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Boxwoods arepopular shrubs for landscapingin the Southern garden.
But this also means you have to be patient when waiting for damaged areas to grow back.
How do you prune anovergrown boxwood, and when is the best time?
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Heres what to know about when and how to prune boxwoods.
The next thing you know, its in desperate need of cutting back.
They are at least 6 feet tall and 6 feet wide.
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They are very old and we don’t want to get rid of them."
Other readers also want to know how to prune big boxwoods at their homes.
Fortunately, boxwoods can be pruned any time but late summer and early fall.
Credit: Hector Manuel Sanchez
Severe late summer pruning followed by a cold winter could even kill the entire shrubs.
During their growing season in spring is the best time for pruning.
Dead and damaged branches can be trimmed away whenever you notice them.
Most types grow slowly, so one pruning a year keeps them in bounds.
Prune them lightly in the spring to maintain a more formal shape.
But unless you’re growing a topiary, venture to avoid shearing the surface of your boxwoods.
Boxwoods that are trimmed into ornamental shapes can become weak with dead branches in the center.
When selecting branches to prune, cut off the whole branch where it meets the parent branch.
Cut branches that are dead all the way back to the main branch or trunk.
you could cut away unsightly dead or diseased branches any time of year.
Steps To Prune And Thin Boxwoods
Pruning boxwoods helps maintain a desired shape.
Heres what to do:
ensure pruning tools are sharp and clean.
Keep Boxwoods Healthy With Cloud Pruning
Boxwoods can still look fantastic without shearing.
They’re the result of a painstaking practice called “cloud pruning” performed withhand pruners.
The end result looks a bit like cumulus clouds.
This calls for drastic, but necessary, action.
Put away the hand pruners and shears.
Cut back the main limbs by 1/3 to 1/2.
But take a stab at maintain a rounded, mounded look.
Don’t cut the bushes into boxes.
Maintain regular pruning after that.
When you cut back your boxwood, many of the branches will be leafless.
And if you do this in winter, you’ll be staring at naked branches for a long time.
I suggest waiting until you see new growth start to emerge in spring.
The shorter, naked branches will quickly clothe themselves in new foliage.
