Due to its adaptability in the landscape, Green Gem Boxwood is well-liked. Varieties like our Baby GemTM Boxwood feature a sturdy form and vibrant evergreen foliage that give the garden year-round structure and color. This maintenance advice from homegardenartful.com will help you maintain your boxwood looking fantastic all year long, whether you prefer it clipped and formal or rustic.
How to Care for Green Gem Boxwood
1. Place Your Green Gem Boxwood Tree in the Proper Spot
Maintaining healthy plants begins with placing boxwood in the right spot. Consider how your garden has changed over the course of the year. Do you have scorching, dry summers? Are winters quiet or windy? Boxwood thrives in circumstances ranging from full sun to partial shade. The midday shadow is beneficial to plants in hot areas. Boxwood should be planted in a protected area because it is vulnerable to harm from dry winter winds.
2. Make Enough Drainage Available
Boxwood plants may grow in a range of soil types, whether they are rich or barren, acidic or alkaline. Since these plants cannot handle having their feet wet, adequate drainage is the only critical soil need for a healthy boxwood. To increase drainage, add organic matter to the soil or plant on a mound.
Avoid standing water in damp locations, such as next to downspouts or on low-lying regions of the ground. Boxwoods are frequently grown in pots as well. To prevent root diseases, make sure to choose a container with excellent drainage.
3. Protect Boxwood Roots
Shallow roots of boxwood plants make them susceptible to drying out. Planting at the right depth is the first step in keeping a healthy root system. Plants should be placed such that the root ball is just 1/8 inch or less above the soil. Plants will be able to settle appropriately without sinking too deeply thanks to this.
To keep roots cool and preserve soil moisture, use a layer of mulch between two and three inches thick. The mulch layer should extend at least one foot beyond the plant’s canopy. Rake away any fallen leaf debris in the fall and spring to prevent the growth of disease-causing organisms, and replace mulch as needed to keep a good cover.
4. Prune Boxwood by Thinning
Get rid of those shears! Boxwood types available today, such as Baby GemTM, offer compact growth and thick branching without the requirement for strenuous shearing. These new options are better for the environment than shearing, which preserves rounded forms but can promote disease by darkening plant interiors, weakening branches, and obstructing airflow. The suggested method of pruning both compact and bigger boxwood kinds is thinning as opposed to shearing.
When pruning, take care to remove any damaged plant material. As soon as you see any broken, sick, or dying branches, remove them. This will help to lower the number of disease-causing agents. By pruning a few of the oldest branches each year, the shrub can maintain good light penetration inside. Make sure to clear out any vegetation or trash that has amassed among the boxwood branches.
5. Protect Green Gem Boxwood in Winter
Due to drying winds, frost, and harsh sunlight, boxwood leaves may turn yellow-orange to reddish brown in the winter, a condition known as bronzing. Improved cultivars do well in the winter, but a little cover can help prevent bronzing. Limiting bronzing requires protection from cold winds. Burlap wraps or windbreaks can be used to protect foliage if the planting site is unprotected.
Additionally, water plants before it gets cold to prevent bronzing. Maintain a three-inch mulch layer all through fall and winter to keep roots protected and preserve soil moisture.
6. Water Green Gem Boxwood Wisely
While underwatering can encourage stress, which makes plants more vulnerable to some pests, overwatering is a major contributor to root illnesses. How should a gardener proceed? Only water plants deeply and gradually when necessary.
Newly planted boxwood needs regular irrigation the first year, at least once per week during hot, dry weather. If rainfall is insufficient, second-year plants will still need water to maintain a strong root system. Boxwood only needs additional irrigation during dry spells once it is established.
7. Feed Green Gem Boxwood as Necessary
Because every soil is unique, so are the fertilizer requirements for gardens. To remove the element of guessing from fertilizing, perform a soil test. An effective fertilization program can lessen pest issues while promoting healthy development. When phosphorus and potassium are insufficient, spring fertilizer applications of nitrogen as well as a balanced fertilizer work well for boxwood.
Keep in mind that over-fertilizing might harm boxwood because of its vast, shallow root systems. Beyond the plant’s crown, spread fertilizer throughout the root zone. Prevent foliage, trunks, and roots from coming into direct contact with fertilizer.
Conclusion
Green Gem Boxwoods are prized as slow-growing landscape plants, which makes them pricey. Give considerable thought to where you want to plant your boxwood. For a robust, long-lasting specimen, keep in mind to water and mulch properly.
