My Wintergreen Boxwood

This is my Wintergreen Boxwood after initial styling. Any comments are welcome

Hard to tell from one photo but I think you need to remove some branches/trunks and that wire tied to the side of the pot looks like it has already damaged that branch because the wire is too fine.

Thank your for your comment Billy, I was going to remove more branches/trunks (I have already removed a lot) but I was scared that removing to many would hurt the tree. Why do you think the wire is hurting the branch?

It looks to me like the steel wire that is pulling the side branch down has rubbed the bark off the branch.

keep it in the shade and dont do anything more until at least next March. If you want to keep it small, leave it in the pot it's in. Otherwise, you can put it in the ground for a few years to gain some size, but realize that is one slow-growing tree. I have one that is over 40 years old and the trunk is maybe 2 inches in diameter. Be patient. Chinese elms grow quickly and you can pinch those about twice a month.

Billy M. Rhodes wrote:It looks to me like the steel wire that is pulling the side branch down has rubbed the bark off the branch.

looks to me like it is a piece of scrap put there to protect the branch from the wire. ??

lordy wrote:

Billy M. Rhodes wrote:It looks to me like the steel wire that is pulling the side branch down has rubbed the bark off the branch.

looks to me like it is a piece of scrap put there to protect the branch from the wire. ??

yeah thats exactly what it is, i couldnt find any plastic tube laying around, also I do wanna keep it small, so the trunk is not to bad for its size, I think a nice nebari would help it out alot. I know this will come in due time though

If you did not just repot this one too, I'd take off all the unnecessary branches now... Just leave plenty of foliage on the remaining ones and let it grow freely. Also, remove the pair of "sucker leaves" at the base of shoots. The shoots will then take off.

Thanks, I am also scared to take off to much after almost killing my first juniper.

You're not doing bonsai till you kill a few- and would you rather put in three years of effort and then kill it?

Okay so take it slow - you can take a branch off here and there over time- people prune their boxwood hedges, right?



Where you see the big leathery leaves at the base of shoots or buds (arrows)- those are the ones. Try and trim some off and see what happens to the adjacent shoot... Have fun and experiment!

Little bits here and there will not harm a healthy tree.