Can boxwood be grown as a houseplant?

The evergreen boxwood plant is becoming more and more popular in our latitudes.

In Latin, its name sounds "Buxus" - most likely, it came from the Greek word "buxe", which means "dense". According to scientific classification, boxwood belongs to the genus of evergreen trees and shrubs that grow very slowly. Currently, this genus has about a hundred species. In the wild, they grow in the West Indies, East Asia and Mediterranean countries. There are three largest areas where boxwood grows - African, Central American and Euro-Asian. Boxwood is rightfully considered one of the oldest plants. It has been used as decorative planting in our country for more than 300 years. Now the conditions for its cultivation have already been selected not only in the garden, but also in a flowerpot on the windowsill. This shrub is often called a sculptural plant - its plantings grow extremely slowly and can be given any desired shape. Boxwood hedges and borders are the most popular decoration for parks and lawns of cities in any region (not only the southern one).

For a long time, boxwood has been considered a sign of wealth and success around the world. These plants belong to long-livers: with their very slow growth, they live up to 500 years. Boxwood wood is very hard; handles for various tools, coils, combs for hair, buttons and other small items for which strength is important are made from it. In the Middle Ages, according to the writers of that time, boxwood from Abkhazia was very expensive and was sold in Europe in scanty quantities.

Varieties

Nowadays, boxwood is widely used in the art of landscape design. Let us consider in more detail the types of this plant that are used in this area more often than others.

Boxwood evergreen in nature grows in the Caucasus Mountains and the Mediterranean countries. Unpretentious to lighting, he is equally good both in partial shade and in sunny areas. Without timely pruning, it can be quite high - up to 3 meters high.

Small-leaved boxwood is a dwarf shrub. Compared with the previous relative, it tolerates winter cold better. This species comes from South Asian specimens, and can survive a 30-degree frost without shelter. Differs in compact form and decorative crown. It is quite suitable for growing in a flowerpot.

Bolear boxwood is the largest representative of the family, the leaves are long - up to 5 cm. It came to us from the Bolean Islands (Spain). In the wild, it is found in the mountainous areas of southern Spain, Portugal and on the shores of the Crimea.

Care Tips

As already mentioned, boxwood does not belong to whimsical plants. It is grown without much difficulty in the open field, but with the same success it can be obtained boxwood at home, in a flower pot.

This plant does not need a special light regime, a flowerpot with a buxus can be placed both on a sunlit windowsill and on a completely shaded one.For the successful development and growth of boxwood at home, room temperature is quite suitable. In winter, when its biorhythms slow down naturally, it is recommended to lower the temperature of the content to 15 degrees.

In summer, the buxus requires abundant watering. Water it as soon as the soil dries up. In the cold season, when the air temperature drops, watering is reduced to moderate. It is important to prevent excess water near the root system - waterlogging can provoke root rot.

The humidity for keeping indoor boxwood should be moderate. If the plant is looked after correctly, then its leaves must be sprayed from time to time. This procedure will prevent the leaves from drying out and curling, and will also protect the plant from pests.

Home boxwood

Boxwood is rarely transplanted - it is very slow in growth. One transplant is enough for several years. The transplant is usually done at the beginning of spring - at this time the processes of plant growth and development are activated. The next flowerpot for this box must be larger than the previous one.

Boxwood usually does not get sick during transplantation, but it is important to make sure that there is a drainage at the bottom of the pot that performs its functions well (this is perhaps the basic rule for caring for boxwood at home) Excess moisture near the roots is very often the cause of plant diseases.

The soil for the skid must be structured and nutritious. Specialized stores offer a ready-made soil substrate, but you can prepare it yourself. To do this, you need to take 4 parts of sod land, 2 parts of leaf and 1 part of sand with large particles. It is better to transplant a plant bought in a store immediately - it is usually sold in the so-called transport soil, which is not as nutritious and dries up quickly. They are transplanted very carefully - it is important not to injure the roots. The day before transplanting, the seedling of the buxus is watered abundantly - this will make the soil ball softer.

Boxwood can be propagated in two ways - by cuttings or from seeds.

