Dying Box

[HCHQ]

I'm in a rented property and the box plants are dying (I think that's what they are!). If I prune them back will they recover?

The landlord has said I'm allowed to replant something else but not sure I want the cost! Are there any types that are hardy (full sun), cheap & grow well in a raised bed?

Short answer, probably no.
www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=851

RHS has gone so far as to run trials of suitable alternatives to box. Their top five suggestions are here

I think you could replant with something like lavender, which would give you the same sort of height with the advantage of flowers and scent. Watch out in the spring for special offers of small lavender plug plants which often appear in gardening magazines or on plant sellers websites. I got 40 lavender plugs for about £8 a year or two back, not all survived but enough did for my purposes.

Alternatively I would consider turning the raised beds into herb beds, that way you get the benefit of them for culinary use, they look lovely, and big bonus are great for bees and other creatures. If you know someone with herbs in their garden you can probably get roots from them in the spring of things like sage, various mints, and thymes. You would probably have to buy in Rosemary, but could raise different parsleys, tarragon, bronze fennel, and basil from seed.

Another suggestion would be to plant sedums, sempervivum and other hardy succulents, depending on how long you intend to stay there as they might take a while to get going, but they are rather lovely in a raised bed because you can see them easily without crawling around on your knees. Put lots of grit in the soil first though to help with drainage.

viques & MereDintofPandiculation

Thank you both