[Dotty]

Hi
I have decided to edge the borders in my front garden with box hedging. I only want to it grow to a coupl eof feet high and then keep it trimmed. Can anyone tell me the best type to get and if i bought the small and cheaper ones on offer at the garden centre, how quickly do they grow? I dont want to put them in and find i have to wait 5yrs for them to get to the size i want.

[Debz]

Gardeners World had a section on box hedging last week.  /you should still be able to access it online.

[Gandan57]

You may want to consider alternatives due to the devastating disease box blight. Click on the link and scroll halfway down the page.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00zw24y

[Rampant_Weasel]

www.hedging.co.uk maybe cheaper.

i have done the same thing and used ordinary box as the dwarf one is more expensive per plant.

[Dotty]

Thanks for all the replies.
It seems i need to do a bit more thinking. Dont want to get the blight, although I do love the box.
Thanks weasel for the weblink i shall go take a look
I tried to load the gardeners world programme but i think my broadband is on a go slow. I shall try again later.
So, apart from the box, what would be the best and fastest growing? As i said before i only want it a couple of feet high as i want to create a semi formal olde world type design with gravel path etc.

[Goosegirl]

I live near the sea with winds a-plenty. I got some dwarf Box suffruticosa and it just didn't do. I got the odd replacement Box from local garden centres and found I now have bought two other different types. I have a very medium green, shiny one from B&Q which is doing well, but I took many cuttings from the other ones I got which has a darker, olive-green foilage with grey-green new growth and that seems to be more resistant to the salt winds. I believe Levens Hall is pulling out all of their lower-growing box due to this blight but the faster growing ones are suposed to be more resistant. I haven't found that they need to be cut more than once a year so maybe you could investigate these ones.

[Dotty]

I live near the sea with winds a-plenty. I got some dwarf Box suffruticosa and it just didn't do. I got the odd replacement Box from local garden centres and found I now have bought two other different types. I have a very medium green, shiny one from B&Q which is doing well, but I took many cuttings from the other ones I got which has a darker, olive-green foilage with grey-green new growth and that seems to be more resistant to the salt winds. I believe Levens Hall is pulling out all of their lower-growing box due to this blight but the faster growing ones are suposed to be more resistant. I haven't found that they need to be cut more than once a year so maybe you could investigate these ones.

Thanks goose
Yes, i did a bit of research. I might try the faster growing one.
When you took the cuttings how long did it take for them to root and get going?

[Goosegirl]

In Autumn, I selected little branches with two or three stems growing from them and gently tore them off the main stem to leave a small heel of bark. In the g'house, I trimmed off some of the heel with a sharp gardening knife to leave a clean cut like "/" and removed any lower leaves. I dunked them in hormone rooting powder, shook the excess powder off and dibbed them around the edges in a pot filled with general purpose compost and firmed them in. I stood them in a tray filled with tap water until they were nice and moist. I didn't bother with a poly bag over them but stood the pots in seed trays for a week or so in the cold frame, then they went outside over winter. It was amazing how many took root. In spring, lift them gently out of their pots - they may well all look to have rooted, but you will find one or two haven't. Pot them on or put them in a shaded spare part of your garden until they put on more growth over summer. Plant in late summer while the ground is still warm. They do transplant ok.

[Dotty]

In Autumn, I selected little branches with two or three stems growing from them and gently tore them off the main stem to leave a small heel of bark. In the g'house, I trimmed off some of the heel with a sharp gardening knife to leave a clean cut like "/" and removed any lower leaves. I dunked them in hormone rooting powder, shook the excess powder off and dibbed them around the edges in a pot filled with general purpose compost and firmed them in. I stood them in a tray filled with tap water until they were nice and moist. I didn't bother with a poly bag over them but stood the pots in seed trays for a week or so in the cold frame, then they went outside over winter. It was amazing how many took root. In spring, lift them gently out of their pots - they may well all look to have rooted, but you will find one or two haven't. Pot them on or put them in a shaded spare part of your garden until they put on more growth over summer. Plant in late summer while the ground is still warm. They do transplant ok.

Thanks again Goose

I might just give that a go once i have a decent size plant to take cuttings from

[Goosegirl]

It might be an idea to look for a good sized plant in your garden centre later on so you can get lots of cuttings all in one go. The ones that do best for me have a dark, olive-green, slightly pointed leaf with pale grey-green new growth; another one I got from B&Q has a mid-green, privet-looking and shiny, more rounded leaf. Both are I think classed as more vigorous growing but if, like me, they struggle, you won't have too much of a problem and you should soon achieve a dense small hedge. Maybe hardwoood cuttings at this tme of year will succeed - I'm trying it with trailing dianthus - nothing to lose anyway.

[black diamond]

I started growing Box about ten years ago with 4 plants from Homebase for £1.





When I take the cuttings put 10 in 9cm pot water put in coldframe and just make sure they don't dry out