Ideas for pruning a box hedge please!

Hello everyone

I have a box hedge in front of a house, framing a palm tree, about 20ft long, the depth of the frame is about 5ft, the hedge itself is about 18ft deep and 28 inches high. I've attached a photo.

I'm looking for interesting ideas about giving it a shape. The more modern and unusual the better.

If I cut into the mature wood, is it sure to recover?

 

Couple of points....you can prune as hard as you like. Prune asap to enable the hedge to recover its full foliage quickly. Prune too late in summer and you are likely to have bare wood during the coming winter
Shape? You could undulate like a wave. I would sketch it first to get some sort of balance and idea of shape.
For me though I would keep it formal. So options then.....let it grow into the palm or trim inside edge to provide space for plants. Lavendar if well drained and warm or a series of grasses like elymus magellanicus. Or simply for summer colour fill with white cosmos

 

Yes, I plan on trimming it this week or next. Someone once told be it's best to cut box at the start of June to avoid attracting box beetle.

What do you mean "let it grow into the palm?" That sounds interesting. Maybe I could create a sort of topiary column right in front of the trunk. Unfortunately, the part directly in front of the tree grows the slowest, presumably because of competition for light and nutrients.

 

Exactly that Howard....have a plan for a topiary shape!
Not sure timing affects box beetle necessarily. Timing is mainly about getting quickest regrowth