[Goosegirl]

I should have trimmed my box hedges before now, but didn't get round to it. Am I too late?

[Kristen]

I wouldn't - in fact I wouldn't cut Box later than the traditional box trimming time of "Derby Day" (although I would choose a time when dry weather was forecast for a week, following.)

The risk of Box Blight is great, and freshly cut wood, now, will have little time to heal, and lots of damp / wet to give the Blight a chance

[Kevin67]

Oh dear... I must be cruel!

If it was ornamental then no, but if it was functional, is at the front of the house and it was bugging me enough, then yes. Around about now is my final cut for the year and luckily? I have not had any problems, fingers crossed.

[Kristen]

Monty Don had to rip all his Box edging hedges out this Spring as he had lost his battle against Box Blight ... I seem to remember him saying something about having cut it late.  Anyways, personal choice but, personally , I'd live with it shaggy until next Derby Day - around these parts, at least, its been a wet Autumn.

[Goosegirl]

Ah - thanks for that - guessed as much. Having spent over 10 years achieving a decent box hedge around part of my garden (eventually ditched the suffruticosas and took loads of cuttings from the darker green basic variety), I'm not tempting fate. Didn't Levens Hall have to dig up some of theirs due to blight? By the way, when's Derby Day??

[Kristen]

Didn't Levens Hall have to dig up some of theirs due to blight?

Seem to remember seeing something on a  gardening program a couple of years back which, assuming my ageing memory can be trusted!, was from Levens Hall and they were trying a number of alternatives as replacements.  Ilex crenata (Japanese Box) springs to mind, but its an obvious alternative so might not have been from Levens specifically.  Dashed slow to grow though, let alone replace an existing established hedge ...

There are always companies like Instant Hedge ... I looked for something relatively fast growing and they wanted £200 per metre for that  , so Box / slow growing dwarf hedging is probably more

By the way, when's Derby Day??

Beginning of June - you'll get a reminder to cut your Box plants on the news - with all the ladies dressed in their finery