Propagating Box, and clipping it small

[JohnD]

I like the smell of a Box hedge. However the plants seem quite expensive. Is it easy or difficult to propagate, and is it best done with green cuttings?

Can I keep it clipped to a "step-over" miniature hedge around a border?

 

[Lorena]

hello,
to propagate box, you should take cuttings, green ones, about 3-4 inches long in August or September and pot into equal parts peat/sand mix and put in cold frame/greenhouse. Following Spring they should have rooted and then you need to grow on in a nursery bed or individual pots for a couple of years before setting out into permanent positions.

No, they're not cheap to buy. 'Suffruticosa' is the dwarf form used for stepover hedging.

All in all, takes a lot of time and trouble. If it was my decision, being impatient, I'd foot the expense and buy them already done

 

[JohnD]

thanks

does the dwarf one have the same smell?

how small can I keep a standard box?

 

[Thermo]

how many are you looking at needing john?

 

[JohnD]

probably a row about 8ft long

 

[Thermo]

pm me how many and what size, i might be able to help you out

 

[JohnD]

you have mail

 

[Thermo]

so do you!

 

[JohnD]

you have more mail!

(I have been on holiday)

 

[Thermo]

ill see what i can come up with over the weekend