When propagated by cuttings, twigs are cut from adult and healthy plants. This is usually done in April or May. At the same time, shoots are taken that have grown during the past year (a small part of the year before last is acceptable). The length of the cutting should be 15-20 cm. The cut branches are embedded in the soil with the addition of a rooting stimulator and covered for a while with a transparent vessel, building something like a small greenhouse. When the boxwood reproduces in this way, the appearance of roots should be expected in a month, the complete rooting of the plant occurs only by autumn.

Seed propagation of this plant is more painstaking. First of all, its difficulty lies in the fact that buxus seeds quickly lose their germination. Therefore, it is better to sow the change immediately after harvesting or store it in a glass container in the refrigerator until spring. It is better to stratify the seeds purchased in the store - they are kept in wet sand at a temperature of +5 degrees for two months. After this procedure, which significantly increases the germination of seeds, they are sown in a flowerpot and covered with a film for the first time. For germination of seeds, the temperature is maintained at +15 degrees. Germination time is rather long - from 1 to 3 months.

Experience shows that even a beginner can grow boxwood at home. You just need to be patient - and you will receive an original decoration of your home.

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 a 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, in rooms the shrub 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

The types of box trees are rarely distinguished from each other. 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, which have 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. Both genuine indoor boxwood and potted boxwoods in malls can be purchased for indoor cultivation. This plant is affordable and widespread. If you wish, you can grow indoor boxwood from a rooted cuttings that are 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 rays. 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 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.

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 gently, 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 to be transplanted 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 restrict plant growth 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 box trees 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.

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, shearing, 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 poorly;
• 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 transplant 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 leaves. A gall midge, spider mite or scale insect can settle on a weakened plant. To destroy pests, experienced flower growers recommend pruning diseased shoots and treating boxwood with fungicides, and subsequently adjusting the care.

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

Forming a dense, easy-to-cut and shaping crown, boxwood is one of the favorite plants of landscape designers. On the basis of this evergreen shrub with a dense compact crown and small leaves, not only green borders and living walls are created, but also amazing sculptural compositions.

Interest in culture today is greater than ever. What are the plant's requirements for keeping conditions, and how to care for boxwood so that the plant will delight for a long time with the brilliance of the foliage and the perfection of its shape?

In nature, there are more than four dozen boxwood species growing in the Mediterranean countries, in Southeast Asia and India, as well as in Africa and Madagascar.

On the territory of Russia, there are two wild-growing types of boxwood: Colchis and Hyrcanian.

The most famous cultivated plant of this vast family is the evergreen boxwood, followed by the small-leaved and Balearic boxwood. These species are used in landscaping cities and parks, and are also grown as indoor crops. Garland's whimsical boxwood is used to create miniature bonsai.

Growing boxwood and caring for it at home

Distinctive features of all plant varieties are a low growth rate, glossy foliage, densely strewn with a dense crown, as well as easy boxwood care at home. With the right approach, the plant becomes a real decoration of the house and garden, delighting the owner for many years with an unusual appearance and bright greenery.

For boxwood to really feel comfortable, it needs conditions close to natural.

The plant perfectly spends the summer period on an open terrace, in a garden or on a balcony. In this case, the boxwood needs to select places with good lighting, but we must not forget about protection from direct rays that burn young shoots and foliage.

The ideal conditions for wintering indoor boxwood is a dry, closed room with a temperature of +6 to +16 ° С. If the plant is grown in a garden, it can suffer already at -10 ° C, therefore, garden bush and standard boxwoods must be provided with a reliable shelter until the frost passes. Caring for boxwood at home involves frequent and abundant watering. Boxwoods love moisture. At the same time, its hardness is not a critical indicator, however, plants do not tolerate watering with cold or chlorine-containing water poorly. In order not to harm the pet, it is better to defend moisture in advance.

In the warm season, boxwood requires abundant watering, because without water, it quickly begins to shed foliage and dry out. On hot days, boxwood responds well to spraying the crown.

By autumn, the frequency of watering is reduced, and in winter, only occasionally, as necessary, they moisten the soil, making sure that the water does not stagnate and does not cause rotting of the root system. The lower the air temperature in the room where the boxwood is located, the less its need for watering, but the soil should not be allowed to dry out.

During the period of active growth, from spring to early autumn, the shrub is fed with a frequency of 10-14 days, alternating mineral and organic additives.

From complex ready-made fertilizer mixtures for boxwood, the same compositions are suitable as for azaleas.

