How to Shape a Boxwood Shrub

Little leaf boxwood is an ideal shrub for topiaries, which are leafy representations of a shape or object and are often included in formal gardens. Boxwoods -- which can also be planted close together in rows and trimmed into decorative serpentine hedges and knot gardens -- have historically been used for creating mazes in English gardens. The boxwood shrub benefits from its slow growth and resistance to deer browsing, and retains its glossy green leaves throughout the winter months.

Little leaf boxwood plant
Rubbing alcohol
Clean rag
Pruning loppers
Garden shears

Instructions

- 1
  Clean the blades of the pruning loppers and garden shears thoroughly with the rubbing alcohol and a clean rag to avoid spreading fungus and disease from plant to plant.
- 2
  Prune the boxwood deeply during late spring to remove any dead branches. Determine the shape desired for the boxwood plant, for example a circle or square, and use the garden loppers to rough in the shape, cutting exterior branches near the leaf buds if possible. Avoid cutting too far into the interior of the shrub until the boxwood plant has been established for several years in the planting location.
- 3
  Refine the shape of the boxwood shrub by trimming small branches with the garden shears during the summer growing season.
- 4
  Water the shrub thoroughly after trimming and during periods of dry weather.

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