, perfectly retains its shape and silhouette, practically requiring no frequent pruning. Due to its dense crown, it is considered the ideal boxwood for potting, it is the best choice if you want to create a strict "flawless" silhouette.

Bolear boxwood (Buxus balearica) is a very beautiful shrub with rather large, oval leaves, famous for its ornamental pattern, ceremonial appearance, bright, rich medium-green color. Leaves can exceed 4 cm in length. Due to its rapid growth, it is one of the best plants for experimenting with topiary art.

Boxwood ordinary or evergreen (Buxus sempervirens)

Despite its status as one of the most common plants, boxwood is far from easy to grow, even in horticultural culture. Failures often occur in the cultivation of this plant, since the boxwood's dislike of the winds, sensitivity to spring burns, dependence on the stability of winter temperatures and the level of snow are not always taken into account. In indoor culture, the selection of conditions for boxwood is as important as for its garden counterparts.

Indoor boxwoods in our range of flower shops are still a rarity. For indoor cultivation, you can purchase both genuine indoor boxwood and potted boxwoods in shopping malls. This plant is affordable and widespread. If you wish, you can grow indoor boxwood from a rooted cutting, which is sold for the garden, or you can get a cutting yourself.

Lighting and placement in the interior

Unlike garden potted boxwoods, which can be displayed in both bright light and partial shade, indoor boxwood needs more stable lighting. In the room for the plant, light places are selected, protecting the leaves from the midday sun. In diffused lighting, indoor boxwoods achieve maximum decorativeness.

Indoor boxwoods do not like artificial supplementary lighting, thus it will not be possible for them to compensate for insufficient illumination. Plants should be displayed on window sills - east, west or partially south windows.

When choosing a place in a room for boxwoods, it is worth remembering why this landscape gardening shrub was introduced into indoor culture. Boxwood is an evergreen accent, a small living potted sculpture worth using as a single accent.

This plant is an analogue of large decor, a green sculpture, which is displayed as a tone and style setting in the most prominent places.In groups, boxwoods are not lost, but indoor boxwoods better reveal their true beauty in splendid isolation.

Temperature control and ventilation

For indoor boxwoods, cool conditions are preferred. Indoors, this plant does not tolerate heat very well, but it reacts well to low temperatures. In summer, if the air temperature exceeds + 23 ° C, measures should be taken to regularly ventilate and increase the humidity. In spring and autumn, cold snaps are not terrible for box trees, but it is better to limit the minimum temperature in any season, except for winter, + 12 ° С.

Indoor boxwoods should overwinter in low temperatures. Unlike tub plants, they do not tolerate a drop in air temperature below + 5 ° C. The wintering mode from +5 to + 10 ° С is considered ideal for this plant, but if such conditions are not possible, then the indicators in winter should be lowered to at least + 12 ... + 16 ° С.

Boxwood loves fresh air. It is not only possible, but also desirable to take it out in the summer in the garden, on an open veranda, balcony. In the fresh air, the plant is much less capricious than on the windowsill. But under the condition of regular ventilation, the boxwood will not suffer in the room either.

Placing indoor boxwoods outdoors, you need to look for places in the shade for them: a sharp drop in the intensity of illumination on sunny areas is likely to be disastrous for the plant.

Indoor box trees are far from the most resistant and undemanding plants. Common boxwood can be considered one of the most capricious indoor shrubs, but the other two species do an excellent job with fluctuations in conditions.

Missing boxwood care will go away without consequences, only if we are talking about small deviations from the norm. In order for indoor boxwood to retain high decorativeness, you will have to take care of stable humidity, notice the slightest problems in its growth, and provide an influx of fresh air.

Watering and air humidity

Indoor boxwoods are watered carefully, maintaining a light, stable substrate moisture. The frequency of these procedures is set so that the topsoil dries out between waterings. Rare but not abundant watering is preferable. In winter, when kept cool, watering is made minimal, preventing the roots and leaves from drying out. Drought is well tolerated by box trees, but only for a short period. Prolonged drying of the substrate affects the decorativeness of the greenery.

An unpleasant surprise for many who want to have a boxwood in the room is his love for high humidity. Boxwood, especially in the heat, needs regular water treatments. For this shrub, there is no need to install industrial humidifiers or even pallets of moss. This garden plant is not only not afraid of getting wet, but also adores spraying.

