Elanden Gardens Project: Boxwood Pruning

Victrinia_Ensor

Today Dan asked me to prune an old boxwood. The tree was collected in NYC, I believe, and it is well over 100 years old. The tree had not been pruned in a couple years, and was very overgrown. I examined the tree at length before I started, trying to get a feel for the tree's movement and structure. Because none of it could be seen very well. The tree is fairly large, and I have not yet finished it. It took 4 hours of pruning to get this far. I'll post another photo when I am done with it, and hopefully I will be able to bring something to act as a clean backdrop so that the incredible structure of this tree can be appreciated in fullness.









When I started pruning I was being cautious. Not wanting to change the finer structure of the tree. Then Dan told me I was doing fine, but that I should feel free to "mow it down".... (laugh) So the resulting pruning is what has occurred. With a good deal of thought put into the future movement and areas of desired growth.

Kind Regards,

Victrinia

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Ms. Vic

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PatArizona

Ms Vic...

That is...WOW!

Pat

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Victrinia_Ensor

Pat...


Believe me. When I was asked to work on it. That was the very first word to pop into my head... followed closely by... "oh my god!" (laugh)

Just wait until it's finished. There's more beauty still to reveal. It's an amazing tree.



Kind regards,


Victrinia

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Ms. Vic

Le belle cose prendono tempo...

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irene_b

What a tree!

Lucky Girl!
Irene

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....MOM....
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rockm

Vic,

You're doing a nice job thinning that one out. You seem to be deep pruning, instead of silhouette pruning, which is a very very good thing. Pruning just to keep the outline on a boxwood is a very bad thing do to. It winds up looking like a poodle.

Interior pruning is important in stimulating buds deeper on branches, instead of just at the ends. That keeps the boxwood looking like a tree and not a hedge. It would be a shame to make such a wild trunk look like a performing poodle.

bnsaijim

Is that 100 in "Dan years" ?? (Sorry, inside joke)

Jim

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Jim Stone
Seki Bonsai Studio
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Santa Fe, TX

Victrinia_Ensor

Jim... you are bad. I have been told the joke. But I also know that he has had sections of wood from particularly old trees counted with an microscope at universities. Soooo.... the joke is sometimes on the teller.

your friend always,

Victrinia

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Ms. Vic

Le belle cose prendono tempo...

www.elandangardens.com

Victrinia_Ensor

\

This tree is VERY prone to back budding. I seem to recall someone once telling me that Boxwoods are hard to back bud. But good lord, this one would not bare that out. I can tell it's going to pop like it's going out of style, and that we'll be able to enjoy the structure on this tree for a while as it fills back out again.

Plus the interior leaves were starting to suffer from the density of the canopy. No light getting to the inside at all.... So I am glad he is having me be vigorous.

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Ms. Vic

Le belle cose prendono tempo...

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MoSinister

Miss Vic, thank you for this series. It's a pleasure to see progress threads, especially when one gives you some ideas for your own stuff!

Regards.