Growing boxwood at home in a pot can be as easy as growing outdoors, despite the fact that this evergreen is traditionally used to create garden designs. Perennial bushes with dense lush green foliage decorate not only window sills, but also closed loggias or open terraces and verandas. Growing boxwood in a pot or tub is sometimes even easier than in a garden. However, in order for the plant to develop well and grow quickly, it is necessary to choose varieties suitable for the house, observe the planting algorithm, temperature regime, rules of care, pruning and watering.
The culture grows well in pots
Boxwood care
Temperature
Room temperature is common in summer, although boxwood prefers to be outdoors. You can take it out to the balcony when the threat of spring frosts has passed, and it can be brought in in the fall, with the first cold weather. Boxwood should overwinter in cool conditions with limited watering. For thermophilic species, the optimum winter temperature is about 16-18 ° C, not lower than 12 ° C. Frost-resistant types of boxwood can hibernate in open ground with shelter.
Lighting
Boxwood loves bright, diffused light. In summer, shade from the direct midday sun will be required. In the garden, boxwood is placed in the natural shade of taller shrubs or trees.
Watering boxwood
Quite abundant in summer, more scarce in winter, depending on the temperature.
Fertilizer
From March to August, every 2 weeks. Fertilizer is suitable for azaleas.
Air humidity
Boxwood responds well to periodic spraying with settled water.
Boxwood transplant
Annually in soil with a pH reaction close to neutral. A mixture of 1 part of coniferous soil, 2 parts of leaf land, 1 part of sand (vermiculite, perlite). You can add pieces of birch charcoal. Good drainage is required, the planting container should not be too spacious, otherwise the plant will slow down in growth.
Boxwood. <>
Description
Planting boxwood in your garden at home is very easy. The dense crown of the plant is easy to prune, and the bush in landscape design looks aesthetically pleasing and neat. Boxwood shrubs well, so it is used to decorate curbs, lawns, garden hedges, as well as to create geometric landscape figures. The lush shrub has small, fleshy leaf plates of a round or elongated elliptical shape. During flowering, small, fragrant, lemon-colored flowers form on the branches.
Boxwood in another way is called "buxus". There are more than 100 species of shrubs in the species diversity. The height of the plant varies from 2 to 10 m. The peculiarity of the boxwood is its slow growth: in a year it can grow by only 5 cm. At home, the buxus is suitable for growing as a bonsai. Small leaves are easy to shape and can be used to create amazing compositions.
Boxwood distribution and ecology
There are three large areas:
- African - in forests and forest-steppes south of Equatorial Africa and Madagascar,
- Central American - in the tropics and subtropics south of northern Mexico and Cuba (25 endemic species); American species are the largest-leaved plants of the genus, often reaching the size of medium-sized trees (up to 20 m),
- Euro-Asian - from the British Isles through Southern Europe, Asia Minor and Western Asia, Transcaucasia, China to Japan and Sumatra.
In Russia, on the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus in gorges and river valleys in the second tier of deciduous forests, one species grows - Colchis boxwood, or Caucasian (Buxus colchica). A unique boxwood forest is located in the middle reaches of the Tsitsa River on the territory of the Tsitsinsky forestry of the Kurdzhipsky forestry enterprise in the Republic of Adygea, has the status of a site with a protected regime. Its area is about 200 hectares.
The area of box trees is constantly decreasing due to felling. Especially large areas of relict boxwood forests were damaged in autumn 2009 during the construction of the Olympic road Adler - Krasnaya Polyana. Several thousand trunks were uprooted and buried.
Boxwoods are very unpretentious plants: they grow on scree, on the edges of forests, in shrubs and dark deciduous forests. Very shade-tolerant, but also thermophilic. In nature, they live on slightly acidic soils.
Colchis boxwood, branches with leaves and fruits. <>
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The boxwood family includes 104 species. In common people it is known as an iron tree, Caucasian palm, ivory, precious tree.
REFERENCE! The species differ from each other in bark color, growth rate, leaf shape, frost resistance and distribution area. Almost all types of boxwood are poisonous!
Below are several types of boxwood - photos of plants.