Reproduction of boxwood and care of seedlings

In natural habitats, boxwood reproduces both vegetatively and by seeds that are formed in capsule fruits and literally shoot out as many meters after ripening.

To speed up the process and facilitate care, at home reproduction of boxwood is carried out using cuttings. You can get cuttings twice a year.

• In the summer months, young shoots that have recently lignified at the base are cut off for planting. In most cases, you can get these cuttings in June and July.
• In the last days of summer or early September, you can also cut cuttings up to 10 cm long, containing 2-3 internodes.

The planting material is planted under a film in a moistened mixture of peat and garden soil.

At home, boxwood can also be propagated by layering obtained from young shoots inclined to the soil.

On such a branch, a cut of the bark with a fragment of wood is made and the shoot is pressed to the ground, securing this position with a wire bracket and directing the upper part of the layering vertically. Rooting boxwood can take up to three weeks.You can speed up the process with the help of growth stimulants, regular watering and a little heating of the soil. When young plants give roots, they are planted at a distance of 10 cm from each other or in separate small pots.

How to transplant boxwood?

For transplanting young seedlings and already mature boxwood bushes, a soil mixture with a neutral reaction is needed, consisting of:

• two parts of humus;
• the same amount of sand;
• one part of sod land;
• a small amount of fine charcoal.

If the soil is too loose, add a little clay to it. This is especially important when planting a boxwood intended for bonsai and which subsequently does not transplant for a long time.

All types of boxwood require good drainage of fine gravel or stone chips with coarse sand.

The best time to transplant is spring. During the warm months, the plant will have time to acclimatize, and winter will be less of a challenge for it. The new pot should not be overly large, especially when it comes to replanting an adult bush.

How to transplant store-bought boxwood with a closed root system? Often in such plants, the roots grow through the drainage holes, and inside the container they are woven into a tight ball. In this case, such a lump cannot be attempted to straighten or untangle. The roots that have got out on the walls of the pot are carefully cut flush with the bottom, the lump together with the peat soil is removed from the container and gently transferred into the prepared container and the prepared mixture is poured.

Boxwood pests and diseases

Most cases of loss of visual appeal by a shrub, as well as damage to a plant by pests and diseases, are associated with a violation of the rules for caring for boxwood at home:

1. Excessive watering during the cold season leads to root rot and other boxwood diseases.
2. Drying out of the soil and dry air in the room is the reason for the loss of foliage and drying out of the young parts of the shoots.
3. If the air temperature remains above 18 ° C for a long time, then the boxwood also begins to lose leaves and weaken.

Neglect of fertilizing, frost damage and other factors also lead to the weakening of the plant. Boxwood diseases and pests affect precisely weak, emaciated specimens.

Among the pests that can quickly settle on a weakened plant are spider mites, boxwood gall midges and various types of scale insects. The leaves of the bush are affected by the larvae of miner flies, which lay their eggs in plant tissue.

And more recently, boxwoods in our country and throughout Europe have a new enemy brought from East Asia. The boxwood moth, along with seedlings, was first brought to Germany in 2006, then it was found in Holland, Switzerland and other parts of the Old World. And in 2012, caterpillars and butterflies came to Russia on the boxwood intended for landscaping the Olympic Sochi. Today, the pest causes serious damage to the wild plantings of the relic Colchis boxwood.

Modern insecticides and fungicides are used to control larvae, ticks and caterpillars on box trees. Sick and pest-affected shoots are cut and destroyed. At the same time, they must establish caring for the boxwood at home, providing the plant with proper watering, temperature conditions and feeding.

Crown formation and boxwood pruning

Since the boxwood does not differ in its growth rate, it is easy to cut it, giving the crown a variety of shapes.

Since the pruning of boxwood affects the shoots of the shrub, removing their tops leads to the beginning of active branching, the crown becomes even denser, and there is no gradual exposure of old branches, as in wild species. Thanks to competent pruning, boxwoods are grown at home as bonsai, formed in the form of standard trees, silhouettes of various animals, geometric shapes and other objects.

Pruning boxwood will be most effective if done from April to July, when the plant's growth rate of shoots and foliage is at its maximum. To form the crown, special templates are used today that help to quickly and accurately create a conceived composition.

Video about boxwood evergreen globular