Trimming Boxwoods

I am new to this forum but I'm sure someone can offer advice. I have a boxwood hedge that I have allowed to over-grow in front of the house, and I can no longer see out of the windows. How much can I cut it back and still expect it to sprout new foliage? And when is the best time to do so? It is about 5' tall and I wish it could be reduced to around 3'. I am in zone 9 and we are having a mild winter (so far). Any ideas would be appreciated. Thanks!

Welcome. Several years ago I took a whole bunch off my Grandfather's Yew hedge. It looked terrible after I did it and for a few years after that because when that much is pruned off it goes to the branches where there is very little foliage. But, several years later, it looked good after the foliage came back to the tips of the newly cut branches. I think when you don't prune regularly you can't expect a hedge to look too good for a while after a severe pruning, a long while. I hope it turns out good eventually, Boxwood would be a real nice hedge. In any case, I think it's good to have a pruned hedge so it doesn't offer protection from view for burglars and robbers. A friend of mine once had Elephant Ears and other plants all around her front porch, totally obscuring it, she was robbed, they broke in the front door and went right in when she wasn't home and cleaned her out.
Not sure about when to prune, it's evergreen so can't wait till the leaves drop off. And it's pretty much always nice in So. Tx. to work outside.

This site says late winter or early spring, so soon I think. I don't know if Ehow is an authority on pruning, all I did was Google the question, here is Ehow - http://www.ehow.com/how_4489307_prune-boxwood.html
Here is a link to the Googling - http://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1CHHJ_enUS400US401&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=g#pq=g&hl=en&sugexp=pfwl&cp=27&gs_id=33&xhr=t&q=when+to+prune+boxwood+hedges&pf=p&sclient=psy-ab&rlz=1C1CHHJ_enUS400US401&source=hp&pbx=1&oq=when+to+prune+boxwood+hedge&aq=0&aqi=g1&aql=&gs_sm=&gs_upl=&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.,cf.osb&fp=e082afedeaa7888e&biw=1920&bih=947

Thanks, Shortleaf. I think I will go ahead with a major pruning like you did on the Yew and just live with the resulting uglies. It sounds as if it will regrow even if I reduce it significantly.

Your welcome, having a mature hedge of Boxwood would be neat, they aren't cheap plants now. You'd have to spend a small fortune buying fair sized boxwood plants to make a not-to-distant-future hedge nowadays.
I'm no expert, but I think they can be seriously pruned without worry of them dying.

I intend to root some of the cuttings - just in case...

Oops, yeah, cuttings are very cheap! I found a good cutting list to have. - http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/hil/hil-8702.html In 2003 I started a Weeping Willow cutting and my Brother-in-Law planted it in their backyard, here it is a year ago in Oct., it's the yellow tree in the corner.
Will

Good job!

Thanks. I'd get hardwood cuttings of the Boxwood just to be safe, it says that softwood cuttings won't work. Now I know why my softwood cuttings of Yew never took because it takes hardwood cuttings or semi hardwood cuttings! I just realized I have several plants on that list, I'm gonna try doing cuttings of some of them.

I have rooted boxwood before and I tried various types of cuttings. You are right, the hardwood ones are the ones that were successful.

Boxwoods and yews are some of the few evergreens that will sprout from bare woody stems, unlike pines, firs, and spruces. Even if cut back severely, in time they will fill in. Good luck.

Thanks, I did cut them back pretty severely but none of the stems was entirely leafless and new sprouts are starting already. I guess I could have been braver...

You might give them a little boost of fertilizer or compost, or both, to help them get some healthy new growth more quickly. Glad you see new growth already.

Thanks for the advice. The information about them being able to grow back from bare trunks was what I was needing to know. I will definitely give than a compost mulching.