Harland boxwood cutback

[Joe2758]

Question: When and how should I cut this back for the best shot at either back budding or growing shoots from the cut points?

Background:
When I purchased this about a month ago I cut it way back, leaving a leader on each branch to be a little safer.

But all that did was make those shoots super vigorous, as where I was hoping for back budding in order to make this as small a tree as possible. It also did not grow from cut points.

So today, I figured since it was in Brussels type soil and not easy to water, I repotted it. It was very root-bound to the point where it seemed to be fusing into a block of wood. I cut them back very hard. It seemed just in time too, and the root tips were just starting to turn white.

So considering I did a tough repot today, what is the best method in for getting this more compact in the future?
I almost just cut it back to bare wood at the same time as the repot, but that seemed a little extreme?
P.s. styling suggestions appreciated!

 

[Cruiser]

Since it was cut way back and repotted recently, I’d let it grow freely the rest of the year. As it gains strength it is likely to produce more inner shoots to choose from. Give it time.

Next spring, cut back to the desired buds/branches.

If there aren’t any you like, and the tree appears strong, you could prune it even harder, to bare wood. You’d be able to establish the basic bare-bones skeleton of the tree this way.

This last spring I cut one down to bare bones and it responded well. It had a strong root system to go off of. If it had been repotted I would not have cut so hard.

 

[Joe2758]

Just what I was looking for. It has not skipped a beat so far. I will grow and fertilize and hard prune to skeleton. Early spring or after the first flush?

 

[Cruiser]

If the tree is strong, either time will work. But waiting until after first flush would give it more energy to recover and is probably safer. In the interim, it may also bud from just the right place and reduce how much you want to cut back in the first place.

I cut mine back in mid February, not quite spring. It’s a mild climate here.