Boxwood (buxusus) - an evergreen tree or shrub from the boxwood family. Its homeland is East Asia, the West Indies and the Mediterranean. Slowly growing dense bushes have long been known to landscape designers. Even in winter, they are covered with bright green leaves. The plant withstands haircuts, making it a leader in garden sculptures. But boxwood can be used not only in the garden, it grows well in flowerpots and is even used to create bonsai.
Plant description
Boxwood is a shrub or branched tree. In favorable conditions, it grows 2-12 m in height. The annual growth of the plant is small, it is only 5-6 cm. Thin young shoots are covered with smooth olive-green skin. With age, they become stiff and brown.
Nodes are located close to each other. Opposite, short-leaved leaves of oval or round shape grow in them. They have solid edges and a smooth, shiny surface. A groove is present along the central vein. The color of the leaves is solid, dark green.
In early spring, flowers appear on the boxwood. They are collected in small paniculate inflorescences in the axils of the leaves on young shoots. Small same-sex nimbuses attract little attention compared to bright foliage, but they exude an intense aroma.
After pollination, the fruits are tied - three-nested seed boxes. Glistening black oblong-shaped seeds are hidden inside. The box itself, ripening, is cracking.
When working with boxwood, you should be careful, as the plant is poisonous! The highest concentration of harmful substances is in the leaves. After contact with them, wash your hands thoroughly. They also restrict access to plants for children and animals.
Popular types and varieties
In total, there are more than 100 species in the boxwood genus. However, only a few are used in landscape design.
Boxwood is evergreen. The inhabitant of the Caucasus and the Mediterranean is thermophilic in nature and does not tolerate frosts. It is a highly branched tree up to 15 m in height. Direct tetrahedral branches are densely covered with green foliage. The surface of the leaves is glossy, and on the back it is lighter, matte and even with yellowness. The length of the leaf plate is only 1.5-3 cm. In hemispherical inflorescences of small size there are small greenish-white flowers. Varieties:
- Elegance - a compact spherical shrub up to 1 m in height has thin erect shoots, densely covered with oval, variegated foliage with white bordering;
- Suffruticosa is a slender shrub with strictly vertical shoots up to 1 m in height, covered with ovoid, plain leaves 2 cm long.
Boxwood Colchis. A rare plant listed in the Red Book is relict. It is covered with very small leaves and tolerates frosts well. The maximum height of the thickets is 15-20 m. They can live up to 600 years. By this age, the thickness of the barrel can reach 30 cm.
The boxwood is small-leaved. The cold-resistant species from Japan and China is a fairly compact shrub (up to 1.5 m in height). Shirokoovalny leathery leaves grow in length by 5-25 mm. In spring, lush inflorescences with small whitish flowers exuding intense aroma bloom in the axils of the leaves. Varieties:
- Faulkner - a bush with dense shoots up to 1.5 m in height is ideal for green sculptures;
- Winter jam - shrubs grow well in shady, cool places. Its fast-growing branches are covered with fine foliage.
Breeding methods
Boxwood is propagated by seeds, cuttings and layering. Seed propagation is hampered by the fact that planting material quickly loses its germination capacity. Also, it is not used for growing decorative varieties. Nevertheless, it is possible to grow boxwood from seeds. To do this, in October-November during the day the seeds are treated with a hormonal stimulant (Epin, Zircon). Then they are placed in a damp tissue, where the seeds should germinate. If the sprouts did not appear after 15-20 days, cold stratification is carried out in the refrigerator, and then they try again.
Sprouted seeds are buried by 5-10 mm in sand and peat soil. The pot is covered with a film and kept at room temperature in partial shade. After 2-3 weeks, the seedlings will grow sufficiently and the shelter can be removed. They are regularly watered and fed several times with a weak solution of mineral fertilizer. Indoor cultivation continues until May, when frosts are gone and the soil warms up.
More popular is the method of cuttings. To do this, in the spring, non-lignified tops of branches 10-15 cm long are cut. The slice is performed diagonally. In the lower part, 3-5 cm long, all foliage with petioles is removed. A 24-hour slice is immersed in Kornevin, and then the cuttings are planted in loose, fertile soil with the addition of compost and humus. You can use spacious boxes or land immediately in open ground. Cuttings are buried to the lowest leaves. They are covered with film or glass jars. It is necessary to ventilate and spray the plants daily. They take root within 1-2 months, after which young sprouts will appear. In the first winter, even frost-resistant varieties must be well covered. Cuttings can be carried out in late summer or autumn. However, such seedlings are distributed in pots with loose earth and brought into the room for the winter. The average temperature should be + 10 ... + 12 ° C.
