When to Trim Boxwoods and How to Do It Right

Knowing when to trim boxwoods—and which methods and tools to use for the job—is as important for establishing new, young plants as it is for properly maintaining older, larger boxwood bushes. Luckily, with a few snips here and there, it’s easy to spur new growth or simply preserve an existing, desired shape.

Woody perennial shrubs, boxwoods—as well as their cousins the juniper and yew—have served as backbones in the landscape for literally centuries. Hanging onto its broad, glossy leaves year-round, the boxwood is particularly prized for its willingness to be transformed into whimsical topiaries, interesting geometric shapes, living walls, hedges, and more, not to mention its deer resistance.

If you want them to thrive, it’s not a matter of if but when to trim boxwoods. Over time, failure to prune boxwood shrubs can result in unwieldy, unchecked growth that can be flattened by snow or look spindly and thin. Furthermore, sunlight and air can’t easily get to the center of the plant and your overgrown shrub may begin to die back. As such, you should make trimming your boxwood shrubs one of your annual gardening tasks.

Some prominent visual cues can indicate when to trim boxwoods in general. For example, you may begin to notice, in contrast to your shrubs’ old winter color, some tiny green shoots emerging from previously dormant basal buds along your boxwood’s branches. This spring flush of tender growth is one sign that you can lightly shear the plant’s exterior to spur more new leaf development.

Of course, factors like an individual plant’s health, plant age, your area’s growing conditions, and any recent storm damage your plants may have sustained also can