I bought a common boxwood at home depot the other day and it appeared to have two trees (two stems?) in the same pot.

First of all, can anybody clarify for me, does boxwood form multiple stems that split below the surface of the soil? or is it possible that the grower placed multiple seeds in the same pot to ensure germination and thus I simply have two shrubs in one pot?

The real point is that I took a sharp kitchen knife and literally cut the plant (roots dirt and all!) right down the center and repotted each half in a different pot. Can boxwoods be divided this way? If division is a legitimate way to propagate boxwood I would appreciate any advice on the subject of division and nursing a damaged boxwood back to health...



Thanks!

Cory -

those boxwoods from home depot are usually cuttings that their provider planted together. They usually plant two or three together to get a plant with more foliage. Next time u try to divide them gently wash away the soil with a hose and use a root pick to try and untangle the roots. It can be time consuming but will stress the plant out less by retaining as many roots as possible. Make sure u keep the plants out of direct sun for at least a month and then gradually introduce it back to its normal postion. Keep the soil moist you dont want the roots to dry out.

Boxwoods are pretty tough. Hopefully we will hear back that these two survived.