If you recently installed a shrub in the past year or two, we strongly recommend steering clear of trimming those shrubs. To eliminate the risk of accidentially killing your new shrubs, only trim established shrubs. If you are still needing to water during the drought months, those shrubs are not fully established.  

 

With any and all wooded plants & trees, the amount of trimming and pruning for one year should not exceed 1/3 of the plant as a whole.  Trimming is needed for all shrubs to allow new growth. However, by trimming too much off a shrub in a year, you stunt all growth and the plants ability to heal.

Overgrown Shrubs

When shrubs are neglected over many years, overgrowth is not able to be merely trimmed. The best option for these overgrown shrubs is to cut them back completely. We call this 'Starting Over'.  From there you are able to maintain them easier and shape them as you like. However, not all shrubs can be cut back completely. Make sure to check with us to see if you are able to cut them back with no risk.

 

Recent Confirmed Boxwood Diseases In Bloomington/Normal

Within the past month, LKM has discovered certain boxwood shrubs are declining in health since the past year. LKM tested multiple boxwood shrubs around Bloomington/Normal for any underlying diseases. After tests and research, it was confirmed in all tested cases that Buxus sempervirens (European Boxwood) are indeed diseased with a handful of issues.  Boxwood Volutella blight is the main antagonist that is causing total death to the shrub. We have put time into looking for the best treatment for this disease, however the price for treatment is more than the cost of replacement. This disease has only been confirmed in the sempervirens variety at this time. A large majority of European boxwood shrubs were installed 10+ years ago. If you have a boxwood that shows signs of disease feel free to contact us so we can examine your shrub(s) and give you advice on replanting.