Boxwood – greening

Question

What can I add to the soil and/or leaves to stimulate growth on a freshly sheared Boxwood? Unfortunately, we trimmed so much that there are bare tops on a couple. I know they grow slowly, but at this point we need to speed things up. We planted these in May and sheared them because they were all different sizes.

Answer 1

Since your shrubs are newly planted, the most important factor is water, especially once temps begin to rise. There is really no need to worry with fertilizer (and feeding plants during hot or dry weather is not a good idea), though adding a balanced fertilizer may help some. Be aware that they have only been in the ground a couple months at best and it takes time to acclimate to new surroundings. This is why growth is slowed. Pruning them would have actually helped the plants focus their energy towards root growth rather than foliage growth. Be patient. Your shrubs will eventually begin to show new growth.