Box Hedging Turns Yellow

Is it worth to protect my box hedging with a polythene sheeting or fleecing over the winter months .I planted another 350 plants in early april,but after loosing the previous hedging I don,t want to happen again.I protected the new plants with windscreening on either side of when planted,they look well established but am concerned,just thought about tenting in ,but unsure.Any information would be grateful.As I live in a pretty exposed area and frost is on the way.

 

I thought Box was native to the UK and fully hardy?

 

Box is perfectly hardy in Britain and shouldn't need protecting. But whatever you do, don't put polythene sheeting over it. If condensation builds up on the inside of the sheeting while touching the leaves, it will have disasterous results if it freezes during the nights.

 

It shouldn't be turning yellow now. Box is normally fully hardy

Where do you live, whats the exposure to winds like, what sort of position and whats the soil like. Is it too wet?

To me it seems like too much water and it needs grit digging into the soil to provide drainage for the roots but this should have been done at planting time.

 

Thanks for the information,if it is any help I live in the most northern part of Scotland a town called Wick.I live very close to the north sea and have a salt air blowing even on a good day.We have already had tempertures close on zero.I previously lost some 350 ready established plants this time last year as I had not protected with screening.Granted these new plants look a lot better with the protection I have given them .I left some of the old hedging to give the new plants shelter.After speaking to local garden centre they recommended fleecing as most of the new plants are barely 6/8''m tall at the moment.I planted these in early april with a compost and earth mix with some bone meal .I at least water the plants every week with a feed every two /three weeks with Miracle Grow.Sorry for being a bit of a bore ,but not very much of a gardener and the cost intially was some 350 pounds.There is a constant wind blowing mainly from North East direction.Cheers.

 

I suspect at this time of year they won't need much watering. The ground is unlikely to dry out under the relentless heat of the sun at this time of year, and so far north I believe (and I could be wrong) that Box is not a very thirsty shrub. The stuff that keeps growing out of my patio (and has now become a feature after I gave up trying to chop it down) never, ever gets watered unless it rains, and even then its growing out of a gap between the bricks, on an raised patio, so there can't be much water in there, but it thrives anyway.

Of course being youngsters they will be a bit more vulnerable, and North-easterly gales can be pretty brutal at times, so perhaps fleece is a good idea if you can get it to stay put

 

Wow that is some investment. I would try a barrier just in front of the little darlings on the windward side. The barrier would be that fine green plastic mesh you can get from the garden centres. It will act as a wind break and given where you are I would stake it well.

Do you know if box succeeds in the conditions you are giving it or is it cruelty to plants

 

Thanks again for the info.As I mentioned earlier I do have wind protection on both sides of hedging staked into ground and stabled round the full perimeter of the area.Just had a wee thought about fleecing.Cheers once again folks and thanks to all.

 

Tattie, get some " frost fleece " and chuck over the top.:gnthb:

 

and you should have stopped feeding by the end of August as this will only encourage new growth which will be soft and more vunerable to frost and wind damage

 

I know box is native, but as far as I know its only native down south.

Not sure it enjoys coastal conditions.

Having said that, box blight is an up an coming problem.

OK a bit negative but being realistic