HEDGING is one of those parts of a garden we don’t tend to take a lot of notice of, except when it comes to the need to trim them.
There are many different types to choose from that can do many different types of jobs, from providing privacy to the hedgerow types which provide great cover for health giving herbaceous plants for stock.
The one I want to focus on this week is the box hedge, otherwise known as buxus (usually sempervirens, although there are other varieties).
Within this group, there are several different types, but the overall look of them is a dense evergreen bushy hedge that holds its form very well with little trimming required unless you have a formal garden in which case it takes to precise trimming well.
This is one of the oldest known hedges in the world – there are accounts written of it being used in the garden, and the wood of it as furniture as far back as in the 8th Century BC in the court of King Midas of Phrygia.
It was used extensively in ancient Rome and throughout the ages in many of the upper-class gardens of Europe through until modern times to provide borders, topiary (shaped bushes) and unique patterned garden edging – and was renowned in the making of furniture and musical instruments because it is a hardwood.
It is a great plant for sheltering young plants in gardens that can be prone to wind. This is the time of year when it’s great to take cuttings of box hedging to propagate it. Take sprigs from a healthy bush up to about 10cm long, removing the lower half of the shoots.
Don’t let the shoots wilt – you really want to be doing this in the early morning or late afternoon, put a bit of water with them as you gather them.
I use rooting hormone powder, dip the shoot end into this and plant into prepared small bags or pots of seedling garden mix. Keep in a warm, sheltered place that gets sun for a good percentage of the day, don’t let dry out though – these must be kept moist.
They’ll take about three months to develop a good root system that will allow you to plant out – which works fine, as mid spring is a good time to do that.
For the first few years of life, they do need regular watering, every two to our weeks in the dry season, weekly when it is really hot.