Colchis buxus (Buxus colchica) is a relict breed and is listed in the Red Book.
Evergreen boxwood (Buxus sempervirens) grows in the southern regions of Russia.
Balearic buxus (Buxus balearical) is the largest in the Eurasian boxwood family, its leaves reach 5 cm.
The most frost-resistant species are cultivated in Japan, China and Korea. These include:
Buxus rugulosa
Buxus microphylla
Buxus sinica
The species that reach the size of a tree and have the largest leaves belong to the American group.
The meaning and application of boxwood
Boxwood is one of the oldest ornamental plants used for landscaping and ornamental horticulture (often called Buxus). It is valued for its dense, beautiful crown, shiny foliage and the ability to tolerate a haircut well, which allows you to create hedges and curbs from them, as well as bizarre shapes that retain their shape for a long time.
Catholics in Western Europe decorate their homes with boxwood branches on Palm Sunday.
Boxwood in a tub. <>
Types and varieties of boxwood for growing at home
When choosing boxwood for the home, it is better to pay attention to the undersized species that form compact bushes. They will not take up much space on the windowsill, balcony or loggia, even when they reach their maximum size. The following varieties of boxwood are considered the most popular for the home:
- Compact (buxus microphylla Compacta) is a dwarf bush with a very dense rounded crown. Annual growth is 3–4 cm in height and the same in spread;
- Marginata (Buxus sempervirens Marginata) - grows up to 1 m in height under indoor conditions, therefore it is well suited for tub cultivation. It has a very decorative appearance due to the color of the leaves, which have a lighter border around the edge;
- boxwood Aureovariegata is also a very decorative compact shrub, characterized by a yellow-green color of slightly oblong leaves.
Do not try to grow boxwood garden varieties at home. They require different care, temperature conditions and air humidity. Therefore, garden bushes in an apartment quickly lose their foliage and attractive appearance, in contrast to dwarf varieties and hybrids, which retain their beauty all year round.
Boxwood
Boxwood is a kernelless ripe woody breed.This means that in freshly cut wood, the difference in color between sapwood and ripe wood is almost imperceptible. Dried boxwood has a uniform matte color from light yellow to waxy color, which darkens little over time, and a homogeneous structure with narrow annual layers. The vessels are small, solitary, not visible to the naked eye. The core rays are almost invisible in the cuts. The wood tastes a little bitter, there is no particular smell.
Boxwood is the hardest and densest wood found in Europe. Its density is from 830 kg / m³ (absolutely dry) to 1300 kg / m³ (freshly cut), and its hardness is from 58 N / mm (radial) to 112 N / mm² (end).
In terms of strength, boxwood exceeds hornbeam: for compression along the fibers - about 74 MPa, with static bending - 115 MPa.
Hard, homogeneous, heavy boxwood wood is used for small carving woodwork, in the manufacture of small dishes, chess pieces, cue ball for playing novus, musical instruments, machine parts that required high wear resistance in combination with a perfectly smooth surface: printing machine rollers , spools and weaving shuttles, measuring instruments, parts for optical and surgical instruments. The twisted sections are used to make smoking pipes.
Boxwood sawn across the grain (end) is used in woodcut (woodcut). Boxwood is the best wood for woodcuts, and this led to its almost complete destruction in the second half of the 19th century, when illustrations in newspapers around the world were cut on boxwood boards, sometimes the size of a newspaper spread.
Saw veneer was made from boxwood and is being made in small quantities, using special machines with a thin cut. In the XX and XXI centuries, boxwood veneer, due to its high cost, is used only for inlays.
Tsuge (Japanese name for small-leaved boxwood) is the wood from which figures for playing shogi are made.
Offers to sell boxwood on the market are quite rare and the price is very high.
Choosing a landing site
Choosing the right planting site is an important condition for the normal growth of the plant. Boxwood on the site should feel comfortable and fit into the landscape design. The shrub is unpretentious and can grow both in well-lit areas and in the shade. Direct sunlight in summer heat can have a negative effect on the vital activity of the plant. The optimal place for landing the axle box is partial shade. Shrubs can be placed under high tree crowns, in diffused shade.
