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How do you shape a boxwood cone?
Clip a natural boxwood tree into a cone shape using hedge trimmers. Take your time to make sure the cone is even on all sides and doesn’t develop a leaning look from taking too much off one side. Go over the cone with handheld topiary shears to cut the surface into a smooth face.
Do boxwoods need trimming?
That said, these handy evergreens do need occasional pruning. Boxwood, like most shrubs, needs a cleaning out of dead or twisted branches that can be harmful to the bush. Even when chosen for a particular size or shape, an errant branch or twig may need trimming.
How do you shape a box shrub?
- Use secateurs, scissors or single-handed shears to cut young topiary or intricate forms.
- Trim lightly until the basic form is clearly visible – it’s easier to trim again rather than cut drastically, ruining the shape.
- For box hedges and edgings, trim the new growth using a pair of garden hand shears.
How often should you trim boxwoods?
Prune boxwood each year in spring; it is okay to touch up the plant’s shape or straying branches throughout mid-summer. Be sure not to prune and shape your boxwood in late summer or early fall. When you prune the plant, you encourage the cut branches to grow. They might not recover from the cut in time for winter.
Can you cut boxwood way back?
Boxwoods can be pruned any time but late summer and early fall. Of course, the best way to avoid having to cut back overgrown boxwoods is not to let them get overgrown in the first place. Most types grow slowly, so one pruning a year keeps them in bounds. You can do this with hand pruners or shears.
What’s the best way to trim boxwood?
Here is what I suggest for pruning boxwood. Trimming large flat sections of boxwood is easy enough with hand shears and, of course, very quick with a hedge trimmer. Finer details, curves and precision can be harder with large shears so topiary shears or a set of snips can give crisp lines and angles.
What’s the best way to cut back a box tree?
Remove dead or damaged branches from the shrub first. These branches should be easy to spot—the leaves will be shriveled up and brown, and the stems will snap easily. Use sharp, clean pruning shears to snip off the dead sections, making the cut at the base of the branch.
How can I tell if my boxwood shrub is dying?
Make sure you look at the interior of the shrub for dead or damaged sections, not just the outer parts of the shrub. Watch out for signs of boxwood blight. If your branches are diseased, you might see brown spots on the leaves or leaves that are almost entirely brown. Look for black cankers on stems as well.
How tall and wide does a boxwood shrub get?
One last note: if you don’t mind a little extra work, boxwood shrubs make excellent topiaries. Topiaries are living garden statuary and can be molded into any shape your imagination can envision. They can range from one to two feet (.3-.6 m.) high to ten feet (3 m.) high.