Periodic or regular in the summer, conventional spraying significantly increases the decorative foliage and stimulates the growth of a luxurious dense crown.

For both watering and spraying box trees in a room culture, it is better to use settled water. The temperature of the water for spraying does not really matter, but it is advisable to use lukewarm water for irrigation.

 Top dressing and fertilizer composition

For indoor boxwoods, it is important to find a balance between maintaining stable soil nutrition and not having an excess of nutrients in top dressing. For this plant, it is enough to apply fertilizers at a frequency of 1 time per month for adult plants and 1 time per 2 weeks for young and actively growing box trees. With a standard frequency of fertilizing 1 time in 2 weeks, the dosage of fertilizers is halved. Top dressing for indoor boxwoods is carried out only from March to August.

For indoor boxwood, ordinary universal fertilizer is also quite suitable. But the best results are provided by the use of special fertilizers for rhododendrons.The balance of nutrients, macro- and microelements in such fertilizers provides foliage with a richer color and flawless appearance.

Pruning and shaping indoor boxwood

The optimal period for pruning any indoor boxwood is rightly called the beginning of summer. If the boxwood was not formed before this time, then pruning is carried out in the second half of June or early July. For mature boxwoods, pruning can be carried out from spring to early fall, maintaining the contours, depending on the growth rate and the need to restrain the plant.

Boxwood tolerates both light and strong formation. Crop it depending on the desired dimensions and contours. It can be trimmed to a specific pattern or improvised. At least two pairs of leaves should be left on the branches. For young shoots, pinching or shortening the tops can be used.

If desired, a bonsai can be formed from boxwood, using both pruning and other methods of shaping the silhouette and style. The wire on the plant can be kept long enough to fix and guide the trunk and branches. The maximum period of contraction of the shoots is up to 7 months. Trimming small shoots and forming the crown are always carried out according to a given silhouette.

Transplant and substrate

Like any other houseplant, boxwood prefers transplanting at the beginning of the active growth stage, in the spring. If necessary, box trees can be transplanted at a later date, but not at the dormant stage. The frequency of transplanting is determined individually, focusing on the growth rate of the plant. For the boxwood, the annual transplant is still considered a rarity.

The plant is transferred into larger containers, when the roots completely absorb the substrate, with an average frequency of 1 every 3 years. Bonsai-shaped boxwoods are not recommended for replanting at all.

The soil for indoor boxwoods should be breathable, loose and nutritious. For boxwood, both a universal substrate and special soil mixtures for decorative deciduous crops are suitable. By controlling the nutritional value of the soil, it is possible to limit the growth of the plant and thicken the crown: in poor soil, boxwood produces thinner and shorter shoots with thicker leaves.

If the soil mixture is made up independently, then it is better to mix sod, leafy soil and sand in a ratio of 4: 2: 1. The addition of peat for this plant is undesirable.

For boxwoods, the size of the pots cannot be greatly increased: only a couple of centimeters are added to the diameter of the previous container. Boxwoods prefer classic containers with a height slightly higher than width.

Indoor boxwoods are carefully transferred into new containers. The earth lump cannot be destroyed, with the exception of removing the contaminated top layer.

Bonsai shaped boxwood

Diseases, pests and growing problems

Indoor boxwood is one of the most pest-resistant shrubs. Only when neglected can these evergreens be affected by spider mites. There are also scale insects on them. It is better to deal with pests by simply washing off with soapy solutions. Insecticides are used only for severely advanced infection.

Reproduction of indoor boxwood

Boxwoods are propagated by cuttings. In indoor shrubs, spring and summer cuttings can be used, but not completely lignified shoots: you can cut branches at the stage until only the base is lignified. The last cuttings of indoor box trees are cut in early July.

Standard cuttings of this shrub are up to 7 cm long (with at least two internodes). The bottom leaves can be removed, leaving only the top pair. Oblique cuts below the knot are the classic option. Cuttings also root in ordinary water, but most often they prefer a more reliable method: they are buried at an angle into a sandy soil mixture or an ordinary substrate, and kept under a hood. Provided there is a stable humidity and frequent ventilation, cuttings can take root within a month after planting.Grow them up in larger containers. Bottom heating and treatment with growth stimulants increases the speed and improves the quality of rooting.