Boxwood can be used to create a hedge in your backyard. In this case, it must be borne in mind that drafts and the influence of strong winds adversely affect the bush. It is not recommended to place the composition in open winds.
You can plant bushes from spring to autumn. Favorable weather for landing - a cloudy day. Experienced gardeners recommend carrying out the procedure in the autumn from mid-September to early October.
The aesthetic design of the site depends on the location of the shrub and its size. The gardener must foresee in advance which plants will be planted next to the boxwood, take into account their size and the size of the selected type of boxwood.
Using boxwood as a medicinal plant
Already in ancient times, boxwood was used as a remedy for coughs, gastrointestinal diseases, as well as chronic fevers, such as malaria. As a remedy against malaria, it is supposedly comparable in action to quinine. Due to their toxicity, boxwood preparations are rarely used these days, since they are very difficult to accurately dose. Overdose can lead to vomiting, seizures, and even death. Homeopaths still use boxwood as a remedy for rheumatism.
Boxwood in a pot.
How can you propagate indoor boxwood
Indoor box trees growing at home are propagated by cuttings, since they do not bloom and seeds cannot be obtained. For cuttings, young, non-lignified shoots are suitable, which are cut in mid-summer or autumn. Spring ones are too tender, because after cutting they may die and not take root.
The length of the handle must be at least 10 cm
After that, the branches should be placed in a glass of water for a day with the addition of a growth stimulant, and then buried in the ground and covered with a bag or film. In a month, the roots will appear, and the seedlings can be transplanted into a pot to a permanent place.
And a little more mysticism ...
Boxwood is used to make amulets. It is believed that boxwood twigs serve as an excellent amulet against various evil spells, from dark magic, for example, from the evil eye and damage, from energy vampirism. In addition, boxwood twigs, placed under the pillow, can protect against bad dreams. It is also believed that if a person constantly carries a twig of boxwood with him, this gives him the gift of eloquence and protects him from accidents. In addition, earlier boxwood amulets were used as a "castle" for sorcerers. These boxwood amulets "covered" the sorcerers, not allowing them to use their powers for evil.
Propagation by cuttings
You can propagate a shrub yourself by cuttings. To do this, you can use the branches left after pruning, 1–15 cm long.
For planting cuttings, it is advisable to use special soil, which can be purchased at a flower shop, or garden soil. The soil is mixed with sand in a 1: 1 ratio and placed in planting containers. It is necessary to remove the lower leaves from the cuttings and soak them in a solution of the drug "Kornevin" for 20 - 30 minutes to stimulate root growth. After that, you need to make holes in the soil and place branches there, compacting the soil around them.
After planting, the soil must be well watered and the planting containers must be placed in a shaded place. Rooting will take place within 2 to 3 months. The formation of new shoots on the branches indicates the appearance of a root system. In this case, the plant, together with the earthen lump, can be transplanted to the site.
Pine diseases
Dangerous pests of pines are different types of bark beetle... Adult beetles tend to bite into the bark of a plant and lay eggs under it. Passing through the passages under the bark of the plant "sheltering" them, the larvae of the beetle damage it so much that even large plant specimens die as a result. The beetle is especially dangerous for newly transplanted plants. Experienced professional gardeners can periodically use approved insecticides for prevention purposes, or regularly monitor the condition of the bark and rob beetles in the spring.
Appearing on the bark of the trunk and on branches wool louse (Pineus) rather only worsens the appearance of the plant. In case of severe damage, the insect can be destroyed with various oils. With large, conspicuous bark beetles, which can sometimes be seen on branches and trunks, fight with insecticides or rob them with their hands.
A wool louse (Wolllaus) on a pine branch looks like small matted hairballs
A dangerous pathogen is shoot-roll (Rhyaciania species). Shoots begin to wilt ("subsequent keratinization") and eventually dry out. In private gardens and public parks, it is difficult to control leafworm bloodworms. Since during the formative shearing the damaged young shoots are shortened simultaneously with the healthy branches, the damage caused by insects in figuratively trimmed plants is noticeable to a much lesser extent than in freely growing pines.
