You can cut it back really hard and it'll rebud from old wood.

Zack; This is one I dug out of my yard hedge about 15 years ago??
There might be some help for you from some of these stages I posted in the IBC gallery the other day--Z

Here is a link that might be useful: IBC boxwood post

Thanks Don. This is a boxwood that was about five feet tall until my bull ran over it. Now my wife says that what is left is ugly. Actually, I think it is kind of neat. I will cut what is left back this winter and dig it up next spring. (that's really a question.) My big question is, how big a root ball do I need and how much root reduction can a boxwood take? Can I dig it up and pot it or should I move it to a growing bed? Thanks, Zack

Zack; In my zone #9 ,I root pruned with a spade the fall before I dug it, the following spring.You can see that I planted it in a large Bonsai pot & went to a smaller pot about 3 years later.I like to keep a good size root ball for a few years,if available--God luck--Z-

Don, should I cut back the top now or wait until I dig it up? I never expect it to look as good as your tree, but it does have a nice trunk and a few good low branches left. Zack

If I recall,I only cut it back [see post], after I dug it.Beings I dug every other one out of my hedge,they had weak branching in the center, due to lack of light.I did get some back budding of new growth,over time.--Z

Boxwood is one of the easiest plants to get to survive after digging. I wouldnÂt go through a lot of trouble with carrying the process out over time...Just dig it up. IÂve dig up 100Âs of them and never lost one. IÂve even dug them up in the mid summer and they survived just fine. The only thing I do is move them into a shady area for a few weeks to adjust, other than that, nothing special.

hello,

i'm from belgium , europe
i have over 220 different buxus in my collection and i'm looking for people in USA with the same interest who can exchange buxus with me
greetings, wim
vanhouttewim@skynet.be