The seed method for indoor boxwoods can be used, but it is used extremely rarely due to the duration of the subsequent growing of plants until they reach their maximum decorative effect.

Maybe one of the readers of "Botanichka" is already growing boxwood in indoor conditions. We will be grateful if you share your experience in the comments to this article or on our Forum.

Foreword

Surely you have admired the dense and dense evergreen fence more than once, and at the same time wondered how you managed to create such beauty. And the bushes-figurines for decorating the garden were generally considered a work of art, accessible only to a select few? But all this is quite affordable boxwood, which will not be difficult to care for at home.

Plant characteristics and features

Recently, more and more people began to grow it as a home, indoor plant. The reason is the beneficial properties that boxwood has. The plant releases phytoncides into the air. These volatile substances are able to neutralize harmful bacteria that accumulate in the air. It also has a pleasant smell, which is released during flowering or when pressed on the leaves.

It should be noted that only three types of plants are suitable for indoor cultivation:

You should pay attention to the fact that evergreen boxwood at home is quite whimsical. With the wrong care, he can easily shed the leaves.

Boxwood - features of cultivation

So how to care for evergreen boxwood at home? This is not an ordinary indoor flowerpot, which is enough to water and forget several times a month. It requires careful and meticulous care.

Growing boxwood in an apartment is not that difficult. The ideal place for this plant is a windowsill, which has direct sunlight access. It can also grow in low light, but then the boxwood will look more like an ornamental plant.

It is important to know that you do not need to replant it often. Enough once for three years. When replanting, the soil should not be homogeneous, but consist of the following parts:

• 4 parts of sod land;
• 2 pieces of leafy land;
• 1 part coarse sand.

Plant care

In order for boxwood to please you with its rapid growth, you need to remember about the recommendations of specialists.

• Lighting. Boxwood loves bright, diffused light. Although in summer it is better to hide it from the direct midday sun. If the plant is in the garden, then place it in the shade of taller trees or shrubs.
• Temperature. In winter, it is optimal around 5 ° C, and in spring the temperature should not drop below 12 ° C. In summer, normal room temperature will suffice. But do not forget that boxwood loves the open air, so it is advisable to take it out to the balcony or yard in the summer.
• Watering... In winter, this should not be overused. You need to look after the plant and water it as needed. But in the summer, boxwood should be watered abundantly and often. It is very important that the roots of the plant do not dry out, otherwise it will be impossible to propagate it later.
• Air humidity... Boxwood is a moisture-loving plant. You can not be afraid to spray it from time to time with settled water.
• Fertilizer. To keep the boxwood healthy and evergreen, you can feed it with the same fertilizer used for the azalea. This is best done from March to August, every two weeks.

These rules will be enough for the plant to please its owners for many years.

Reproduction of boxwood

With proper care, it is quite easy to propagate evergreen boxwood at home. You should pay attention to the fact that this plant reproduces with the help of cuttings and seeds.

Cuttings are best cut at the end of summer.It should have two or three internodes and be no longer than seven centimeters. Then the plant will take root, and will grow and bloom for a long time.

Put the prepared cuttings in water until the roots appear, or lower them immediately into a pot with soil.

Now everyone knows how to care for boxwood and can independently create a unique atmosphere of the Garden of Eden in their apartment, which remains evergreen for many years.

Evergreen boxwood (Buxus) can grow indoors and outdoors. However, in the Moscow region, rarely does anyone successfully grow it in the open air. Nor have I seen hedges made of boxwood bushes. Another thing is the tub version, in which the pots with boxwood are exposed in the spring to fresh air, and for the winter they are transferred to closed rooms.

Evergreen boxwood

Description of boxwood

There are two popular types: common boxwood, or evergreen, (B. sempervirens) and small-leaved (B. microphylla), both from the Boxwood family. There are other types of boxwood. Colchis boxwood (B. colchica) is listed in the Red Book of several countries. Buksus thrives in Southern Europe and Southeast Asia. It is hard to imagine the Mediterranean without this evergreen. He is comfortable in the Transcaucasia and the Caucasus. In the south of Russia, near the Khosta River, there is a small boxwood grove. There used to be real boxwood forests. In Sochi, bush bushes are planted in many parks and near houses.