Lesions caused by the pine shoots (Kiefertriebwickler) are characterized by characteristic curved shoots
Another dangerous pathogen is sawflies of various types... Their larvae, similar to caterpillars, eat pine needles in summer. As a result, significant gaps can appear in the greenery. If you pay attention to this in a timely manner, it is enough to simply destroy the sawflies by collecting them or using contact insecticides.
These articles may also be of interest to you:
- Forming green arches from plants
- Methods of forming baskets, figures and sculptures from plants
- Blooming lawns. Alternative to grassy lawns
- Curly haircut of bushes and trees - topiary. Methods and materials
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Tags: diseases of garden plants, diseases of yew, pests of garden plants, bark beetles, root rot, boxwood diseases, bark beetle, leaf flea, mine moth, wrinkled full-jaw weevil, death of shoots, spider mites, spider mites, leaf rolls, topiary, wool louse, scale insect
Buxus: diseases and pests
Serious diseases do not so often prevail in the yellow common boxwood and its other varieties, which cannot be said, for example, of rose bushes. Boxwood can be damaged by a fly or caterpillar, which you can see with the naked eye, usually after the plant has hibernated. They can be dealt with by cutting the bush. In addition, fungicides will also come to the rescue in this situation, with which boxwood trees should be sprayed.
Buxus sempervirens
Spider mites can also attack box trees. It can be fought with the same means as with a front sight. Here, too, treatment with special deterrent preparations and pruning of damaged plant leaves will help. In all cases, know that if a strange bloom has appeared on the leaves of the boxwood, then you should urgently cut off the damaged parts of the shrub with scissors.
What boxwoods of different types look like: photos, names, descriptions
Various types of boxwood are common on all continents except Antarctica. The largest distribution area is Eurasia, here from the British Isles to Northern China, Japan and Indonesia, there are about 25 species of box trees.
Only the northern representatives of the Eurasian group are relatively winter-hardy species of this genus.
The following is a description of boxwood shrubs of different types.
Common boxwood, or evergreen, Is the most famous European species and the only one that is widespread in culture on the territory of Russia.
It grows over a wide area from the northern Mediterranean coast to the southeast of England and southern Germany.
There are numerous garden forms of boxwood evergreen, which differ in the size of the leaves and the growth form of adult plants: from squat dwarf trees to tall, upright shrubs.
See what an ordinary boxwood looks like in these photos:
There are also variegated forms. Sufficiently resistant to the cold of Central Europe, these species practically do not withstand the climate of central Russia. Only spherical and variegated forms survive here.
Caucasian boxwood - the smallest and most winter-hardy among European box trees. Under natural conditions, it grows in the mountain gorges of the western Transcaucasia and in the north of Turkey along the eastern and southeastern coasts of the Black Sea.
In the middle of winter, in the natural habitats of the plant, there is often a stable snow cover, and the temperature drops to -5 ... -10 ° С.
Caucasian boxwood, or Colchis, can endure Moscow frosts under snow without shelter, although severe snowless winters significantly damage its crown. In any case, Caucasian boxwood can grow in the conditions of central Russia only in the form of a bush, without becoming a tree.
Boxwood Hyrcanus grows along the southern coast of the Caspian Sea, it looks like an evergreen boxwood in the size of leaves, but its growth form is different.This boxwood looks like a short shrub, which in nature never takes on a tree-like shape. In terms of winter hardiness, it is significantly inferior to boxwood evergreen.
These photos clearly illustrate the descriptions of boxwoods of various types:
Boxwood is easy to distinguish by its leathery glossy leaves. Most of its varieties have hard, small, whole-edged leaves 1.5-5 cm long and up to 2.5 cm wide.
As you can see in the photo, in this species of evergreen boxwood, the leaves are oppositely located on thin dense branches:
The oval shape is varied in width - from round to lanceolate. In summer, the leaves are dark green above and almost yellow below. They may turn brownish in winter, but will turn green again in spring.
The flowers are small, inconspicuous, woody, in axillary inflorescences, yellowish-green in color. Monosexual and monoecious, they are located on the same shoot. Fragrant, but emit a pungent odor, even when the plants are dormant.
