Box Hedging - Planting Design Ideas | Garden Designer

Box hedging is an evergreen hedging.

When asked to visualise evergreen hedging, most people will first think of tall clipped yew hedges or possibly the infamous Leylandii. But Box, Buxus sempervirens, is likely to be close to the top of their list. It’s well known for its use in parterre gardens and stately homes.

Box also has a place in smaller domestic gardens, it makes a formal, easily maintained hedge for a front garden, with or indeed without, any further planting.

Box Hedging – a bit of History

Historically, Buxus sempervirens has been used as an herbal remedy; not one to eat though, as the plant is toxic. A decoction of the leaves was popular to promote the growth of glossy hair in both humans and horses.

Traditionally, box has been used as a favourite plant in parterres and knot gardens in Britain since the seventeenth century. A parterre is a garden design which is a pattern edged with neat low evergreen hedging. Box was used widely in Italy, Holland and France for this purpose; most noticeably from the Renaissance period, but Buxus was also popular with the Romans as part of their formal gardens.

Box Hedging – Planting Design Ideas

The glossy green foliage makes an elegant foil to a wide range of flowering and foliage plants. Adding other garden plants behind the box hedge gives variation during the year.

For example, a deep red or purple leaved Acer which also likes a bit of shade would look lovely during spring summer and autumn surrounded by your box hedging. Acers are slow growing, so depending on how quickly you want the impact from this planting design, you may have to spend a reasonable sum of money.

Growing spring flowering bulbs such as white tulips behind your box hedge is very chic; white shows up well at dusk, so you would be able to enjoy the scheme as you come home from work in the evening. After flowering, the dying foliage is partly hidden by the box hedging so is less of an eyesore for those who want to leave their tulips in situ for a good display next year.

A winter display can be achieved by planting cornus, also known as dogwood, behind your box hedge. The coloured stems are the attraction, with red, black, yellow, lime green all available. A restricted palette of green box hedging, with black cornus stems over winter and white tulips in spring would look very effective in the garden of a contemporary house with clean architectural lines. It would also look effective as a small front garden design against a traditional half-timbered black and white cottage.

Box is of course also used as a topiary plant. Box cones and balls can look elegant placed either side of a front door where the house is symmetrical. They can also be effective in adding height to an otherwise low formal planting design.

Box Hedging – care and problems

Box hedging can be bought as young, bare root plants during the autumn and winter which is an economical way of achieving a large amount of low hedge. Container grown Buxus can be planted at any time of the year.

Box will grow in both clay soils and sandy soils; it will tolerate a shady spot, and indeed, if you’re looking for easy maintenance, will need very little watering once established if planted in a shady rather than a sunny garden. Clipping the box hedging to encourage and maintain tidy growth should be needed only once or twice a year.

The main issues with Buxus are box blight, a fungal infection which is having serious repercussions in many historic gardens. And also box tree caterpillar. Research is being carried out to develop resistant strains of box. Although a major problem, it doesn’t prevent box hedging from being one of the more popular garden plants; not least due to its versatility within garden designs.

What is Box Blight?

Box Blight is a disease that affects the stems and leaves of Buxus plants and is caused by the fungus Cylindrocladium buxicola. The fungi invade the plant tissue, interfering with its water supply, thereby killing the cells.
This disease needs damp, humid conditions to spread, so it’s particularly common during the autumn months. Minor cases can usually be successfully treated, but serious cases mean removing and destroying the infected plants.

What is Box moth caterpillar?

Box moth caterpillar, or Box tree caterpillar, Cydalima perspectalis, has only been around in private gardens in the home counties since 2011. But it has become a real problem, not just in south east England but throughout the United Kingdom.
The caterpillars can totally defoliate Box plants, leaving it covered instead by their webbing. They are most active from April to October.