Boxwoods Dead or Alive

In my travels to work, I drove by a run down home in which the owner had pulled about five or six boxwood bushes and thrown them in the front yard. A couple of them have massive 12 inch or larger diameter trunks with size able roots balls in place. The rootballs are probably 3.5 feet long x 2.5 feet wide and probably 15-20 inches deep. The foilage is true green and healthy. No brown or yellow leaves.

However, theyve been there awhile as some of the rootball has begun to bleed into the ground and it's been below freezing many days this winter, including a -1f day.

My instincts tell me the roots are likely dead and the foilage is living off what's in the trunk, but they look healthy and the rootballs are large. So, maybe they are alive.

Its a two man job to lift them. It'd be a bit of work.

Curious. If the foilage is true healthy green with no signs of distress, is it possible the roots are hardy enough to survive extreme cold because of the size of the rootballs. I keep wondering about burlap wrapped rootballs in nurseries. What happens to thos roots? Is healing them in enough?

All you're wasting is a bit of sweat equity. (Tho 12 inches sounds like a bit much to me.)

Re-reading that, I'm glad Kevin is in Fla. <g?>

Well, I felt like a kid looking at a chocolate cookie, so maybe 12 inches is a bit generous. I just remember them being unusually large for boxwoods and 10 to 12 inches at the soil still seems about right to me.

Regardless, they are large single trunk boxwoods, a lot of movement and low primary branches. If it was early spring or fall, I'd absolutely lift them.

But, they were torn out, exposed rootballs in the dead of winter.

It's a lot of sweat equity. I live in a rural area, no bonsaists close and couple of redneck buddies who already think I'm nuts. I can pester one to lend a hand, but that's a bit of fuss if the root zones are dead.

What happens to nursery trees in burlap balls in the deep freeze? Do they all get healed in? Or are they left out?

Always been curios about that.

Well, I just got permission to lift them. So, guess I'm going to be lugging some boxwoods around.

Good luck. Bxwd is a tough plant; cut the roots back with something real sharp, seal the ends and get them back in the ground for a year.

Michael T wrote:Well, I felt like a  kid looking at a chocolate cookie, so maybe 12 inches is a bit generous.  I just remember them being unusually large for boxwoods and 10 to 12 inches at the soil still seems about right to me.

Regardless,  they are large single trunk boxwoods, a lot of movement and low primary branches.  If it was early spring or fall, I'd absolutely lift them.  

But, they were torn out, exposed rootballs in the dead of winter.  

It's a lot of sweat equity.  I live in a rural area, no bonsaists close and couple of redneck buddies who already think I'm nuts.  I can pester one to lend a hand, but that's a bit of fuss if the root zones are dead.

What happens to nursery trees in burlap balls in the deep freeze?  Do they all get healed in?  Or are they left out?  

Always been curios about that.      

I worked at a nursery for over 3 years. We put mulch around the balled and burlap trees. It gets 20 degrees below zero here.

JimLewis wrote:Re-reading that, I'm glad Kevin is in Fla.  <g?>

and why do you say that ???
perhaps because of my dead ? not dead ? and ultimately failed, kingsville ?

btw - i dont savvy this icon <g?>
and co-workers are wondering why i'm turning my monitor at all different angles as i try to figure it out

I was able to pick up the smaller of the two.  Couldn't lift the other one with two people.

The trunk diameter is 8 inches.  The other one is larger.

Nevertheless, it's buried in one of my grow beds.  

hope they make it for you !
looks like alot of choices there...

and free trees is good trees