That should do fine. You may need to remove the remaining branches (rejuvenation pruning) to get the round shape back.

How long has the plant been exposed in that condition, and why did you feel the need to bare root it? Boxwoods are generally tough plants, get it in the ground, give it adequate water, and keep all tools capable of cutting at least a mile away from it.

Well it was about to be thrown away so I figured if I could bare root and put in a container, there could be a little hope. I had nothing to lose

Thank you Logan. It's worth a shot I guess. Like I said, what do i have to lose?!?!?

Please don't hard prune it now ... plant it and wait until spring before doing any shaping. It doesn't really look too bad. The pot in the photo is much too small for that bush, why not plant it in the soil?

I agree - plant in the ground ASAP. And no pruning now. It needs all that foliage to support what remains of the root system. You won't need to think about any pruning until the plant has settled and established somewhat and hopefully, regenerated some roots. As noted by kentrees, box are tough plants and can take a lot of abuse but if you want to save it, give it the best chance you can. And that involves skipping any pruning for now :-))

You do not have to prune it now, but it won't hurt (I hard pruned my boxwoods to the ground after transplanting). You can wait until next spring.

"...but it won't hurt."

Sure, just like going on a starvation diet while trying to get over the flu. It's a great idea...NOT!

Most important right now is to get it in the ground and water it, it will dry out and die in a few hours if left like that in the heat

Logan, you can't tell an OP to prune a shrub when you don't know what zone they live in. Kerri could be in Maine for all we know. Actually, hard pruning in September would be a bad idea anywhere in the US.

to clarify .. you might be able to propagate small couple inch cuttings ..

but you can not propagate.. grow roots on ... huge trunk cuttings ...

maybe a one in a bazillion chance.. but i wouldnt even bet on those odds ..

ken

my neighbors and I have lots of boxwoods..we've noticed some cultivars look better than others..yours is one of the types that we have problems with..don't know your zone but in ours Winter Gem and Winter Green look perfect whereas Green Mountain and Green Velvet do not..I wouldn't keep it..will post pics to show the difference in my garden

See the difference?..one has missing leaves, discoloration..other much prettier IMO..have just 5 of the paler green elongated leaf type and will take them out when I get around to it..

Hi Nicholsworth, have you tested your soil ph?

cecily..no but I want to..I counted once and had 92 boxwood..the Green Velvet and Green Mountain color IS a paler green naturally..a pretty color but they lose leaves..my neighbors would say "why do yours look better than mine"?..was because we were comparing different plants..we realized some varieties looked better..was true in my garden and 2 neighbors..one has only the type with paler leaves and ALL look bad..but if I had bad soil why do some cultivars look really good?..I've decided to buy only the dark green rounded leaf type..

Only 92? I have over 150! (I work at a historic garden and historic VA gardens include quite a bit of box). I believe the OP has American box while you are growing various hybrids of Korean box. In your first photo, the plant looks chlorotic which is why I inquired about soil ph. We don't know where Kerri lives so we can't speculate on her soil type but she suggested that her plant was doing well before she felled a tree on it, left it for dead, and bare rooted it.

cecily..Wow..how do you keep up?..our climate IS colder..I knew I should buy Korean and I did..we compost and our soil looks and feels great..we have a wooded lot and chip our debris and make it ourselves..the sickly ones are planted by a sidewalk which I've read can make the soil alkaline..agree with the OP that it looks like a green mountain..would be interesting to see a pic of it before it was damaged to compare to mine..so what boxwood do you prefer?..

I have no favorite children LOL. They all do well in VA, choosing box is just a matter of size here. All the box at the historic garden is American. Legend has it that it was grown from cuttings obtained from the gardener at Mount Vernon more than a century ago. Probably not, but its a fun story.

my neighbor has been to Mount Vernon and said the boxwoods are huge..my biggest are about 3 1/2 ft..just a few of the oldest ones..would like to garden in your zone..

Our tallest are about 30 feet but most are kept at about 6 feet (short enough for me to trim LOL). Boxwood blight has arrived in the area so I wouldn't recommend anyone plant new boxwood.

when I was trying to find an answer for my sickly boxwoods I read a little about blight..so sad to learn of another disease..seems there is no end to pests and diseases..

kerrizonasteen - "The reason I suggested putting it in container was so I could put indoors/in barn for winter. Didn't know if that would help it mend:)"

We don't know where you live so we can't give advice as to whether your box needs any winter protection if planted now. But I would be prepared to say that wherever you live taking it indoors would almost certainly kill it and sticking it in a dark barn would also not do it any good. Get it in the ground asap and if you do have harsh winters with no snow maybe wrap it in fleece to prevent drying winds desiccating the foliage.

harsh winters with no snow maybe wrap it in fleece to prevent drying winds desiccating the foliage.

==>>> that would be burlap stateside ... ken

I think fleece is Reemay. Burlap is Hessian.