What tree species is boxwood? A picture gallery helps you get to know it

Boxwood holds a very subtle and rather special place in classical furniture. The boxwood pieces we see are mostly handicraft ornaments, finished furniture is rare, and in classical furniture it is mostly used as an accent. Boxwood really does grow slowly, and may be the slowest-growing of all timber tree species, hence the saying “a thousand-year dwarf”. Below let us take a look at what tree species boxwood is, how to make a bonsai, with related pictures.

I. What tree species is boxwood?

Boxwood is an evergreen shrub or small tree, 1-3 m tall, distributed in the provinces south of the Yangtze River in China and also in northern regions; it grows in areas at an altitude of 1200-2600 m, mostly in valleys, beside streams and under forest, and its growth is extremely slow. Only trees at least forty years old can be used as carving material, and there is a saying that it grows one cun in a thousand years, making it extremely precious. In China boxwood has a fairly wide growing range, being widely distributed along the southeast coast, in the southwest, and in Taiwan, China; its branches and leaves are lush, it does not flower or fruit, and it is evergreen all year round. In both tropical and temperate zones it is a relatively common evergreen plant.

II. How is a boxwood bonsai made?

1. Selecting the stump

For the stump chosen to make a boxwood bonsai, if you are fairly patient you can cultivate it yourself by artificial means, propagating it by methods such as cuttings; during cultivation you can give it a preliminary shape, and after several years of growing you can pot it to fix the shape. If you want quick results, you generally go directly to the wild to select an old stump, trim the roots and branches of the old stump slightly, heel it in for about 1 year, and then it can be potted. Note that the old stump chosen should be one with relatively many natural branches and fairly lush branches and leaves, as this makes it easier to survive.

2. Potting

Before potting, the root system also needs appropriate pruning so that it can survive better in the pot; for example, roots that have grown too long should be shortened a little, but because boxwood grows slowly it is best not to cut off too many roots. The pot used is best a purple clay pot, and the color and shape depend on the boxwood tree's styling. The soil used is much the same as for other bonsai: the soil should be fertile, breathable and well drained, and mountain soil, leaf mold and garden soil are all fine. Before putting the soil into the pot, first set up the drainage hole at the bottom of the pot, mainly using a tile to cover the pot's drainage hole, then spread a layer of large granular soil, then put in a layer of growing soil; after placing the stump in, fill in more soil, and the growing soil should be pressed fairly firm so that the roots and soil are joined together.

3. Watering

After potting, water thoroughly; if you want more surface roots to grow below the trunk, you can surround the edge of the flower pot with wooden strips and fill it with soil, and the wooden strips must not be higher than 2 cun. Doing this not only promotes the growth of new roots but can also raise the survival rate of the stump. In addition, the newly potted boxwood bonsai needs to be kept in a semi-shaded place for a period of care, and then given normal care and shaping.

4. Styling

The styling of a boxwood bonsai is the same as that of most stump bonsai: metal wire is used to bind the trunk and branches so that they grow into the desired shape, and then during the growing season the branches and leaves are pruned appropriately, mainly carrying out operations such as bud removal, pinching, leaf thinning and branch pruning according to the needs of the styling. Note that when using metal wire to bind the trunk and branches, special attention must be paid to how tight it is: too loose and the styling will not be in place, too tight and it will injure the branches and trunk; the metal wire used is best the kind with a rubber coating, as this causes relatively little damage to the trunk and branches.