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Changing box topiary shape

neilrick85neilrick85 Posts: 1
in Problem solving
I currently have a few box balls that I have been trimming each year.  I am wanting to change them into cones, and possibly spirals.  Do you think this would be possible, seeing as how they have been pruned into spheres for so long?  I don't know how deeply I can cut, most likely into old, brown wood, and still maintain the health of the box.  Any suggestions are greatly appreciated!

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  • Lizzie27Lizzie27 Posts: 12,494
    That's a tricky one!  I would be inclined to proceed very slowly and starting from the bottom trim each ball gently back, by an inch or so, mine are growing quite quickly at the moment after all that rain. Don't clip the top at all, and just see if you can start clipping the sides at an angle towards the top, keeping a green fuzz all over and not cutting back into brown wood. I'm not sure they would regenerate well if you pruned them too hard at the outset. You could try repeating the process perhaps every 6 weeks or so to keep them tightly pruned and gradually shaped as you want.
    I don't think it's going to be a quick process and may even take a couple of years. Not sure if that's what you had in mind.

    Hopefully you will get some more advice from others.
    Good luck.
    North East Somerset - Clay soil over limestone
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