History

It is believed that hedges have been used in gardens since sometime around the 6th century. Originally they were used as boundaries, much as we use them today, around smaller areas within gardens, however, later on their use extended to forms of stock control. As time passed, they were used as features of the gardens, rather than just for practical purposes. Many different types of plants are used for many different hedges. However, one type of plant is still the most popular hedge plant used – Buxus sempervirens or Box Hedge. Buxus is a very dense small-leaved evergreen, with dark green glossy foliage. It is slow growing and shade tolerant. It has also traditionally been used for topiary work.

Propagation

Buxus is normally propagated by taking semi-ripe cuttings in late summer/early autumn. This is when cuttings are taken from a stem of the current season’s growth. Remove leaves from the bottom third of the cutting, trim the remaining leaves, dip the cutting in rooting hormone and place into prepared medium. Ensure they are watered as necessary and a fungicide applied regularly to help prevent / control any diseases. Once roots have formed, transplant them carefully as the new roots may well be brittle.

Planting a Hedge

Organise your area with string lines and pegs to ensure you get the lines straight, and the planting distances even. Buxus should be planted about 25cm apart. Any closer and the hedge will grow taller as the plants compete for light. They prefer sun or semi-shade and any, but waterlogged, soil.

They are relatively hardy plants, and don’t need any special treatment at this stage – however, use of a long term fertiliser is always a good idea at planting time. Always remember to water them thoroughly after planting and keep them well watered until they are well established. Use of compost will also help.

Pruning a Hedge

One of the great things about Buxus is that they are relatively slow growing, and therefore should only need one trim a year. Other species commonly used for hedging can require almost monthly pruning, and if you’ve many metres of hedging, this can become quite a mission!

Again, use of pegs and string lines is a good idea to help ensure you get the top of the hedge an even height. Buxus should be trimmed in summer, or any time in warmer areas, and any time in colder areas, except winter. Tip pruning can occur at any time as required.

Initially, you can just tip-prune the plants to help encourage them to branch out, rather than grow tall and straight. This will also help with the density of the bushes as well. Then, leave them to grow to the desired height before you ‘prune’ them properly. This pruning should be quite severe, to encourage low branching until the base of the plants are well filled in. From here on, it should only be necessary to prune to maintain shape and height. Tipping will always help to increase density should it be required.

On-going Care

Buxus appreciate feeding with a good liquid fertiliser such as Nitrosol. Keep an eye out for fungal diseases and spray with a fungicide whenever necessary. If your hedge becomes overgrown, take care not to trim severely too often, as this can cause various plants to die off.