They send this warning for a reason - in most types of boxwood, all parts are quite poisonous, especially the leaves. When describing this plant, it is worth warning that boxwood leaves, getting inside the human body, cause severe poisoning.
Boxwood fruits are hardly noticeable - they are small (0.5-1.5 cm long) boxes with three nests, in which there are small black shiny seeds.
Boxwood can be grown in standard form by choosing plants with a good central shoot. Lateral shoots are cut to the desired level and the rest are shortened. The plant will begin to branch well and turn into a beautiful ball on a leg.
Here you can see photos of boxwoods of different types, the names of which are given above:
Boxwood is poisonous or not
In the process of caring for boxwood, you should be careful, use personal protective equipment. The evergreen shrub is poisonous. The maximum concentration of harmful substances is concentrated in the leaves. The composition contains 70 flavonoids, there are also coumarins, tannins. The green mass and bark contain 3% alkaloids. Among the most dangerous substances is cyclobuxin D. After contact with the plant, wash your hands and change clothes. Restrict the access of children and animals.
Attention! For dogs, the lethal dose of cyclobuxin D is 0.1 mg per kg of body weight when ingested.
Possible problems
The shrub must be inspected regularly to avoid adverse factors that will inhibit the growth of the boxwood.
Alarms include:
- the leaves turn yellow, which means that the shrub freezes;
- leaves with a reddish tint - the plant lacks nitrogen;
- the color of the green foliage is not as saturated as before - the boxwood does not like the excess of the sun;
- twisted and dry leaves indicate a lack of moisture.
Buxus in landscape design - photo
Some interesting ideas for decorating a boxwood garden are presented below.
Pruning
Pruning of bushes is carried out in order to give them various geometric shapes. The procedure must be carried out with a special tool for pruning shrubs. The pruning shears should be sharp to avoid damaging the shoots.
It is not recommended to prune the shrub in the first year after planting. The next year, you can cut the buxus at the end of April - beginning of May.
Having formed the shape of a bush once, subsequently it will only need to be maintained, since the boxwood grows slowly. It is necessary to remove only the growing young shoots. Correction of old shoots may be necessary in the event that the shape of the shrub is completely lost.
After each pruning, the plant needs fertilizing with mineral fertilizers in order to replenish the lost composition of nutrients and accelerate growth. You need to prune boxwood regularly, about 1 time per month.
Popular varieties
Many varieties of buxus have been developed for ornamental gardening. The most popular among them:
- Buxus is evergreen that grows naturally in the Caucasus.
- Small-leaved boxwood, which is very decorative, is also popular among gardeners.
- One of the frost-resistant varieties is Winter Jam, which perfectly tolerates formative pruning.
- Another popular variety is Colchis boxwood, which is the smallest. Buksus lives up to 600 years, and can reach a height of up to 20 meters.
There will definitely be a place on your site to plant this rather unpretentious, but very ornamental plant - boxwood. Very beautiful living barriers are obtained from it, the buxus is simply created specifically for trimming and shaping living figures. Small, luscious foliage will delight you throughout the season, and original figures will become the main decoration of your personal plot.
Fertilizers for Better Boxwood Growth
Despite the fact that the shrub is not too whimsical, it is still worth taking care of its condition and purchasing fertilizers for the boxwood. Complex fertilizers must be introduced in the spring. They must contain potassium, nitrogen and phosphorus. And fertilizers that are introduced in the fall should not contain nitrogen; instead, superphosphate or potassium salt is needed.
Whatever fertilizer you use, it must be dry and spread evenly over the soil around the trunk. Making a concentrated fertilizer solution will damage the root system.
The tree grows better on soils with low acidity and in order to lower it, you need to add lowland peat or any flour to the hole before planting, the main thing is that it is white. Remember flour is a nitrogen fertilizer. Flour is not added in pure form, but diluted with water, for 5 liters of water - 1 tablespoon of bone meal. Only diluted can be added to the soil. If your soil is low in magnesium, you will notice this from the leaves - they begin to turn brown, in such a situation, apply fertilizers with flour.
