Hedges and boxwood borders take up a lot of space in our garden. In order for them to look nice, they need to be properly cared for.Most of the shrubs come from their own cultivation. This is what my wife does. It is she who takes cuttings from box trees, rooting them and planting them in free spaces in flower beds. After about a year, the young plants are ready to be planted in a permanent place.
Forming and trimming into balls
The oldest boxwood hedge on our property is 10 years old. We planted the bushes alternately in two rows so that the border was wider.Initially, I trimmed the plants evenly, but after a few seasons, at the ends of the "fence" I left behind a tuft of longer shoots. With time, they formed two hemispheres that broke the flat form of the hedge.
Boxwoods grow and branch quickly, but only when regularly pruned. I perform this procedure twice a year - in spring and summer - with a manual secateurs. I then shorten the young shoots by about a third of their length. I know that some people use special stencils to form shrubs. I don't need them. I give the plant a round shape. There are a lot of such boxwood balls in our garden. They look especially nice along the path.
The best hedges and companion plants
Boxwood hedges are low, so they are suitable for border borders or for natural walls separating individual types of plants. In the middle of the green arenas, you can plant, among others cranberry, heart, magnolia bushes and small conifers.We also put in pots with yucca or cordlins in the summer. I also create hedges from thuja, and individual figures from juniper, cypress, Japanese willow, euonymus and cotoneaster.
Gabriel Grzegorczyk
Facilitates when trimming hedges
- If we want to trim a bush evenly, without giving it a specific form, we can use a string and a spirit level. Place the stakes at the ends of the hedge. We connect them with a string and level it properly. When trimming bushes, we stick to the designated line.
- If we are going to give the shrubs some shape, prepare a suitable template made of wire, strips or cardboard. In this case, we start cutting by placing the template on the shrub. Then cut the shoots that are outside the outline of the template.
- In case the box trees grow unevenly, fill the "empty" spaces by pulling the selected shoots back and securing them with string.
For more information on pruning and shaping trees, shrubs in the garden and in the orchard, see the special edition Garden Recipe - Cutting. Available at kiosks from January 29, 2014! "
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