Boxwood is a very popular tree for cut hedges and also for creative topiary. Whether accurate privacy hedges, spheres, spirals or other structures: with good pruning shears, the evergreen plant can be designed as you wish. But where there is cutting, there is of course also waste: so where to put the clippings?
Healthy clippings from boxwood can be composted without any problems
Thoroughly chop the boxwood
In general, clippings from the garden are predestined for disposal on the compost heap, after all it is an ecological raw material that is fed into the natural cycle. However, boxwood decomposes extremely slowly, which is also reflected in the leaves that remain green for a very long time. To speed up the composting of the plant parts, you should heed these tips:
- Chop the clippings as finely as possible.
- Mix it with grass clippings, as these decompose quickly and act as a kind of driving motor.
- Mixed with compost accelerator or some unripe compost it works even better.
- Distribute the material evenly and in thin layers if possible.
- Mix up compost material from time to time.
- In this way, the microorganisms responsible for decomposition are better distributed.
Only healthy plant material belongs on the compost
However, both composting and use as mulch material are only recommended for healthy plants! Boxwood, which is affected by fungal diseases such as the notorious dieback (caused by the fungus Cylindrocladium buxicola) or by pests - above all the box tree moth that has been introduced - should not be placed in the compost or as mulch material on garden beds! Dispose of these cuttings in airtight packaging with the household waste. Never throw it in the organic bin (because its contents will also be composted!) and do not dispose of it at collection points such as the local recycling center. Here, in particular for the box tree moth, there is a risk that the little animals can spread further. However, some recycling centers have already set up closed containers especially for such hazardous biological waste: Inquire in advance whether this is also the case in your region.
tips
Incidentally, boxwood is also very suitable as a mulch material for decorative and useful beds, provided you chop it up well and mix it with other materials (such as the lawn clippings already mentioned) if necessary.