Natural Boxwoods - Not an Oxymoron
May 28th, 2007 
by Susan Harris
Here’s a plant we think of as too formal, too boring, too (fill in the blank). But I suspect our criticisms of boxwoods are based primarily on the way they’re traditionally grown - pruned to soldierly uniformity, despite the less than robust good health enjoyed by plants thus brutalized by shearers. (The poor plants must whimper in dread when they see gardeners approaching with the damn things.)
So I offer an alternative - the Natural Boxwood. Here are two ‘Green Ice’ boxwoods I planted smack dab in front of my front porch, replacing the existing (and hideously misplaced) large azaleas in this brutal southwest exposure. Here’s what the tag says: "Buxus x ‘Green Ice’ - deep glossy green foliage that maintains its color throughout winter. A solid, semi-compact plant with vigorous new growth. Extremely hardy. A soft and sturdy plant." And it’s proven to be all of that. Boxwoods even tolerate significant amounts of shade. And do I need to remind the reader it’s EVERGREEN? No, I didn’t think so. On the right is a Spirea ‘Goldmound’, sporting chartreuse foliage all season and brassy fuchsia flowers in June.
The key to natural boxwood growth is to stop shearing and start thinning. Removing some of the extra thickness keeps the plant nice and open so that more air, light and rainwater can reach the plant’s interior. The correct pruning technique is often referred to as punching holes in the foliage but if done right, you’d never know that little green globs have been removed because the plant still looks so natural, so unpruned. The best pruning is unnoticeable, a standard that unfortunately can’t be met when corrective pruning is finally undertaken after years of mispruning or a total lack thereof. In those cases the natural look can’t be achieved immediately but will follow, in time. Yet another lesson in patience.
I’m hoping to convince Elizabeth Doyle (of the Yankee Clippers) to create a how-to video on the subject of shrub pruning because she’s a full-time professional pruner and a proven public speaker to boot! Update to follow.
Posted in Plants, Shrubs | 
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May 29th, 2007 at 10:51 am
So, the punching holes technique, is that similar to the way I pruned my spirea bridal wreath last year, from the inside out, taking out about 30% of the older branches? It did a wonderful job and the bloom was fantastic this year. I added a golden privet last year in a darker corner that has a rose glow barberry and a blue upright juniper to contrast , which looks great, and I will leave natural as well.
May 29th, 2007 at 6:45 pm
3 cheers for Boxwood — much misunderstood and maligned - but oh so versatile. That reminds me I need to start a bunch of boxwood cuttings from my brother’s Victorian-era, gargantuan specimens up in Brunswick, MD.
May 31st, 2007 at 9:05 pm
I volunteer at Green Spring Gardens in Alexandria, Va., which by the way is worth a visit; their summer annuals/tropicals are not to be believed, on a background of wonderful trees and shrubs. Anyway, one winter day we were harvesting boxwood trimmings for other volunteers to make boxwood Christmas trees and topiaries. Cindy Brown, Assistant Director, told us just to cut out bundles of branches, making about fist-sized holes all around the bushes. As Susan noted, it admits light and air to the interior and makes for healthier growth. The branch thicknesses were just about the size one would want to stick into foam for a Christmas tree, if that analogy helps at all.
May 31st, 2007 at 9:38 pm
Welcome, Bev. I’m a big fan of Cindy Brown, so thanks for quoting her. She’s volunteered to talk to DC community gardeners about growing vegetables.
May 31st, 2007 at 11:26 pm
Wow, Susan… I never thought I would be posting about my admiration of your (or anyone else’s) boxwoods. But those look great! They have a nice shape to them without looking shaped, if that makes sense.
June 2nd, 2007 at 7:41 pm
I usually shear every 2 or 3 years with hand pruning during the other years. A lot of people tie their Boxwood up for the winter here but I have found that not doing that makes them looser and more natural looking. Besides all its other attributes one of the best around here is the deer don’t like it.