Box blight

Afternoon everyone,
We inherited a significant number of box when we bought our home.
Box caterpillar season is... fun.

I believe we now have blight, made worse by damp conditions this year and last.
(I'm very familiar with caterpillar infestations.)

Is there anything to be done?
If anyone would be kind enough to suggest treatments, I would really like to know about toxicity for domestic animals and wildlife.
If there's a toxicity risk, our animals and our animal visitors take precedence, and the box will have to go.

Best regards - 900 m up

 

Thanks @Loofah.
This was my feeling.

In some ways, I think it's the natural thing to do.
There was certainly no box here when the house was built. It's a recent (ca 25-year) addition.

And then I think about how much digging's going to be required.
And about how much it will change the garden, which has basically been planned around... box.

 

I know what you mean about the changes to the garden @900 m up, I was the same when we took out the box hedges in the back garden.
It used to look so lovely but the caterpillars just started going for it (in the front garden as well), and I decided life was just too short.

To be honest I was pleasantly surprised. It opened the garden up and gave new planting opportunities. Some of the edging was replaced with rope style edging, the rest just left for new planting.
You can use alternatives such as Euonymus if you want a similar look.
As for digging it out, it depends on the size of the hedge, but I found it comparatively easy and I'm no Spring chicken .
I'd suggest giving the roots a really good soak a few hours before starting, and pace yourself .

 

Sarcococca looks hardy enough, @JWK.
Do you know if, given the flowering, it can be shaped?
Our garden is full of balls and cones (we grew out the more adventurous topiary, as well-done as it was).

 

Yew makes good topiary and can also be used for low hedges

 

Thank you @Butterfly6. That's very interesting.
I'll now go and impress my better half with the idea (or, we shall see).

 

Actually, come to think of it, I'm not sure of the wildlife value of yew, although I am fond of it.

 

Thank you, @AnniD, for the helpful advice.
If the worst comes to the worst, there's always a winch.

You may have a point regarding opening the garden up.
We've sort of got used to the formality/architectural structure, but box isn't good for much else, and having a wildlife-friendly garden is close to the top of our list of priorities.

Time to rethink, perhaps.

 

Privet is another option if it grows well in your location. It’s popular with birds, small mammals and insects for shelter and the flowers provide food for pollinators. Birds also use it for nesting.

 

Our box hedge got hit badly last summer leaving the top completely browned off. Box balls untouched as usual. More air around them I guess.
Was thinking of removing it but thought I'd give rescue a final go. So I took the hedge cutter to the tops,removing 5-6 inches.
Removed as many dead leaves and twigs as possible. This year hedge was fed with seaweed and aspirin mix. Theres a lot of new growth but not soft growth so seems more resistant so far. Still a few bare bits but most of hedge is back to full coverage again. Just sprayed it with fungus fighter today too.
Might get hit again who knows but it looks much better now compared to last autumn.
Worth a go ?

 

Thank you @Plantminded. We've been mulling some form of ligustrum over for years now.

 

Worth a go indeed @WeeTam.
Do you have more detail of the seaweed/asprin mix, and perhaps a link to "fungus fighter" (for the latter, I'd need to check active ingredients and source something equivalent here)?