Make a free box hedge

When to take cuttings

If you need a low-growing, formal hedge to edge the beds in an ornamental vegetable garden or a short hedge to flank the edges of a path, then box is the sophisticated choice.

Box cuttings taken in late summer or early autumn will root quickly and be ready for planting out the following spring.

What to do

How to take cuttings

• Remove sprigs from mature box plants, making sure that each has several branches containing young shoots.
• To prevent the cut material from wilting, collect in a clear polythene bag and sprinkle with water.
• Take each sprig and remove shoots aiming to make a cutting about 10cm (4in) long.
• To do this, cut beneath a leaf joint and remove lower leaves to leave a third of the stem bare.
• Fill a 7.5cm (3in) pot with well-drained compost (50 per cent cuttings compost and 50 per cent horticultural grit), level and firm.

• Insert several cuttings around the edge of the pot, pushing a third of their length into the compost. It may help to make a small hole with a dibber first.
• Make sure you take more cuttings than you think you'll need to compensate for any losses.
• To accelerate rooting, tie a bag around the pot and secure with an elastic band.
• Stand pots in a shady place.

Aftercare

• Cuttings should have rooted within several weeks. Check by carefully lifting pots and seeing whether roots are visible through the drainage holes at the base of the pot.
• Once rooted, carefully split the rootball apart and grow each rooted cutting in its own pot.
• Put in a shady place and keep compost moist.

Planting a hedge

• Once cuttings are established and have developed a strong root system, they can be planted out into a sunny or partly shaded site.
• Space plants 30cm (1ft) apart in well-prepared soil during the spring.
• Keep the area free of weeds to eliminate competition for water and nutrients.

Five to try

• Buxus sempervirens - most widely used for topiary
• B. 'Suffruticosa' - slow growing, best for small hedges
• B. 'Elegantissima' - green leaves edged cream
• B. 'Curly Locks' - unusual, twisted shoots
• B. 'Latifolia Maculata' - golden foliage