Boxwood hedges can add an elegant touch to your borders. However, for them to maintain the orderly appearance that most people like so much, you’ll have to spend some time trimming it. Remember that growing boxwood shrubs isn’t particularly challenging but requires patience. Indeed, before being able to shape your plant to your liking, you’ll have to wait for it to be the right size. Also, you’ll need to clip your plant at the right time of the year to allow it enough time to recover and minimize stress.
If you want to learn how to trim a boxwood hedge, you have landed in the right place! Keep reading this essential guide: here, you can explore the tips to clip your hedge plant and enjoy its beauty to the maximum!
When Should You Trim Your Boxwood Hedge?
Before getting into the best trimming practices for your Boxwood hedge, you should know when to do it. Indeed, shaping your plant at the wrong time of the year might cause issues for your plant. For instance, you might make it more susceptible to diseases and attacks from pests or prevent its ability to withstand cold temperatures.
Indeed, you need to understand that trimming your boxwood (even if lightly) causes “wounds” to your plant. And it exposes the weaker parts of your hedge to the outdoor conditions.
For this reason, we always recommend pruning boxwood hedges in the spring or early summer. At this time of the year, temperatures are ideal. Plus, your plant will be in a growing phase, meaning it will recover faster than in other periods.
Winter trimming might be detrimental to your plant’s health. After all, it exposes its central areas to low temperatures, winds, and (possibly) frost. But besides knowing when to trim your boxwood hedge, you must also do it properly. Jump to the following sections to get familiar with the best tips for how to cut these kinds of plants!
How to Trim a Boxwood Hedge
To begin with, you must have the right equipment at your disposal. For instance, you should use sterile shears to prevent spreading diseases and other infections. Then, you must look at your plant and plan how you would like to shape it. Remember that you should thin your boxwood so that light and air can reach even the center of the plant. Adequate airflow is essential to prevent pests and fungal infections from spreading around your plant. Indeed, both thrive in humid and dark environments.
Also, besides removing the external branches growing sideways (and negatively affecting the plant’s shape), you should look at the plant’s interior. There shouldn’t be debris around the center of your boxwood. Additionally, remove overgrown limbs (but maintain the primary branches).
You can enclose your boxwood inside a grid to give your plant a neat shape. You can cut the branches that grow out of the enclosure with shears or an electric trimmer. Strings can help you guide your cuts.
Ideally, you should clip your plant to ensure even regrowth and prevent it from getting messy. With time (and practice), you’ll be able to create an attractive custom shape, which might be an additional complement to the looks of your outdoor spaces.
Why Should You Trim Your Boxwood Hedge?
You may now be wondering: is trimming a boxwood necessary? And why is it something you must consider? The truth is that cutting your boxwood hedge will guarantee you a neat look in your garden.
But the benefits of regular trimming go beyond the aesthetic appeal. For instance, it will encourage new leaf growth, help you remove dead or unhealthy branches, minimize the spread of fungal infections, and strengthen your plant.
And doing so will make your plant less susceptible to diseases and usually less demanding. Also, if you like your hedge to look a particular way, trimming can help you maintain the shape you prefer without having to spend too much effort into the care of your plant.
Remember to avoid cutting more than one-third of the plant: it will stress it and might cause it to fail to recover from the stress. While boxwood is a relatively easy-to-grow plant that requires little pruning, regular trimming can make a considerable difference in its attractiveness.