Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
skiely_gw

Are my boxwoods dying?

skiely
13 years ago

Hello,

I'm a first time home owner looking for a little help, I just bought a home on the north side of Chicago and need some help with my boxwoods.

I just moved a select few of boxwoods from a pre-existing row (you can see the remaining row in the pic below) in the very front of my yard to the front of the house where i ripped out some enourmously overgrown hedges. I have spaced them out and I'm using them basically for filler in the front of my house and planned on adding more flowers and plants around them. I am worried that after moving them from one spot in the yard to another that they are dying now. I tried to dig under them as much as possible and maintain as much dirt on the plants. But they have seemed to brown a bit over the past two weeks even though I gave them some food and water them plenty. Are they goners? Anything I can do? Or am I just being paranoid? I haven't done much landscaping, so I wasn't sure if this was normal or not.

Please disregard my front lawn/warzone, I just cut down an enourmous maple tree that had reduced the front yard to dirt and roots.

{{gwi:51730}}

{{gwi:281527}}

Comments (8)

  • subtropix
    13 years ago

    It is not my experience to have boxwood bronze (even in the dead of winter as some evergreens do). Did your plants go from deep shade to full sun? They may grow out of this in the spring. Good luck!

  • ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
    13 years ago

    never fertilize a transplant ....

    otherwise.. INSURE deep watering versus surface water..

    add a good blanket of mulch ... and you are in charge of deep watering.. with near drying .... all next year ...

    otherwise.. you did it at the right time.. sounds like you dug them well enough ... etc ...

    dont worry about them.. you got some good exercise.. and it is left to the fates as to whether they survive and thrive [but for your watering] ....

    and who cares if they fail .... you moved the prior owners mistake/problem.. you had nothing to lose.. and if they fail .. TRUST ME.. you can do a lot better on landscaping the front of your new house next year ....

    ken

  • skiely
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Thanks to the both of you. I'm definitely new to all of this, so I appreciate your help.

  • rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
    13 years ago

    Bronzing is perfectly normal for some boxwood species. Be patient, as ken says. Time will tell.

  • jean001
    13 years ago

    I'd like to reinforce the no fertilizer guideline. And it's unlikely they'll need it even after they're rooted in well.

    As for why the off-color, deep watering won't get you anywhere at this stage. Instead, make certain the original rootball is well moistened because that's the only place the roots are at this time.

    Further, I hope the surrounding soil was already moist when you moved the shrubs to the new site.

  • Embothrium
    13 years ago

    Fertilizing plants that need it is helpful when done effectively. Automatically withholding fertilizer because a planting is recent can be very non-helpful, especially since stock that has spent any time at retail outlets is likely to have gone without fertilizer for that time.

    Potted stock growing in soil-less potting media will probably have gotten regular liberal fertilization at the production facility, before being sent out to retailers.

  • aggiegrad
    13 years ago

    don't worry, they are not dying they are just adjusting to their new home. plants transplanted always need time to adjust to the new ground they are in. just like when you moved in to your new home you needed time to unpack & get settled, your plants need the same thing. they need time to get rooted & settled into their new spot. you posted this question a while ago, so are they looking better now? I planted a lot of new things in yard this summer too. I'm looking forward to seeing what makes it thru the winter. I can't wait till spring!

  • margi1533
    13 years ago

    I planted an Issai beautyberry this year which was very late to bloom, and when it did bloom and then fruit, the fruits were so small they couldn't be seen unless you were standing right next to the shrub. The other day I went to a nursery for something else and they had Early Amethyst and Profusion beautyberry shrubs that had much more fruit on them. The Profusion fruits were really big, and the Early Amethyst fruits, while considerably smaller, were really numerous. I didn't buy either shrub at the time (though I was tempted) because I wanted to check with more knowledgeable people about my Issai, especially since it was newly planted this year. Is it possible that all it needs is time (another season) before it will put out more and bigger fruit? I know it's not likely to bloom as early as Early Amethyst, but the whole point of choosing beautyberry was to enjoy the sight of those beautiful berries! Should I go back to the nursery and buy and then switch the Early Amethyst? Or just be patient and wait another year to see if my shrub blooms earlier and with larger and more berries next fall?