Christie’s Blog

December 2024

Prune Your Boxwoods Correctly

Make a Holiday Accent

Back in the day, I remember December as being the time when garden clubs would call some of my clients asking if they could come cut boxwoods for wreaths and other decorations for historical site tours at Christmas.  I always considered  garden decorations of these types as a cheerful bi-product of the important task of pruning boxwoods.

Fortuitously late winter through early Spring is the optimal time to prune boxwoods and make garden accents for the Holiday. It’s not often you find a beneficial gardening task for plants and people in the winter months!

Why Pruning is Important

Proper pruning of boxwoods allows air circulation, encourages new growth to form in the center of the plant shown below, and reduces diseases that can attack weak areas of the plant.

Interior pruning of boxwoods is not readily taught to landscapers these days. It is not encouraged because of the amount of time it can take to prune them correctly, and because of the lack of knowledge on how and why to prune boxwoods with special care.

 Boxwood Diseases that are Encouraged when You Prune Incorrectly

Snapping  a branch  between fingers was a common practise in the past. This is known as ‘plucking’. This technique splays the wood leaving a rough opening. Insects and disease  attack the plant through your ‘plucked’ twig.

When you cut a boxwood  with hedge clippers it slices leaves so pathogens, fungus and insects gain access to the leaf/plant. The outer layer plant grows thicker and blocks out light to the interior of the plant . Do not allow your garden maintenance company or your enthusiastic family member to rev up their hedge clippers and have at it!

Boxwood Blight

A deadly pathogen that is gaining ground in  Richmond is a fungus dubbed ‘boxwood blight’.  Sections of the plant turn yellow over months or even years. Treating this is really difficult and expensive. You have to spray the foliage every 7-10 days.

Because of this expense the usual treatment is to rip it out. Every dead leaf needs to be raked up, and double bagged in plastic. After that is finished you need sterilize your tools and back of your trucks. Hows that for  motivation to prune correctly?

Proper Pruning

Cut at different levels in  the plant with an angle on each cut so water runs off. Cut holes evenly around the plant. I shake the remaining branches with my hand to get a fresh look at the holes in the plant to be sure they are balanced and evenly spaced.

When you finish with a few boxwoods your trash pile might be this big depending on the size of the plants.

Can you see the holes made in this boxwood. It’s very subtle.

Pruning Tips

• Use sharp hand pruners with a bi-pass blade (shown left). Do not use the anvil blade on the right. It smushes the branch as it cuts it.

• Take time to prune correctly. Three foot high plants can take 15 minutes each.

• Do not use hedge clippers to heavily prune the top of the plant except every few years, and then to just lightly shape them.

• For reducing the size of huge boxwoods cut no more than 30% of a boxwood per year.

• Older boxwoods need more pruning. Young or newly planted plants probably don’t need pruning for years.

Make something!

So now comes the fun part.  With your tarp full of cuttings, gather the prettiest stems and recut lengths as needed.

Wreath forms can also be used to weave branches in and out.. Add berries, bows, ornaments and other spots of  greenery like spruce, juniper and magnolias.

For centerpieces you will need something to hold the cuttings. There are wire or foam florist forms you can find. These sturdily hold clippings and provide water for the greenery.

You can also try little Christmas tree shaped topiaries by using another shaped florist foam.

No matter what you do, have fun.  See what you can do, then be brave to claim it as your own.  No negativity allowed.  I bet a lot of people will find it refreshing to have something that is not store bought and carries the Spirit of the Holiday.

Christie lives in Manakin Sabot , Virginia where she manages a 3 acre garden. Her blogs are written from her 35 years as a personal and professional gardener.