It sometimes amazes me how much plants actually grow during the
winter months, at least down here where "winter" needs quotation
marks around it most days.

I just de-wired a Buxus m. that I'd wired up in the fall.
Several of the branches revealed wire scars where the bark had
grown into the wire. These all were deep into the tree and
don't/won't show, but I also noted significant growth to the
twigs.

I have a couple of very informative articles about Buxus and
they all say to wire in winter when the tree is dormant. The
authors are european, though, and perhaps their trees have a
real sleep time. Mine don't.

Jim Lewis - - Tallahassee, FL - Nature
encourages no looseness, pardons no errors. Ralph Waldo Emerson

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Jim: Mobile's Azalea City Bonsai Society has an annual Day of
Bonsai. This year they have a boxwood theme. Should be an
interesting program! Its on a Saturday in mid to late March, but
I don't recall the date.
Joe Day sent me files with announcements, but they're on
a version of MS Publisher which my Publisher 98 won't read.

Alan Walker
http://bonsai-bci.com http://LCBSBonsai.org


-----Original Message-----
From: Jim Lewis

It sometimes amazes me how much plants actually grow during the
winter months, at least down here where "winter" needs quotation
marks around it most days.

I just de-wired a Buxus m. that I'd wired up in the fall.
Several of the branches revealed wire scars where the bark had
grown into the wire. These all were deep into the tree and
don't/won't show, but I also noted significant growth to the
twigs.

I have a couple of very informative articles about Buxus and
they all say to wire in winter when the tree is dormant. The
authors are european, though, and perhaps their trees have a
real sleep time. Mine don't.

Jim Lewis - - Tallahassee, FL

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Might be an interesting visit.

Boxwood is the ideal plant for bonsai in many ways. It really
HAS no tree shape of its own (I don't know if it even exists in
the wild any more) so you can impose any shape you like on a
boxwood and it won't complain. Probably why they're so,popular
as hedges and (ugh) topiary.

Boxwood also don't seem to care what size or shape pot you put
them in; they'll fill it with roots at the end of a single
growing season.

Jim Lewis - - This economy is a wholly
owned subsidiary of the environment. - Gaylord Nelson


On 25 Jan 2005 at 12:55, Alan Walker wrote:

Jim: Mobile's Azalea City Bonsai Society has an annual Day of
Bonsai. This year they have a boxwood theme. Should be an
interesting program! Its on a Saturday in mid to late March, but
I don't recall the date.
Joe Day sent me files with announcements, but they're on
a version of MS Publisher which my Publisher 98 won't read.

Alan Walker
http://bonsai-bci.com http://LCBSBonsai.org


-----Original Message-----
From: Jim Lewis

It sometimes amazes me how much plants actually grow during the
winter months, at least down here where "winter" needs quotation
marks around it most days.

I just de-wired a Buxus m. that I'd wired up in the fall.
Several of the branches revealed wire scars where the bark had
grown into the wire. These all were deep into the tree and
don't/won't show, but I also noted significant growth to the
twigs.

I have a couple of very informative articles about Buxus and
they all say to wire in winter when the tree is dormant. The
authors are european, though, and perhaps their trees have a
real sleep time. Mine don't.

Jim Lewis - - Tallahassee, FL


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************************************************** ******************************
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+++++ Questions? Help? e-mail +++++

On Jan 25, 2005, at 11:12 AM, Jim Lewis wrote:

It sometimes amazes me how much plants actually grow during the
winter months, at least down here where "winter" needs quotation
marks around it most days.


Thanks for the qualifier. Nothing is growing up here.

I just de-wired a Buxus m. that I'd wired up in the fall.
Several of the branches revealed wire scars where the bark had
grown into the wire. These all were deep into the tree and
don't/won't show, but I also noted significant growth to the
twigs.

I have a couple of very informative articles about Buxus and
they all say to wire in winter when the tree is dormant. The
authors are european, though, and perhaps their trees have a
real sleep time. Mine don't.

I can't get at my boxwoods because they're in winter storage. I find
that (from my experience) it's ok to wire during the growing season.
From what I've seen thus far the trick is getting the wire off without
breaking the branch.

I wire my Kingsville Boxwoods during the winter while they're growing
indoors. They respond very well.
Jim Lewis - - Tallahassee, FL - Nature
encourages no looseness, pardons no errors. Ralph Waldo Emerson



Craig Cowing
NY
Zone 5b/6a Sunset 37


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On Jan 25, 2005, at 3:28 PM, Jim Lewis wrote:

Might be an interesting visit.

snip

Boxwood also don't seem to care what size or shape pot you put
them in; they'll fill it with roots at the end of a single
growing season.

Jim Lewis - - This economy is a wholly
owned subsidiary of the environment. - Gaylord Nelson

I'll second that. Even a Kingsville boxwood will fill a pot in a
single season.

I've got a B. sempervirens "Varder Valley" I rescued from a landscaping
makeover last year. I'm expecting it to have filled the pot. It may
go into a second pot sooner than I'd thought.

Craig Cowing
NY
Zone 5b/6a Sunset 37


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Jim

Here in Chandigarh the minimum temperature has drooped to 3-4*C and Boxwood
are still showing growth on the apical areas. But it is surprising that
during the winter months the branches thickened to grew bark into the wire!
Or it was the other way round i.e. the wire cut into the bark may be because
it was tightly coiled or due to cold; shrank and tightened the grip,
cutting into the bark?

Boxwood have soft corky bark. I have Buxus sempervirens and Buxus harlandii
and at one time I also had the same problem. But now I use DCC (Double
Cotton Covered Aluminum wire) or alternatively I wrap a cotton tape around
the branch and then wire it. That way bark remains intact.

Regards

Anil Kaushik
Bonsai Club (India)
Chandigarh "The City Beautiful"

....... Several of the branches revealed wire scars where the bark had
grown into the wire. These all were deep into the tree and
don't/won't show, but I also noted significant growth to the
twigs.

Jim Lewis - - Tallahassee, FL - Nature
encourages no looseness, pardons no errors. Ralph Waldo Emerson

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++++Sponsored, in part, by Boon Manakitivipart++++
************************************************** ******************************
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On 26 Jan 2005 at 14:04, Anil Kaushik wrote:

Jim

Here in Chandigarh the minimum temperature has drooped to 3-4*C and Boxwood
are still showing growth on the apical areas. But it is surprising that
during the winter months the branches thickened to grew bark into the wire!
Or it was the other way round i.e. the wire cut into the bark may be because
it was tightly coiled or due to cold; shrank and tightened the grip,
cutting into the bark?

No. It didn't get THAT cold. Aluminum doesn't shrink or expand
appreciably with temperature, and I'm pretty sure I didn't wire
too tightly. Most folks say my wiring is too loose and sloppy.
;-)

It is fairly typical for some species to add girth in branches.
From what I'd read, this applied to conifers, but maybe it's
more appropriate to evergreens. My boxwood added no new growth
on the tips of branches.

Interesting.

Jim Lewis - - Tallahassee, FL - Nature
encourages no looseness, pardons no errors. Ralph Waldo Emerson

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++++Sponsored, in part, by Boon Manakitivipart++++
************************************************** ******************************
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