Boxwood is a slow-growing evergreen shrub or tree up to 8 meters high, rarely higher. There are undersized species and varieties (dwarf variety "Compacta"). The bark is grayish-yellow, with shallow depressions and cracks. The yellowish wood is heavy and super dense, which explains the name of the plant (Greek "buxe" - "dense"). Molds for engravings are cut out of it. The wood is so hard that it used to be used to make bearings.

Leaves 2 - 3 cm long are opposite. They are leathery, dark green with a light green underside. Small female and male flowers bloom in early spring. Fruits are small folded capsules. Seeds are black, ripen in early October. When describing boxwood, one cannot but recall its special aroma. The smell intensifies after watering and cutting bushes. You can feel it if you knead the leaf with your fingers. For me, this is one of my favorite tart scents, but many people don't like it.

Boxwood is a poisonous plant... This must be taken into account when choosing a place for it. You can not plant bushes in playgrounds, decorate playrooms with them.

Planting and growing boxwood in the open field

My advice: buy seedlings or grown plants only in containers, i.e. with a closed root system. They should be bushy with green leaves and shoots. At risk are seedlings with yellowed leaves and bare shoots.

Spring is the best time to plant boxwood on the site. The hole should be twice the volume of a clod of earth with the roots of a seedling. At the bottom of the planting pit or trench, it is advisable to put compost in a layer of 10-15 cm, then mix it with earth, sand and water. Boxwood does not like acidic soils, so it is advisable to add wood ash to the soil mixture.

You should not straighten the roots of a plant taken out of a pot. Another thing is a seedling whose roots are wrapped in foil before being sold. They need to be straightened, examined and lowered into a bucket of water. A rooting stimulator is preliminarily dissolved in it (strictly according to the instructions) or the clay is stirred.

To create a hedge or screen, seedlings are planted in planting trenches at a distance of 30-40 cm from each other. Planting depth is the same as in the pots. After planting, you need to make low sides around the crown, water and mulch the soil. The mulch should not touch the trunk.

At first, the seedling is shaded, protecting it from the burning rays of the sun.It is sprayed with clean water, after watering, the soil is loosened superficially and the crown is treated once with Epin.

Boxwood, especially young plants, requires regular watering. More resilient mature shrubs and trees can be watered less frequently.

The seedling should not be fed until it takes root and begins to grow. Summer top dressing - full complex fertilizer, autumn - superphosphate and potassium salts.

When choosing a place, they are guided by the fact that species and varieties with green leaves grow better when shaded. Partial shade is suitable for them. In the shade, the bushes will be looser, with long internodes. Varieties with variegated foliage require a lighter spot.

Wintering boxwood in the suburbs

In the Moscow region, buksus does not endure winters in the best way, although it is considered relatively resistant to cold. It is ruined by prolonged frosts when the air temperature drops below minus 20 ° C. Krona is dried up by icy winds. The bright spring sun burns the foliage. Under these conditions, the plant can die very quickly. Perhaps this is why many professional landscape designers rarely take up the planting of boxwood in the plots of their regular clients. Unless, of course, special conditions have been created for this plant.

One of the serious problems in winter is the lack of moisture, which is difficult for the roots to extract from the frozen soil. This also leads to the death of the plant. It is imperative to carry out water-charging (water-charging) watering in late autumn. One landscape designer told me that good watering of the ground under the bushes with very warm (almost hot) water helps to preserve boxwood bushes during the winter thaws. This technique allows the roots to absorb moisture from the partially thawed soil. I didn't have to use this advice, but I took note of it.

A familiar summer resident has been successfully growing boxwood bushes for more than five years. They spend the winter with him without shelter. Boxwood grows on a plot in a semi-shady place protected from the wind, where a lot of snow accumulates in winter. Coniferous plants protect it from the rays of the low winter sun. When mulching the soil, black pine needles are used. During the freezing rain, the boxwood was practically not damaged.

