IdI'sd s

say what?

Sorry. Houzz won't let me type in a full answer straight away. It'll take the first word then I have to submit and go back in to edit. Also it adds rubbish to the first word. I was doing this late last night and had retyped a long answer which then pouffed. So I gave up.

I have to agree with floral regarding the investment. I stopped buying boxwood some years ago because of blight issues. I haven't had any major problems myself with it, but I figure why buy more if it might happen? Especially if you are using them for such a large area - it would be heartbreaking to lose a whole hedge

I used to have a garden maintenance business and one of my customers had very low boxwood edgings around all her beds. They were only about a foot high, if even. One of our garden chores was to trim them and then take all the cuttings, dip them in rooting powder, and extend or fill in the edgings. I can say it worked, but I can't say how long it took her to get all the extensive edging she had, or what she started with. I guess she had an advantage because she kept them so small she had lots of cuttings.

So I would try that method first, if you have the patience.

Why are the ones you got pathetic lol? Neglected, diseased, or just small?

:)

Dee

I had a lot of boxwood at one time and they all succumbed to blight. I tried to keep them to the point of pruning off any dead foliage every year, but eventually, it just was not working. They looked awful most of the time and keeping them pruned back was a chore I was not looking forward to every spring. I have one left, a Green Mountain I believe, and it seems to be okay, but I need to move it into a better location.

I've stopped buying them too.

I like japanese hollies. I have a couple of Ilex crenata 'Sky Pencil' which have been trouble free for 10+ years. I didn't try to duplicate the effect of boxwood in the garden or I would have bought more varieties of the crenata varieties. It does not equal english boxwood, but it is another choice for an evergreen in the garden. And it berries too. I don't know how it would work for topiary.