Should I prune the winter kill from my boxwoods?
I hаνе 6 boxwood shrubs lining thе sidewalk entrance tο mу house. Wе hаd a tough winter here іn Illinois fοr thе evergreens. Mу boxwoods аrе “golden brown” οn thе outside, bυt thеу аrе alive аnd green іn thе center. Shουld I drastically prune аll thе dead leaves οr ѕhουld I leave thеm alone? Whаt wіll hеlр thеm recover fаѕtеr? Thanks.
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Tags: boxwood shrubs, Boxwoods, Dead Leaves, From, Kill, Prune, Should, Sidewalk, Tough Winter, Winter
2 Responses to “Should I prune the winter kill from my boxwoods?”
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This past winter seems to have done a great deal of damage everywhere. I am on the west coast and we had a large amount of winter kill here. I recommend you remove all winter burnt leaves and branches from your boxwood shrubs by giving them a light SHAVE. I say shave because I don’t want you to take a pair of clippers and chop a bunch off. Just take enough to remove the browned or blackened tips off and gently reshape the hedges. To renergize your evergreens pick a fertilizer that is designed for evergreens. It is usually high in nitrogen, the first number on the packaging, about 30 or so. My mentor even suggests using the fertilizer that you use for your lawn, without the weed n feed. When you are treating your lawn just toss a bit around the drip line of your hedges. Most lawn fertilizer is slow release so it should be safe for your hedges. This should help your boxwood regreen. Also make sure they are getting enough water when you clean them up as they probably lost a lot of moisture in the cold winds and will lose some more from the cut tips. Try mixing a bit of fine mulch around the bases of the hedges and some bonemeal, liquid or granular to encourage drainage and new root growth. Note. I am assuming this isn’t a type that has new growth that looks somewhat bronze in colour??! Hope this helps.
I had the same thing happen to my boxwoods this winter in Connecticut. All of the outside leaves turned brown and started falling off. I thought the whole shrub was dying and I didn’t know if I should clip off the branches with teh brown leaves. I left the shrub alone, and miraculously, all new foliage is beginning to appear on the bare twigs that looked dead just 2 weeks ago. It looks healthier than last year, who would have known?? So, i wouldn’t recommend clipping off the sparse branches or the dead leaves because the shrub will naturally bounce back once you get some warm spring weather and sunshine. Good Luck.