Digging up boxwood-Difficult?

Hi,

I need to dig & remove up about 20 feet of boxwood that is about 20" tall. How difficult is it to remove this shrub? Are the roots deep?

Here is a pic of the boxwoods. Thanks!

Are you digging it up to transplant it or to get rid of it? My neighbor's approach to removing shrubs is to tie a rope around them, hitch up the truck, and pull them out. Not the best approach if you're transplanting though!

If you're digging it up to transplant, I think the trouble you're going to run into is that there are probably a whole bunch of individual boxwood shrubs all smushed together in there, so it may be hard to get a sufficient size rootball for each one. I would also definitely wait until the fall if you're planning to transplant.

I am digging them up because my clients hate them. Instead of throwing them away, I will see if anyone might want them-that would be too easy:)

They want some color where the boxwoods are.

Thanks!

I really think you're going to have a tough time getting a decent rootball to transplant, the roots from each individual plant are so tangled in each other, and in order to separate the plants you're going to end up having to cut off a significant amount of roots, so whoever gets them is really going to have to baby them.

Normally I'm all in favor of trying to reuse/recycle things as much as possible, but boxwoods just aren't that special, hard to find, or expensive and I think with the shortage of rootball that you're going to end up with, whoever takes them from you would be better off going out and buying new ones.

agree w/ ecrane. I say pull them off w/tractor/truck and forgetaboutthem! Then again, pulling w/ truck might not be an option as the bricks from the planterbox may disintegrate/fall apart in the process. Yikes, this may call for backbreaking digging duty.

I had to dig up just one boxwood this spring, because it was sited on the property we moved into as a specimen plant: pretty odd, and not at all what we wanted in that spot. Not having access to a truck hitch, I had to dig out the beast; and let me say that yes, it was quite deep rooted and didn't give up easily at all. I vote for the truck hitch for that many interwoven plants if you have access to one!

A possible alternative to digging: I think I would compromise, and certainly what I would choose to first try . . . .

To yank them out without destroying the bricking, one must pull vertically. Cut them down but leave enough to be able to secure a chain or rope around. Make a simple teepee out of 2 by 4's, maybe 6 ft long each. Use this to suspend a come-along (hand winch) from the center that you can position above each large plant. Connect the chain or rope, secure round the boxwood, and start cranking. Easy as pie, at least on paper. You will probably need to add braces between the teepee 2x4s to keep them from splaying apart, and make sure you position them where their feet will not cause damage. There could be a lot of pressure on those legs.

Maybe, you won't want to make a symetrical teepee. Perhaps one with two 6 foot length legs, and one very long one that would be extended out on the grass. The very best advice I can give is think this out well before you start any grunt work.

sounds like a job for a backhoe to me. sounds like your clients are smart people. i'd lose that brick wall anyway, i'm surprised the roots didn't crack it. the brick will retain a lot of heat, and hence dry out and cook the soil. i really don't think anyone would want the old boxwoods.

and make sure you contact the utility co's to mark their lines, most likely there is a water line or something there.