[rookie1]

..Hi there... any thoughts on why our newly planted box plants aren't doing very well? We planted a hedge of plants, which were reasonable sized to start with - in pots approx 8 inch in diameter with the plants a good 12 to 14 inches high. They were planted in March, a couple of weeks before a snowfall, which probably didn't help. We had a few plants left over and when you compare those to the ones in the ground, they are much bigger and bushier than the planted ones.. It appears that the ones we planted have actually shrunk!  Was it the shock of planting them out? Will they recover? Is there anything we can do to help them flourish? They were planted in a trench with compost in the bottom and have been kept moist through any dry periods.  They face east.  Many thanks

[devonbarmygardener]

They take a long time to establish - that much I do know.
I had gaps in my hedge out the front of my house for at least 5 or 6 years if not more.
Only now is it looking good.

You could give it a good dose of FB&B and see if that helps. It might have had a setback from the cold weather.

[rookie1]

thanks Devon ... Will definitely try a bit of F, B & B to give them a boost.  Think you're right with the cold weather putting them back ... let's hope the sun continues to shine for a bit.

[devonbarmygardener]

I'm no expert in box hedges but 11 years after planting mine it now looks great!

[sion01]

You'll be really lucky if they grow much for at least 2 years in my experiance.They'll want to produce a good root system first before putting their energy in to growing anything above ground.