Adding A Boxwood To Your Bonsai Collection

where to buy Pregabalin online Boxwood belongs to a relatively large family of plants and they are spread all over the world. In spite for the large number of boxwood relatives, only three species have made it into the horticultural scene. The English boxwood is a small tree native to Europe but hasn’t had much presence in the United States. Two species popular in the nursery trade are natives to Asia, look very much alike and are lumped together as Japanese boxwood. The natural habitats for these horticulturally valuable boxwoods is surprising since many of the boxwood species are tropical plants growing in Central and South America and hence are not usable for us locally as landscape plants.

Włocławek Japanese boxwood has made a huge impact locally. They are relatively tolerant of abuse, being moderately drought tolerant, grow slowly, have small leaves and happily survive being continually cut back. These properties make them wonderful candidates for landscape hedges and that is why they are so frequently found in the bay area landscape. These properties also endear them to the bonsai community, and you can fairly frequently see them at bonsai shows. As boxwood hedges age, they can become rather lax if not aggressively maintained, and are frequently fated for removal. Also, some hedges are removed because they no longer fit in an updated landscape plan. Many of the former hedge plants end up as bonsai because they can show great age. This should not be a surprise because many of the hedges were, in fact, originally planted many years ago.

The wood in the European boxwood is very hard and dense (the wood is so heavy that it does not float in water) as well as fine grained. These properties also extend to the Japanese boxwood. The wood is ideal for making small items requiring intricate machining such as wooden combs and chess pieces and musical instrument accessories. All of your friends will be absolutely thrilled when you share with them the fact that the first bagpipes produced in Scotland used pipes made from boxwood.

Do you need to know all this? Well, yes you sort of do. The wood on a boxwood tree is so hard that bending a branch over one half inch in diameter (or less) is somewhere between difficult and impossible. Smaller branches, of course, are easily wired and bent in the direction that you want them to go. Ex-landscape plants usually have thick branches that have taken years to grow. When you are looking at one with an eye to purchasing it for use as a bonsai, look carefully at the trunk and branches. You should always do this when considering any purchase but it is especially important when looking at an ex-landscape boxwood. If the tree has a large branch that doesn’t quite fit into your design for a bonsai you really have only three choices, cut it off, carve the dickens out of it or, and least satisfactory, hide it with foliage. Don’t even think of repositioning it with wire. It won’t happen. In spite of these problems, ex-landscape boxwoods can make really fine bonsai trees if you make a careful selection of the available material. Younger trees available in nurseries in gallon cans are wonderful material for bonsai.

Boxwoods are easy to grow as bonsai. They appreciate a bit of shade rather that full sun. Roots can quickly grow into a dense mass which can restrict drainage, so be on the lookout for when repotting is necessary. Boxwoods can be lush growers and can quickly form dense masses of foliage. Accordingly, pruning fairly constantly is needed to give your tree an open look where you can see the branching rather than just a green blob. When pruning, be sure to cut the branch rather than the leaves since cut leaves can turn brown at the cut edges. Young branches can be wired but, as usual, watch carefully for development of wire scars. It has been reported that fertilizer designed for citrus is especially beneficial, but regular fertilizer that you use for your bonsai also works well.