Re potting Box Balls?
LeadFarmer
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in Plants
Im hoping ive done this correctly, as Im sure I saw Monty Don do it this way?
I have two nice Box Balls in tall pots framing either side of a side door to my garage. They were getting a bit pot bound, but I wanted to keep them in the same pots. So I lifted them out and choped off the bottom half of the root ball, half filled the pots with new compost & feed, then put the Box Balls back in their pots.
Sound about right??
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Sounds good to me ! When they are not pot-bound then they recommend just scraping off the top inch of soil and refilling with compost mixed with slow release fertiliser. When you can no longer get the top inch off because it is so full of roots you do exactly what you have just done. I assume they are in the grey pots by the white door ? They look fab! Also love your collection of terracotta pots - is there a chimney pot mixed in there ??
Thanks chicky, nice to know I got it right. I seem to recall Monty Don saying that chopping the roots off is good for the plant, but it was a long time ago I wasnt sure.
Yes, its the two box balls in the grey pots by the white door. I also have a 4th box ball growing in the garden border, you can see it in the photo below. Im planning a garden redesign where I intend to use more of them, along with some box pyramids. Shame they are so expensive if buying them of a reasonable size.
And yes, there is a chimney pot amongst the others, it was inherrited when I moved into the house
Thanks again.
Beautiful garden
We have a collection of chimney pots and rhubarb forcers that we grow plants in - I'd like more but they suddenly went ridulously expensive. We picked ours up about 20 years ago at an architectural salvage yard (we were looking for a door - you know how it is!) - but they are completely frost proof and have outlasted any number of terracotta plant pots.
On the box balls/pyramids - it actually takes much less time than you think to grow them yourself. We have loads of box balls grown this way, from £1.50 plantlets. Takes about 4 seasons before they start taking some sort of shape, but then you're away.
Good luck with the redesign - look forward to seeing it develop.