How to Plant Boxwood for Hedges? Step-by-step instructions + Photos and Videos

How to plant boxwood for hedges + Photo. There are many ways to decorate a land plot adjacent to a summer residence. Today, landscape designers have begun using a huge number of hedges.

Buxus has gained immense popularity, the second name of which is "boxwood" - this is an evergreen plant, which in the form of a fence can decorate your site from the views of strangers and will become an excellent decoration.

General information

Features of the plant

This plant is considered unpretentious, has a slow growth and dense foliage with a beautiful ebb.

The leaves are tetrahedral, planted close to each other and can be easily shaped with a regular haircut.

When the flowers of the plant have faded, the boxwood produces fruits that have black seeds, which are somewhat similar to those of an apple. While a great deal of similarity can be seen, buxus seeds can only be obtained during the fall, which makes the plant's reproduction limited. A plant, or rather some of its species, can live even up to 500 years, and a boxwood hedge can reach a height of 5 meters.

How to make a hedge

To begin with, we note that you should not buy shoots that are too young, it is more advisable to grow this plant in warm regions, but there are those types plants that can easily tolerate cold temperatures.

You should choose the type that is suitable for the climate in your region, and then you will already have 50% success.

Plant varieties

Before planting boxwood for a hedge, you should decide on the type of plant. Now there are a little more than 30 plant species, and each of them is distinguished by its own unique set of features - the rate of growth, shape, habitat, color of bark and leaves.

For cultivation in a tub, Korean boxwood or varieties that are considered undersized and brought to us from China are suitable.

A fairly popular species is the evergreen boxwood.

It will easily take root in central Russia. It differs from other species in small leaves (approximately 3 cm), rich in green shades. Boxwood, which has a green leaf color, tolerates low temperatures well, but plants with a variegated color will grow and develop better in the southern regions.

There are many types of decorative bush that are ideal for hedging or landscaping.

You can easily determine the belonging of a plant to a particular species by the color of the leaves:

1. Ma rgina tа.

   The leaves of this plant have bright yellow streaks.

2. Аureovariega tа. It differs in that there are small yellow spots on the leaves, which have a chaotic arrangement.
3. Мiсrophу llа. Has small leaves up to 2 cm in size.

   The color is green.

4. Elega ns. The variety is distinguished by a continuous yellow border along the edge of the green leaf.
5. Lаtifo lia Mac ula tа. Has golden shades.

6. Balea rica. It is easy to recognize even from afar, since the leaves are larger than in other species, about 4 cm.
7. Соmrace tа and Suffrutiсo sа. Dwarf varieties.

When choosing a particular type of seedling, it is worth paying attention to the fact that the specimens must be older than three years.

The plant must not be allowed to have spots (unless, of course, this is a distinctive feature of the variety). The leaves of healthy plants have a rich green color. When choosing seedlings, everything should be carefully checked, namely the density, color and absence of yellow leaves. If the stems are exposed, this is alarming, as this is not typical of the boxwood, from which you want to plant a hedge.

Creating a hedge

A favorable time for planting can be safely called the period from the beginning of April to the end of October.

To do this, experienced gardeners use a boxwood hedge planting scheme. But the scheme according to which this will be done is not as important as the fact that the plants must take root, get used to the climate and take root before the first frosts come. It is desirable that the soil is non-acidic, loose and nutritious. It is imperative that there is compost in the soil, and the place for the future hedge has drainage and is not swampy.

If the site is completely shaded or completely sunny, this will only provoke slow growth, and in the worst case, death of the plant.

This plant loves partial shade, but cannot stand drafts. If it so happens that you bought seedlings in the winter, they can be dug in or left in a container until spring.

Planting a bush for a hedge does not require special skills, but there are still some nuances:

• Install pegs around the perimeter of the separated area.
• Dig a trench at the location of the hedge.
• If the soil is clay, add a little humus, peat, sand and a mixture of earth to it.

• Remove the seedlings from the pot. If the roots feel dry, soak them in water for 24 hours before planting.
• Spread the spines one at a time, set them to the bottom.
• Sprinkle well with soil, tamp.
• The seedlings should be well watered for the first week.

