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How Often Should You Water a Wintergreen Boxwood?

Wintergreen boxwood (Buxus sinica var. insularis) is a hardy evergreen shrub that adds year-round color and form to landscapes as far north as U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zone 4. In most regions Wintergreen stays green all winter rather than turn brownish bronze. In colder zones, shelter it from cold, winter winds. This boxwood tolerates shearing but can grow too fast for formal landscaping styles. Soak young plants weekly in the absence of good rains, and water older plants every 10 days during the growing season.

  1. Planting

    • Careful planting allows your boxwoods to benefit from long-term irrigation practices. Plant boxwood only in well-draining soils and well away from downspouts and tree drip lines. They can survive in full sun but thrive in semishade. Make sure planting holes are as deep as plant root balls but twice as wide. Filling around root balls with rich, porous, good-quality topsoil encourages rapid root growth. Never cultivate around boxwoods, young or old, because their surface root are easily damaged. Mulching with 2 to 3 inches of pine straw, bark mulch or shredded leaves conserve soils moisture, insulates plant roots and discourages weeds.

    New Plant Watering

    • All boxwoods are sensitive to dry soils or drought, but young plants in particular need careful watering to become well established. Water newly planted Wintergreen boxwoods throughout their first growing season, providing at least 1 inch of water per week, so the root zone never dries out. Keep the soil just below the surface slightly moist. Continue providing water all year-round if the fall and winter are also dry. A regular, deeper irrigation schedule is better than frequent light sprinklings. Watering deeply keeps the entire root area moist and encourages deeper, well-branched and healthy roots.

    General Watering

    • An inch of rain every 10 days is ideal for established Wintergreen boxwood, although sandy soils may require more moisture and heavier soils less. Track growing season rainfall. Supplement rainfall, as needed, with slow soakings from a drip-irrigation system or soaker hose. You're providing enough water if the soil's top 6 to 8 inches are moist. Even established boxwoods that seem capable of making it without irrigation need regular watering in spring and summer, because plants stressed in the spring and summer may produce too much late-season growth when rains come. Growth that doesn't harden-off properly may freeze during the winter.

    Fal and Winter Watering

    • Continue watering into autumn if rains are late but gradually cut back on the amount of water you supply. This signals plants that it's time to slow their growth in preparation for winter. Just as with your spring and summer watering routine, prevent plants from growing late in the season. If rainfall totals are still low as cold descends, give the soil a thorough soaking before the ground freezes so the boxwoods have a sure source of moisture for the winter.

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