PB's "Morris' Dwarf" Boxwood

[PerryB]

I dug up this 30-year old boxwood in a friend's yard in October '23. He had been the owner of a landscaping company and, in a rush many years ago, just dropped this and a sister tree in his yard. The 2 trees somehow managed to survive; over time a few roots managed to penetrate the mulched area of the shady yard, as the soil around the original root ball washed away.

When I brought both trees to my grow bed last year, I lightly heeled them into the soil trying to maintain the ground to exposed root relationship. As Spring came on, I realized that I had a disease issue: Macrophoma Leaf Spot. The advice from the local nursery was to destroy the trees, but a bonsai enthusiast at another nursery said that I could try cutting of all the foliage, cutting back leggy branches, and fertilizing heavily while isolating them from other bonsai trees and from my landscape boxwoods. This worked with this one, but not the other (R.I.P.).

The tree already had strong directionality and fairly large brittle branches that couldn't be persuaded. So, I have a windswept tree with exposed roots. There are a number of dead interior branches that haven't backbudded in the last 6 months, and I welcome input on how to deal with them (and any other issues you see).
Before pics:

 

[PerryB]

After cutting back and wiring over this weekend:

 

[Youngling]

Windswept can be difficult with broad-leaf evergreens. I haven't tried it personally, might be possible. Have heard and can imagine that the leaves growing the wrong way would work against the direction you try to push it. I'd go for a toppled, semi cascade or slanting, maybe a semi raft style, rather than commit to full windswept. It also gives you more options with branch placement on the side of the big exposed root. (Which tells a story in itself, please keep that root).

 

[PerryB]

Windswept can be difficult with broad-leaf evergreens. I haven't tried it personally, might be possible. Have heard and can imagine that the leaves growing the wrong way would work against the direction you try to push it. I'd go for a toppled, semi cascade or slanting, maybe a semi raft style, rather than commit to full windswept. It also gives you more options with branch placement on the side of the big exposed root. (Which tells a story in itself, please keep that root).

Thanks. I think you could be correct about a full windswept design and leaf direction. "Toppled" is probably the better description of what this tree is already doing. And, yes, that mass of exposed roots is essential.

 

[Youngling]

Some pics from google


I often see Eucalyptus when driving past farmland with loose soil, one sided exposed roots like this. Wish i had photos as these pics don't really convey the full theme.
They will grow along fine, then winter flooding or a windstorm will topple them just enough to expose one side of the root ball and slant them over, then they carry on growing upward as normal.
Almost a raft, but not touching the ground.