Box blight

If you would be leaving your some/all of the hedging/topiary large and unclipped enough to flower and for birds to nest then yew has as many wildlife benefits as ligustrum. Bird love the berries and it’s good for nesting. I like the look of flowering privet but the smell, for me, is too overpowering.

 

I'm not really a hedge or topiary guy so can't help much with suggestions but if you have a lot of plants to replace can I suggest using a mix of species as it is more natural, covers you if you get a problem with one and spreads the potential benefits.

There are a few suggestions here Alternatives to Box | BBC Gardeners World Magazine although I'm not sure lavender and a couple of the others would do well 900m up.

 

Thank you, @Butterfly6, for the tip.

 

Good idea, @Thevictorian. And probably more in keeping with how the garden would have looked when it was first laid out a little over a century ago.
Thank you for the link.
Our lavender is actually spectacular. The usual good covering of snow seems to keep it cosy through the frosts.

 

I put 50ml seaweed with 2 aspirin in a 10 ltr can ,watered at the base.
The Bayer Fungus Fighter was old stock no longer available in UK I think.

 

Thanks, @WeeTam.
I read the list of active components.
Where did you get your hazmat suit?

But seriously, I may try this approach next spring.
If I do, I'll post results here.

Thanks again -
900 m up

 

You can get disposable overalls from DIY stores (or Amazon/EBay) They are intended for painting/decorating or you could consider the protective suits used by car paint shops.

 

Thanks @NigelJ.

 

Ilex crenata is a good alternative the only downside is in recent years when the Box moth and blight have become more prevalent the price has rocketed...Lonicera is a good alternative.

 

Thanks @lolimac.
I'll run ilex crenata by my partner.
Lonicera: I suspect it might struggle with the heat (when we have some). Air temperature alone can reach upper 30s Celsius.
Also, I'm not sure how it would take to being hit by 80 kg of snow sliding off the roof. (Which the box has shown remarkable resilience to.)

 

Mine's a tale of double woe. I lost a dozen or so box to the caterpillar, cut them back savagely, only to find the dreaded webs forming soon after next spring's growth started. I dug them out, and a warning to anyone thinking it's an easy dig, the root systems are very strong, leaving quite a hole. I'd heard that Ilex Crenata is an alternative, so when I saw some by chance at the lovely garden centre at Batsford Arboretum, and small plants only 10 x £1.99, I bought 10, even though I wasn't sure what I'd end up doing with them. Fast forward to now; Ilex still in (larger) pots and I just noticed a week ago that 2 have had all leaves eaten, with a third well on the way. No idea of the culprit, but suffice to say I won't be banking on an Ilex formation anywhere.

RHS says "Ilex crenata used to be recommended as an ideal alternative to box. From our experience and members’ enquiries, this plant dislikes hot, dry summers and cold, wet winters. It thrives best in cool summer temperatures and well-drained, slightly acidic soil that has summer moisture. This may make it an unsuitable choice for many gardens in the UK."

We are in Milton Keynes, for info., and of course this winter and particularly spring have been wettest ever, but we'd never had problems like this till we lost our small number of euonymus bushes 5 years ago, after they had thrived for 15-20 years.

 

It's worth visiting the alternative box garden at RHS Wisley...lots of Podocarpus that looks great
Box alternatives trial at RHS Garden Wisley

 

Thanks @DaveMK. "dislikes hot, dry summers and cold, wet winters".
That's a very precise description of what we have here.

 

Excellent, @amancalledgeorge.
Thanks for the link.