Hallelujah — my boxwood received its annual haircut yesterday. To accomplish this job, I rented a gas-powered hedge-trimmer from the local hardware store. I also rented a professional boxwood-barber, who groomed more than 300 shrubs in just four hours. Wanna see the before-and-after pictures? Here we go:
Before: The Boxwood Garden, with 320 scruffy-looking shrubs. Just looking at this picture makes me wince.
Note: I wince easily.
After: Quelle différence! The shrubs’ stature and width was reduced by six inches. The lines of the geometric beds are now crispy defined.
Before: Even this fountain was embarrassed by the boxwoods’ unkempt appearance. It refused to flow.
After: The same fountain, gushing with glee!
Before: The boxwood that surrounds my blueberry patch needed a clean-up, too.
After: Mission accomplished!
What to do with the thousands of boxwood bits after a big trimming-job? You can use them to make new plants. That’s how I obtained most of my boxwood in the first place. Here’s the how-to.
Thinking of starting your own boxwood garden? Just do it, baby. The shrubs are a cinch to propagate. They are drought-tolerant, too. Just give them a yearly trim, and you’re good to go!
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Delores says
Wow –Simply amazing–beautiful facelift-ready for summer!!
Greg says
Gorgeous! What’s the evergreen shrub growing along the perimeter of the garden?
Catharine R. says
And to think this was a parking lot when you bought the house. Truly stunning.
Mary in Iowa says
Magnificent! Beautiful! Stunning! Are there enough or sufficient adjectives to do justice? This gives me an acute case of boxwood envy.
Denise T says
Good lord they take forever to grow! I’m still waiting for mine to get a move on. The new growth is always so small that I can’t imagine where I would get cuttings large enough to use to propagate.
Samantha says
I LOVE boxwood. My grandparents owned a farm in southeastern Virginia and there were huge old boxwoods all over the place. Some years after they died and the farm passed out of the family, a neighbor was kind enough to make a rooted cutting from one of the plants to give me on my next visit south. I have a huge boxwood on the northeast corner of my house, q child of my grandmother’s boxwood, and now I will make some more cuttings! Many thanks for this very helpful post. Please do a piece on iris sometime. I also have some of my grandparents very old strains of iris as well, and they bloom reliably and happily next to my Immortality and Before The Storm, my two modern favs.
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Samantha – Loved hearing about your grandparents’ farm. You are living proof that boxwood can be passed from generation to generation.
Beverly, zone 6, eastern PA says
I have two nice little boxwood globes propagated from cuttings many years ago. Recently I bought a full sized variegated specimen of boxwood, really lovely and pyramidal in shape. My May to-do list is 10 feet long but I will add this: “Stop procrastinating and take boxwood cuttings like Kevin says”.
Kathy says
Absolutely beautiful. I can’t wait to see your garden in bloom. What a fabulous place you have. Love I,live it!
Patti Teeters says
So beautiful, Kevin. I just love your gardens.
Tracey San says
Your boxwood is always so beautiful! I was behind a woman at Home Depot last week. She had a beautiful boxwood and was excited to get it home. Terrified that she was gonna kill it somehow, she nervously laughed and said, “it’s pretty pricey but, no risk! If it dies within a year, they will replace it!” I told her to check your blog out. She had no idea she could take cuttings and root them! I enjoy your blog and I love spreading your gospel! You have a light, Kevin…keep shining bright!
John P. says
Love it!!
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Hi Tracey San – Thanks for spreading the word!
Cate says
Your boxwood garden is just stunning! My lone boxwood took quite a beating in our New England winter but I’m hoping it will green up again.
Clare says
Kevin, your boxwood garden is absolutely spectacular! What a difference a good trim makes, Boxwoods ROCK!
Joann D. says
Kevin……SOOO NICE…..AND NEAT!!!! LOVE IT TOO!!
jo says
So very nice! I enjoy seeing your artistry every year. And, by the way, Your new pic in the kitchen is gorgeous. Thanks for sharing all you do.
Hyla says
Wowzers!
Cilla says
Kevin, your garden looks lovely! Reminds me of home on eastern Long Island and Colonial Williamsburg, VA gardens. I just never had it in any of my gardens. I love the look, but really dislike the smell! LOL
Martha says
What is the variety of your boxwood?
Jill says
Kevin,
I love seeing your beautiful boxwoods! I love the shrub and long for some of my own. I tried propagating some last year and they died. I’ll try again and use your post. How old are the ones shown?
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Hi Cilla – Good news for you: Modern boxwood varieties (including those in my garden) have no scent whatsoever.
Hi Martha – I have two varieties: ‘Winter Gem’ (planted in the big boxwood garden, and also along the garden shed path) and ‘Green Velvet’ (surrounding the blueberry patch). Winter Gem is the more hardy of the two — it yawns in the face of sub-zero temps and deep snow!
Doris Gaumont says
What a difference a haircut can make. How does it hold up in an extremely cold area? I’m in a windy zone 4 in Maine.
Peg says
I’m proud of my baby cuttings I propagated last year thanks to your tip and instructions. All survived our very cold winter but one here in Ohio.
Thanks Kevin
Peg
Mercy Heston says
Kevin–
Absolutely beautiful! In just 4 hours?!? Wow!
By the way, the Bubble and Squeak was AMAZING!!! Thanks for the recipe!
Mercy
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Doris Gaumont – My Buxus ‘Winter Gem’ has endured hurricanes, blizzards, and sub-zero temperatures without uttering a complaint. Super hardy.
Peg – Kudos on your propagation efforts!
Mercy Heston – So glad you liked the Bubble and Squeak!
Sandy says
Hi Kevin, I love your posts! What is a boxwood-barber? Are you pulling our legs or is there something that picks up all those trimmings?
Sandy
Linda Haynes says
Hi Kevin! It’s absolutely beautiful! I am so happy I found your site. It’s the best one I have ever see. I kid you not.
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Hi Sandy – My “boxwood barber” is the man you see in the top photo. He brought along an assistant who raked up all the trimmings. Mercifully.
Hi Linda Haynes – What a nice comment. Thank you!
CarolAnn says
Just beautiful. Your gardens are amazing.
That blueberry tart looks so delicious. It wouldn’t have lasted long here either.
Anne Schomaker says
The bpxwood garden looks spectacular. Now if only we had a soaking rain to keep it lush. I’m so tired of watering so early in the season.
Concerning a favorite recipe, Bread sticks wrapped in BACON, are scrumptous!!!!!!
Diane says
I was told once that boxwood should not be sheared and should be hand trimmed with scissors.
Yours look fabulous after being sheared and would take an impossible amount of time to hand trim anyways
Do you notice any ill effects from shearing ?
Just stumbled upon your website and will be a follower now. It’s beautiful
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Hi Diane – No ill effects from shearing. Just lush, green growth!
Ed Morrow says
How did the “barber” make sure the trim lines were straight and level?
Thanks,
Ed Morrow
Carmel Valley, Ca
Wendy Cartright says
What an absolutely beautiful garden. I was thinking about starting a boxwood garden next season, and now that I’ve seen yours, I am definitely going to! With the right grooming, I think boxwood gardens add such an extravagant touch to any yard. My yard will need a lot of cleaning up before I can plant, but it will be well worth it.
KP says
Wow, your Boxwoods seemed to have grown a lot for one year. That’s why I’ve decided not to get Boxwood because they grow so slow, supposedly like 4″ per year, and it would take 5 years for them to grow to the hedge that I want to be 2 and 1/2 feet. Am I wrong? Could I ask what type of Boxwood you have? Thanks in advance.