Is boxwood an evergreen or deciduous shrub?
Boxwood is the representative species of the genus Buxus in East Asia, native to many provinces and regions of China, with some of it cultivated. So, is boxwood evergreen or deciduous? What are the bonsai cultivation techniques?
1. Is boxwood evergreen or deciduous?
Boxwood is an evergreen shrub, 1-6 m tall, mostly growing in valleys, beside streams or under forest canopy, and can also be grown as a bonsai.
2. What are the bonsai cultivation techniques for boxwood?
1. Choosing the pot
Boxwood is glossy green all year round, so a purple clay ceramic pot is suitable, with purple or light yellow being the preferred pot colors. The pot shape is determined by the styling form. For the cascade style, a deep cylindrical pot is suitable, while for the slanting style or curved-trunk style, an oval or rectangular pot is used.
2. Soil
The soil for bonsai should be a growing medium made by mixing matured garden soil or leaf mold with an appropriate amount of ridge chaff ash; a fertile, loose loam with good aeration and water permeability is best. When potting an old stump, it is best to keep some of the original soil around the roots.
3. Planting
Boxwood is relatively cold-tolerant, and planting can be done before bud break in spring. When planting, trim overly long and dense roots, and be careful not to let the roots coil up in the pot. Newly planted boxwood should be placed in a semi-shaded spot.
4. Styling
Boxwood has strong sprouting ability. Before styling, the trunk can be headed back to let new shoots sprout around or below the cut surface, and then, according to the requirements of the artistic design, the branches and trunk can be trained and wired; wiring with palm fiber in spring is preferable. Coarse wiring with fine pruning can also be used to create a cloud-layer or steamed-bun shape, or it can be worked into a natural tree form. The trunk follows its natural tendency, forming a slanting style or a prostrate style. If a boxwood stump scene is accented with ornamental stones, it becomes a “boxwood leaning over”. Boxwood tolerates pruning very well and has strong sprouting ability; to maintain a graceful tree shape, it must be regularly shaped and trimmed.
A boxwood bonsai has a graceful tree posture, with leaves as small as broad bean petals, thick and glossy, evergreen in all four seasons, and can be enjoyed all year round.