Growing Boxwood from Cuttings
A new planting project is underway at my Bedford, New York farm.
I love boxwood, Buxus, and have hundreds of shrubs growing on my property. I use boxwood in borders and hedges, as privacy screens, as accent plants in my formal gardens, and of course in the long allee to my stable. When I can, I like to grow my own boxwood from cuttings. This process takes time and patience, but seeing them mature is very rewarding. Last weekend, I received hundreds of young boxwood branches that were ready to root in a cold frame behind my main greenhouse. It will be fun to see them develop.
Here is our process, enjoy.
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- I am so proud of the growing boxwood around my farm. This is a section of my long 450-foot Boxwood Allee. It runs from my stable all the way to the carriage road that leads to my hayfields and woodlands. It is so lush and green. I take very special care of these specimens.
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- This is my sunken Summer House Garden – a more formal garden with both English and American boxwood. Boxwood, a popular evergreen shrub in garden landscape, is a very ancient plant. Its ornamental use can be traced back to 4000 BC Egypt. The early Romans favored it in their courtyards. The wood itself is harder than oak and its foliage is dense and compact. Because of its growing habit, boxwood can be sculpted into formal hedges, topiaries, and other fanciful shapes.
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- These boxwood shrubs surround my herbaceous peony garden bed.
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- In 2017, I decided to line both sides of my clematis pergola with boxwood. There are more than 300-shrubs planted here, and they continue to thrive.
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- The boxwood shrubs along my pergola were grown in this “nursery” patch located in one area of my vegetable garden next to my chicken coops. The soil is rich with nutrients, so they grew well and quickly. These bare-root cuttings were planted earlier this year and are also doing so well.
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- This is one of two large cold frames behind my main greenhouse. A cold frame is a transparent-roofed enclosure, built low to the ground that utilizes solar energy and insulation to create a microclimate suitable for growing or overwintering plants. Historically, cold frames were built as greenhouse extensions tucked against the outer walls with southern exposure outside Victorian glasshouses.
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- To start, the cold frame is filled with a fresh layer of compost that is made right here at my farm. It is a blend of composted manure and plant materials.
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- Brian spreads a two to three inch layer of composted soil across the entire cold frame.
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- Then he sprinkles a generous amount of fertilizer. Slow-release, balanced fertilizers are best for boxwood.
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- Brian mixes the fertilizer into the soil mix.
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- And then with a soft rake, levels the medium and removes any detritus or stones and other organic material that did not decompose.
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- I wanted to use the fallen foliage from my bald cypress trees as mulch for the boxwood cuttings, so Brian filled three of my Multi-Purpose Reusable Heavy Duty Tote Bags with the bald cypress leaves – these bags are so useful for carrying, organizing, and storing so many things indoors and out.
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- Bald cypress trees are deciduous conifers that shed their soft needlelike leaves in the fall. In fact, they get the name “bald” cypress because they drop their leaves so early in the season. Their fall colors are tan, cinnamon, and fiery orange.
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- Look how pretty the foliage looks as top dressing in the cold frame. Brian spreads the foliage removing any big branches.
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- Next, he gives the bed a good drink.
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- To prepare the cuttings, Brian starts by thoroughly cleaning and sharpening his pruners. If you’re an avid gardener, you know sharp pruning tools not only make chores easier to complete, but they also make cleaner cuts, which allow plants to heal faster. Making clean cuts exposes them to less damage from diseases, insects, fungi, and weather extremes. Everyone on the crew cleans, sharpens, and conditions their pruners, snips, and shears regularly. The process only takes a few minutes, and it keeps these gardening implements in proper working order.
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- Brian trims the branches to six inch tips. When preparing the cuttings, make sure to only use healthy stems with no insect damage or discoloration. These cuttings are in excellent condition. They were delivered to me by my friend and boxwood expert, George Bridge, owner of George Bridge Landscape Design Inc.
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- Brian also removes any leaves from the bottom two to three inches of each stem.
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- Once the cuttings are trimmed, Brian places them in a crate with the stems facing inward to keep them as clean as possible.
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- Next, Brian rolls the lower end of the cutting in powdered rooting hormone and taps the stem to remove the excess. Rooting hormones increase the chance of cuttings taking root.
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- Then, he sticks the lower end of the cutting with the hormone powder into the rooting medium. He presses it firmly just enough to make it stand up straight.
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- This variety is American buxus sempervirens. American boxwood, or common box, is a broadly rounded, multi-branched, evergreen shrub or small tree in the Buxaceae family. It is native to western and southern Europe, western Asia, and northern Africa. The species-specific term sempervirens means “always green.”
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- This is just the first batch of cuttings. When complete, this entire cold frame will be filled with growing boxwood.
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- Keeping the cuttings here in the cold frame will ensure they get lots of warmth and access to indirect sunlight. They will also be kept moist to encourage growth.
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- These cuttings will remain here through the winter and then be transplanted in the outdoor “nursery” garden once they have well-established roots. And in two to three years, they will be beautiful shrubs ready to place in the gardens! Growing your own boxwood from cuttings… it’s a good thing. And a fun thing.
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