How should I style this boxwood!

hi guys! great forum here! I have recently purchased a boxwood (buxus sempervirens) shrub from home depot. it came in a #2 pot and I looked good and long through all of them looking for good nebari and trunk line. I was just wondering what you guys thought of it and how you would proceed to prune and train. any and all opinions welcome! thanks so much!

It needs to be repotted in better soil and planted deeper in the pot. The growing-on-stilts image, when the stilts are as straight as these is a bit unattractive. If it's not too late because the wood is so hard, if the roots could be wired and spread out a bit that would make planting it deeper easier and the base look a lot better.

Beyond that I'd do nothing more to it this year than keeping it alive.

thank you so much for the speedy response! i would love to spread the roots out and flare the base, i just wasnt sure if could because ive read that the boxwood is quite brittle. now if i was to spread the roots what would be the best way to spread them and keep them apart? also when i repot it i plan to make a box of wood as deep as a 2x4 and about 10 inches by 10 inches. does that sound like a reasonable thing to do? sorry for so many questions this is my first tree i plan to do from nursery stock! again thank you for the great response!

I think you grow box will be great, remember 2x4 is really 1 1/2 x 3 1/2.

How to spread roots? You could try heavy wire or a stone shoved up under the center and then the plant planted deeper, over a couple of years the stone could be push further up or a larger stone used. If you could repot twice a year you could adjust the stone that often, I thinking in three years you might see some great results.

thank you! the stone sounds like a perfect idea! i was thinking about a piece of wood but rot would become an issue. im going to make my box tonight and get some sharp river sand and some organic mix. i hope to have some pictures up by tomorrow with the progression! again thank you so much for the help!

well i have repotted this tree. i made the box i mentioned earlier. i spread the roots with a rock and im excited to see it in a few years!
i also went out and bought another tree haha. another boxwood and it was from walmart. it cost the same as the first tree but was about 3 feet tall. much thicker trunk and i had to have it! now i just have to figure out what to do with it!
anyways here are some photos of them!

the original tree i posted.



and the new tree i just recently bought.





and just for fun all 4 of my trees!