My deplorable experience associated with the death of several box trees left to winter on the site. I insulated and covered them, but long frosty periods led to the fact that the plants either dried up or remained half-dead, requiring serious resuscitation. The catch is that boxwood tolerates relatively warm winters well, so we consider this culture to be winter-hardy even in the Moscow region. But a harsh winter sets in, and the initially heat-loving plant dies. From time to time, I resumed trying to grow boxwood in the Moscow region under the open sky. The maximum success is the cultivation of one buxus on the site for four years, after which in the spring a bush about 90 cm high began to dry. He suffered not so much from frost as from damping off in late winter - early spring. Stunted junipers died in many areas that year. My adult yew was also badly damaged.

Boxwood as a houseplant

The flower shops sell boxwood in flower pots. It can be grown at home. In the garden center, I was advised in the spring to bury a pot of boxwood in the ground, and in late autumn to move it to a cool room. For example, in the basement of a house with an upper window, a glazed balcony, a veranda, etc. I remembered prints and photographs of boxwood, which in the old days was often grown in tubs. In the spring they were exhibited at the front door, and in the winter they were kept in the winter gardens.

A few years ago, I saw a perfectly formed box tree for sale growing in a large flower pot. I could not pass by and became the owner of two such plants at once.

When growing at home, I ran into some problems.First of all, boxwood turned out to be a more moisture-loving plant than I thought. It not only has to be regularly watered, but also sprayed on the crown. Even short-term drying of the soil leads to drying out and loss of leaves.

There are no problems with feeding, because loose soil in a pot facilitates the assimilation of complex fertilizers for evergreens. Fertilizer for ficuses is also suitable.

Two of our boxwood trees winter on the loggia

A pot with boxwood should not be kept without shading on the windowsill on the south side of the house. In winter, I keep boxwood on a glazed loggia, where the air temperature at night does not drop below + 12 ° C.

Reproduction of boxwood

In nature, buxus reproduces by seeds. For us, the easiest option is to root cuttings. The rooting rate is about 80%. Cuttings 10 - 15 cm long are suitable, cut in summer (late June - mid July) and autumn (late August - early September). They leave a few upper leaves, all the lower ones are removed. Better if the cut is oblique. Immediately stick into a moistened soil mixture of peat and sand or into another light substrate. Root stimulants can be used. Then spray and cover with a jar or transparent bag so that the leaves do not touch the polyethylene. Under such a shelter, with regular moistening of the soil and spraying, the roots appear on average in a month. After two months, the seedling is ready for transplanting to a school or to a permanent place. For the winter, it is covered with spruce branches.

Cuttings that have begun to root at other times may form worse roots. Autumn cuttings are best rooted in flower pots and kept indoors in winter.

Boxwood in landscape design

Boxwood, like yew, is ideal for curly haircuts. A variety of shapes are obtained from it: balls, cubes, cones and spirals. Heavy pruning is done in mid-June. You can adjust the shape at any time, except for autumn and winter. April is the best month for the first pruning of the year. The last haircut is best done in mid-August so that the plant has time to prepare for winter. Several cut twigs can be placed under the pillow to enjoy a pleasant sleep.

Large boxwood pots look good at the entrance to the house. The balls from the evergreen buxus growing near the porch look spectacular. They are considered a talisman against envious people and evil spirits.

Boxwood is an ideal plant for hedges. But in the middle lane this is a risky option that requires regular "repair". Some of the dried or bald bushes will have to be replaced with new ones from time to time. For low evergreen hedges and landscape designers, a vertically growing boxwood tree (eg Suffruticosa) is recommended. Slow-growing frost-resistant "Blauer Heinz" with bluish leaves is used for living patterns, ornaments and borders.

Some figures (balls, hemispheres, cubes, etc.) are easier to grow from several seedlings planted nearby.

Green boxwood cones

Boxwood is a slow-growing plant, but it has species and varieties that give annual growths of more or less than 8 cm. Regular cutting thickens the crown, and planting in excessively nutritious soil and rare pruning makes the bush looser.

Among box trees there are "giants" and "dwarfs". You can pick up fast-growing or slow-growing varieties. Interesting variegated forms were bred ("Elegance" variety). The fast growing ("Winter Gem micropholia" and "Sempea") plants are worth noting, which can be used to hone the art of creating green shapes. B. Faulkner microphylia ”is a natural spherical crown, the shape of which can only be corrected occasionally. For bonsai cultivation, the best choice is the Harlandii Hance and Curly Locks with curved stems.