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Originally Posted by tj241
Hello - Newbie here!
I live in Southern NJ and I have a nice boxwood bonsai that I keep outdoors but am now concerned about the winter. Everything I have read states that it is ok to keep the boxwood outdoors during the winter as long as it is protected / sheltered from wind and frost. BUT I have also read that boxwood are hardy to only around -4 celcius.
What to do when temp drops below -4 celcius? Garage (no light) or indoors (with light)
Any help / advice is appreciated!
-T
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Actually -4 is only 25F, which is really not very "cold" for a boxwood.
I live just west of Philly Pa.. I have a large (5 inch diam trunk at soil line) Korean boxwood, which is always outside. This tree has been in the works for over 8 years, and needs the winter freeze cycle to rest properly for the next growing season, when it rewards me with abundant flowers.
I have it potted, and put it in a small depression I dig in October, to over-winter. The soil level in the pot still remains maybe 1-2 inches above the level of the yard surrounding it.
One key to keeping it outside in Zone 6 is to make sure the soil has a good percentage of red lava rock...this tends to split the roots into masses of tiny roothairs (like a Taxus cuspidata). It is these small roots which help the tree over-winter better....learned this from Peter Adams.... The lava rock also promotes very good drainage, cause you don't want to have lots of excess water freezing up around the roots.