Reproduction by layering gives a good result. To do this, in the middle of spring, one of the lower shoots is bent to the ground and fixed. The top is lifted and tied to a support. During the summer, it is important to water and fertilize not only the bush itself, but also the layering. When the roots develop, you can separate the seedling and move it to a permanent place.
Seat selection and landing
In order for boxwood to grow well and tolerate winter easier, it is better to plant it in partial shade. In the bright sun, especially in frost, the leaves dry quickly. The soil should be clay, highly fertile and fairly loose. Suitable soils with a neutral or slightly alkaline reaction.
Planting is best done in the fall (September-mid-October). Then, before the cold, they adapt well. Before planting, plants should be watered well. Instances with an open rhizome are immersed in water for a day. The landing pit is made deeper than the size of the rhizome. A thick layer of perlite is poured at its bottom. The soil taken out of the pit is mixed with it.
Entangled roots try to evenly distribute and fill all the voids with earth. Depth of landing is left the same. Then the soil is tamped and watered well. In the near-stem circle, a recess is formed for the accumulation of water.
To get a solid hedge, seedlings are placed in trenches with a distance of 20-25 cm. For planting with a solid carpet, dig separate holes in a checkerboard pattern at a distance of 15-20 cm. Immediately after planting, watering should be more frequent.
Outdoor Care
If the place for the boxwood is chosen correctly, caring for it will not be burdensome. Plants easily withstand hot weather and tolerate frosts well up to -20 ° C. It is advisable to create protection against drafts and strong gusts of wind.
Watering bushes or trees is necessary only with a long absence of rainfall. Plants are characterized by good drought tolerance. So that the surface of the earth is not taken by the crust, it is regularly loosened. You also need to remove weeds. At some distance from the trunk and branches, the ground is mulched with peat. From time to time, watering is replaced by sprinkling to wash off the dust from the leaves.
Boxwood needs regular top dressing. Especially those plants that are often pruned. Use mineral complexes for evergreens. In spring and summer, preference is given to compositions with a high content of nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus. In September-October, potassium salt and superphosphate are used. The solution should be weak enough so as not to burn the roots and trunk.
An important component of care is trimming. It begins in April, removing broken or frozen shoots. Throughout the year, boxwood is subjected to molding trimming, giving it the most unimaginable forms (geometric shapes or more complex bends). This must be done monthly. After pruning, the lateral processes begin to develop more strongly, so the thickets become much thicker. Some gardeners grow boxwood in the form of a tree, leaving a single trunk and forming a spherical crown. The usually young green growth is cut off. Periodically, the bushes are thinned, sawing off several old branches.
Wintering in a temperate climate for an evergreen is not an easy test. Low temperatures combined with bright sunshine cause the leaves to dry and fall. As protection use a grid or lutrasil. In November, before the onset of frost, the bushes are abundantly watered to give them good water. The soil near the trunk is mulched with peat and covered with needles. Fallen foliage is not used so that the fungus does not develop. Tall bushes are tied and propped up. So snowdrifts do not break branches. In early spring, all the shelter is removed, and the snow is scattered so that the boxwood does not ripple.
If you grow bushes in tubs and keep at home, care is not much different. For the warm season, it is recommended to take the pots out. They are also put in partial shade. In winter, they are brought into a bright room with a temperature of + 16 ... + 18 ° C. Watering is carried out regularly, the soil should dry by 3-4 cm. In March-August, boxwood is fed with universal mineral complexes twice a month. Also, plants need high humidity, so they are periodically sprayed.
Possible difficulties
Boxwood is distinguished by good immunity. In rare cases, shoot necrosis can develop on it, which is manifested by drying of the tops of the stems and leaf spotting. As a treatment, the damaged areas are cut off and a series of fungicide treatments is performed. Signs of cancer sometimes appear. Dealing with it is more difficult. It is necessary to remove the infected parts with a section of healthy wood, and then carefully treat the slices with Fundazol.
From parasites, the most annoying boxwood, boxwood gall midge is isolated. She lays eggs on leaves and soon larvae appear, eating green juicy leaves. This significantly reduces the decorativeness of plants and leads to their disease. It’s best not to wait for the total nature of the infection and treat it with an insecticide (Karbofos, Aktara). After 7-10 days, the spraying is repeated, even if the parasites are no longer visible. These same drugs will help get rid of felt, aphids and spider mites.
