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Gardening

Find tips and tricks to make your garden or allotment flourish on our Gardening forum.

Original poster

Box Hedging Borders

27 replies

Furries · 12/03/2022 19:36

Am on a bit of a roll here, trying to plan getting the back garden sorted.

Has anyone created bedding borders with box hedging? If so, would love to see some photos and hear about any hints/tips/pitfalls etc.

OP posts:
MrsBertBibby · 12/03/2022 19:42

Box is horribly vulnerable to box blight and box caterpillars. I'd suggest looking at the RHS alternative suggestions page, as box is very hard to keep looking nice nowadays.

Bideshi · 12/03/2022 19:45

Don't do it. Just had to rip out all my box edging including a lovely knot garden and fantastic topiary. There are other choices.

WashableVelvet · 12/03/2022 19:47

+1, 25 year old hedge gone. We have sarcococca now instead, a more casual vibe.

MrsBertBibby · 12/03/2022 19:47

I'm sorry Bideshi. Heartbreaking.

Kdubs1981 · 12/03/2022 19:59

No box! Monty Don has taken all his out and replaced due to blight

AlisonDonut · 12/03/2022 20:08

@WashableVelvet

+1, 25 year old hedge gone. We have sarcococca now instead, a more casual vibe.
Great choice. I'm taking cuttings from mine to do the same.
RIPWalter · 12/03/2022 20:12

I have, but it hasn't grown enough to fill in all the gaps yet.

I used box that previous owner had put in as very small plants elsewhere in the garden, a few plants I'd grown on myself from rooted cuttings is taken from the existing plants in my garden. I have then filled in a few gaps (not quite enough plants and a 2 that died with being moved) with ilex crenata stokes.

I've done this as I don't want to bring any new box plants into my garden and risk box bought fungus, and also do that once the ilex had established I can start growing on cuttings, so that is the box moth ever makes its way to North Wales I am ready to replace the box.

I would not have used any box had I not already had the plants going spare in my garden.

RIPWalter · 12/03/2022 20:13

Blight not bought

LadyEloise1 · 12/03/2022 20:23

Isn't it sod's law.
Posters on here saying that box is hard to grow because of box disease and caterpillars. I don't like my little box hedges but I can't kill them - they were in an expensive garden design plan.
They are happily growing in a North facing front garden. Angry

AuntyFungal · 12/03/2022 20:50

Don’t do it. I’m another who’s had to rip out box hedging. Broke my heart ^^

Also, if you have a dog - their pee scald's / kills the leaves.

I replaced some of the hedging with hebes. I think it’s called Green Globe?? Compact, small grower.

Architectural Plants have some good alternatives.

Original poster
Furries · 12/03/2022 20:56

Blimey, thank you all for the very speedy replies.

Damn, am going to have to go back to the drawing board I guess.

@WashableVelvet - am quite liking the look of the sarcococca. Will do som3 more research on that.

OP posts:
MereDintofPandiculation · 12/03/2022 20:58

@LadyEloise1

Isn't it sod's law. Posters on here saying that box is hard to grow because of box disease and caterpillars. I don't like my little box hedges but I can't kill them - they were in an expensive garden design plan. They are happily growing in a North facing front garden. Angry
No need to kill them. Keep them as long as they’re healthy. But if you were creating the garden from scratch, they’re not the best choice for now
Original poster
Furries · 12/03/2022 20:58

@LadyEloise1 - ha, definitely Sod’s law in play there!

@AuntyFungal - thank you, that looks lovely. Off to research that too.

OP posts:
WashableVelvet · 12/03/2022 21:03

The sarcococca also smells heartbreakingly sweet for about four weeks around Christmas or January each year. And it’s growing in the sort of poor conditions (dry shade, shallow soil) that not much tolerates.

Janedownourlane · 13/03/2022 09:57

We used euonymous 'Jean Hugues' instead of box and its hard to tell the difference except its as tough as old boots! Grows at a similar pace too.

Original poster
Furries · 13/03/2022 10:43

@WashableVelvet

The sarcococca also smells heartbreakingly sweet for about four weeks around Christmas or January each year. And it’s growing in the sort of poor conditions (dry shade, shallow soil) that not much tolerates.
That sounds lovely, I do like a good scent.
OP posts:
Original poster
Furries · 13/03/2022 10:44

@Janedownourlane

We used euonymous 'Jean Hugues' instead of box and its hard to tell the difference except its as tough as old boots! Grows at a similar pace too.
Great, thank you, another one to add to my research list.
OP posts:
buckeejit · 13/03/2022 11:36

We have jut put in a wee box hedge to tidy up a mostly evergreen bed. I wanted to put in ilex crenata which I think we'll have to replace all the box with at some stage. Basically I was too impatient to wait & there was no ilex at the garden centre!

We have big box balls & upright hornbeams as our front garden border

yamadori · 13/03/2022 11:46

Use Ilex crenata instead. It looks very similar to box and you can treat it in the same way.

Original poster
Furries · 13/03/2022 11:52

Blimey, another one to add to my list - thanks! This thread has been a mine of information, really appreciate it.

OP posts:
Bideshi · 13/03/2022 12:38

Ilex crenata is lovely and I have some topiary in it - very tactile. It's quite an expensive option though as it's not the easiest to raise from cuttings. It's the best option if you only have a small run of hedging (I don't). They have tried this at the incomparable topiary garden at Levens Hall, but have found that it dies in patches from black root rot. Probably less suited the the wet west. It would be my aesthetic choice though.

Successful here has been lonicera nitida 'Tidy Tips.' Horrible name, but a dwarf well-behaved form of the usual rather rampant hedging plant. The advantage of this is that it's easy from cuttings and quick. Start with a couple of plants and you have a parterre in no time at all. I've got a 12 square parterre in from of the house and I'm really pleased with it. So, yes, there is life after box.

Original poster
Furries · 13/03/2022 19:18

@Bideshi

Ilex crenata is lovely and I have some topiary in it - very tactile. It's quite an expensive option though as it's not the easiest to raise from cuttings. It's the best option if you only have a small run of hedging (I don't). They have tried this at the incomparable topiary garden at Levens Hall, but have found that it dies in patches from black root rot. Probably less suited the the wet west. It would be my aesthetic choice though.

Successful here has been lonicera nitida 'Tidy Tips.' Horrible name, but a dwarf well-behaved form of the usual rather rampant hedging plant. The advantage of this is that it's easy from cuttings and quick. Start with a couple of plants and you have a parterre in no time at all. I've got a 12 square parterre in from of the house and I'm really pleased with it. So, yes, there is life after box.

Thank you. Any chance if a photo of your parterre? Because I’m nosy like that!
OP posts:
Bideshi · 14/03/2022 12:17

I would, Furries, but it might be outing.

Original poster
Furries · 14/03/2022 17:06

@Bideshi

I would, Furries, but it might be outing.
No problem completely understand.
OP posts:
Sockbogies · 15/03/2022 07:46

As soon as I saw this thread my heart sank! I spent £150 on box hedging last year, started off well but then in the autumn noticed a few plants looking unhealthy. They were full of cobwebby material in the middle so I removed and used an organic spray. Winter comes around and no more damage sustained but that's probably because the little critters have moved on.

So I'm guessing that the same will most likely happen again this year... Confused