• Mulching should be done using crushed tree bark (preferably softwood) or agrofibre.
• If you look at a photo of a boxwood hedge, you will notice that the planting of plants is carried out in a checkerboard pattern and is done at a distance of 0.2 meters. But it is permissible to land in a solid line so that the fence is denser.

Features of care

The plant should be planted in spring or early autumn.

If frost occurs earlier than 30 days after planting, the bush will be fragile and most likely die.

Pruning

Buxus differs in that it grows slowly. The first shearing of the plant is permissible only the next year after planting. But keep in mind that deep pruning of young bushes will not be advisable, since the plant has not yet had time to grow, so the usual removal of stand-out shoots will be enough. Pruning should also be done without harming the crop.

The ideal time for this activity is evening or cloudy weather. If you want to do curly trimming, use pre-prepared templates.

Watering

At the end of October, the plant just needs good watering. The soil must be mulched when using coniferous bark and peat.

For winter, boxwood hedges should be covered.

If the trees are already tall, you need to put a support to them, and just cover the small bushes with cardboard / wooden boxes with holes for ventilation. When spring comes, the boxes should be removed gradually.

Fertilizing

The main rule when caring for boxwood is that the more often you cut the plant, the more often it needs to be watered and fed. In spring this is especially true, therefore, they are engaged in intensive organic and mineral feeding. If the foliage turns red, it means that there is not enough nitrogen fertilizer.

But such fertilizers should be applied in spring; in the fall, fertilizing with a nitrogen mixture is not needed.

Reproduction

If you want to get a hedge in a short time, propagation by cuttings should be carried out, and the latter should be from 20 cm in length. With proper care and the pruning procedure, about 80% of all planted plants will take root, and for a good result, the seedlings need to be covered with a film for several days after planting. But you can still carry out reproduction by seeds, dividing the bush into parts and rooting branches.

Climate

The wall of greenery from the buxus does not require watering it daily, unlike the small varieties that were grown in a tub.

The plant should be watered only in the summer, every month in drought or dry climates. But the plant needs a regular shower, since thanks to it the dust will be washed off the leaves. This procedure is especially important in the first time after planting, so that young seedlings take root as best as possible. Do not forget to regularly loosen the soil so that there is a good flow of fresh air to the roots of the plant.

Diseases

Despite the fact that the plant is considered resistant, the buxus may die if the frost is below -20 degrees.

To avoid such a sad outcome (and financial losses), before the first snow, cover the shrub with burlap to protect it from the cold and direct rays of the sun.The plant must not be covered with cellophane film! If you do this, you will get an excess of moisture, which will cause the plant to hurt, and then completely die.

Nice to know that boxwood is quite resistant to various types of diseases. But if swelling suddenly appears on the leaves, and they themselves become lethargic, then most likely it is a felt. To get rid of it, you should cut off the affected shoots and burn them.

Various remedies that can be found in specialized stores will help against ticks.

Often a plant can also suffer from boxwood gall midge - it is a pest that lays its larvae in leaves, which is the cause of damage. You can easily get rid of them by spraying with a chemical solution, timely cleaning of already fallen leaves and regular pruning.

And then there is the Vоlutella buxi fungus, which is common for boxwood hedges. An effective treatment for this scourge is the use of fungicides and the timely pruning of infected shoots.

How to form a hedge and curb correctly

The standard size of a hedgerow from a box is 150 cm high and 100 cm wide. This result is difficult to achieve right away, as the plant needs good long-term care and proper haircut. When forming a hedge, try not to overdo it - with excessive pruning, such "bald spots" can overgrow for years. The more often the trees are trimmed, the more often the plant will need to be fed. But this procedure should be carried out before the haircut is done, so that there is no deficiency of nutrients, because of which the leaves may begin to fall off strongly.

Conclusion

Boxwood is convenient for processing, since there are no thorns on it. The finished hedge will delight the eye in 3-4 years, provided all conditions are met. In the first year, the seedlings will need to be shortened in half so that the shoot grows, bushiness appears. From next year, the formation is carried out every 6 weeks from May to November. With a wooden frame, you can easily form various geometric shapes.

But this activity requires some skills, so entrust this work to specialists in your field. Be careful if children are walking near the hedge, as all parts of the boxwood are poisonous. Try making a boxwood hedge and your site will sparkle with new colors!

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