Boxwoods ran over by truck

6 years ago

Three of my Boxwoods were just run over by a Homedepot delivery truck. One side is fine, the sides that were hit are smashed, pretty close to the center base.

I forget what variety these boxwoods are, they are similar to baby gem but I know they are not. If it helps they are the kind that stays small and stays in a natural ball shape, they don't need to be pruned that way. Max width if I remember correctly is 2 feet by 2 feet.

How do I save them? Will they ever regain their shape?

I will take picture tomorrow, it is dark out right now.

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Comments (6)

floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
6 years ago
Ensure they are still well anchored and their roots haven't been dislodged. Tread them back in if they're wobbly. Trim any badly broken branches back to a healthy node. You could tie them up if they have splayed out. Then leave them alone.
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
6 years ago
Will they ever regain their shape?

==>> as to shape alone .... yes.. they will regain their shape.. but it might take a year or two ... and you may have to do some pruning to achieve such ...

how long might depend on where you are .... the longer the growing season.. the faster this will happen ....

look forward to the pix ...

ken
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onkyokoi
Original Author
6 years ago
I took some pics this afternoon. I decided to leave them for now because tonight is going down in the mid 20's so I wasn't sure if this was a good day to be pruning them. So I just fluffed the mulch where the tire tracks are.

I guess the stems are badly broken because it's only been a few days and the smashed leaves are already turning yellow.

At what temperature is it safe to prune the smashed parts?

Here are the pics, it's only three that got ran over. The full shot is after I fluffed the mulch, the victims are to the left of that photo in the mid section.
floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
6 years ago
Box is not delicate. It takes clipping without flinching. That's why it's a classic topiary subject. You can prune it when you want to if it's warm enough for your lawn to be green. The damage doesn't look too bad to me. You can cut off anything which is definitely dead. You can tie up splayed branches if they're still alive. Personally I would be clipping all those bushes to keep them compact.
onkyokoi
Original Author
6 years ago
Thank you so much, this makes me feel a lot better.

I will get trimmin' :)
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
6 years ago
as to the damaged ones .. i would leave them be for a month or so ... and sooner or later.. the damaged parts will start to brown .. at which time.. you can go in there with hand pruners.. and remove damaged material back to live growth ...

it might take a while.. but they will fill in ... be patient ...

and if right now.. you see clearly broken material... prune that back now ... temperature in not relevant.. imo ... broken is broken.. and need be removed ....

the only question i have.. is it a good idea to clean your pruners between plants ... i dont know ... i dont do box.. so im not up on that ... but i do know.. from so many posts here.. that box do have some disease issue.. and little prevention.. is worth a lot of cure ...

i suspect within 2 or 3 years... you wont be able to tell which were the injured ones ... with that in mind.. if it happens sooner ... good for you ... just dont expect it to happen too fast ... and then worry about it all along ...

nice driveway ...