Boxwood has been used for centuries as a topiary for the most imaginative structures and figures. The fantastic gardens of the Renaissance and the Baroque, in which the Buchs had its wedding, are famous. Even today, fascinating living sculptures can be created with comparatively little effort.
The design options for boxwood are diverse
The most beautiful shapes for the Buchs
In principle, boxwood is suitable for every imaginable shape, as long as you don't cut into the bare, brown wood. Only remove the light green, new shoots and do not cut too deep - otherwise unsightly holes could appear that are difficult to close again. The following forms of boxwood are particularly popular:
- Ball: classic boxwood shape, it is best to use a template
- Pyramid: Fits well in formal gardens, including Japanese style gardens
- Cuboid, cube and other rectangular shapes: for formal gardens, also pretty as a small tree with a trunk
- Spiral: demanding, exciting form
- Cones: pretty as small or large cones
- Column: instead of columns made of wood or stone
- Animal figures: sometimes look more sophisticated than they are; a peacock is fairly easy to trim
- Chessmen: a real eye-catcher in the front yard
- imaginative hedges: beautiful garden pictures can be created from dense boxwood hedges
The latter in particular is known from the baroque gardens of the 15th and 16th centuries: low, curved hedges result in the most diverse shapes and patterns when you look down on them from above. After all, who says that a hedge always has to be strictly straight?
integration into the garden design
Whichever shape you choose, it is relevant that it blends harmoniously into the respective garden style. In a wild natural garden, for example, an avenue of low box trees with square-cut crowns might look a bit out of place. To check the effect before pruning, it is best to draw a plan of your garden and also consider how you will insert the cut box. Should it stand as a single eye-catcher in the middle of a lawn or do you want to form a whole avenue of boxwood along the main path, which is also integrated into a ground-covering blossom landscape?
Frequent pruning maintains the shape
Remember that you have to trim the box figures regularly to keep them in shape. In principle, at least two prunings are required per growing season, with the topiary being cut between mid-May and mid-June, while the pruning is to be carried out no later than mid-August. If necessary - for example with fast-growing varieties - you can also use scissors more frequently, provided you keep a time interval of at least four weeks. In this case, the main pruning time is between April and September; boxwood is not pruned in winter.
Templates make cutting easier
If you already have experience cutting box figures, you can often cut them freehand. Everyone else uses a stencil that makes topiary a breeze. You can buy a wide variety of templates, but you can also make them yourself. The latter is useful for cutting geometric figures, for example.
tips
Frequent pruning also has the advantage that this box develops particularly dense branching.