Why box blight isn't the end of your hedge Didier Hermans advocates varieties such as 'Faulkner," 'Rococo," 'National" or 'Trompenburg." For superb cultural information see his website, buxuscare.com or herplant.be. Good news though: Didier has had the DNA analysis of many strains, and an intensive breeding programme is under way. He thinks they will have box-blight resistant varieties for sale in a couple of years. When bringing in new plants you are frequently bringing in infection, too. Talking to Beatrice Henricot, the principal research scientist for plant pathology at the Royal Horticultural Society, she said when she walks around garden centres she always sees signs of box blight on plants. She advocates putting plants in quarantine for at least three weeks, giving them ideal conditions for blight, i.e. quite a moist environment to make sure they are clean. Do not apply fertiliser if you can avoid it - high nitrogen encourages vulnerable growth. Avoid overhead irrigation too. Cutting box encourages very dense growth. Air movement is restricted and fungal growth is favoured in this close environment. If you can open out the dense inside framework, a process often called "halting clipping," it helps. I talked to some great garden designers who are famed for their use of box. Rupert Golby no longer plants box and thinks it is madness to do so at the moment. He has several high-profile gardens where he has ripped it out and he bemoans the fact that there is no first-rate substitute. Arabella Lennox-Boyd, also renowned for her beautiful box work, pointed out that there is a fabulous low yew hedge at Knightshayes, which must be well over 35 years old and is just a foot high, and looks superb. David Austin, in his rose gardens at Albrighton, also has a 10-year-old yew hedge and it is kept at 30cm (11in) high or so by cutting once a year in early summer, with a following trim in the autumn. Sir Roy Strong also advocates giving the "bonsai" treatment to yew and uses it like this at The Laskett. I think this is the best alternative and I have replaced ailing box with yew (kept very low) in gardens with this disease. Rupert Golby also favours Phillyrea angustifolia, which does work well as a low hedge, kept about 40cm (16in) high. It also forms good shapes when clipped. He points out that when clipped in cold gardens it can succumb to frost damage. Arabella, whose garden is at Gresgarth, near Lancaster,, likes P. angustifolia f. rosmarinifolia, which is even neater, with smaller leaves. Phillyrea latifolia with a larger, glossier and darker leaf has survived -17C (1.4F) with me, but it is a stronger grower and I think maybe more suitable for larger topiary than smaller hedges. Both phillyreas have survived well with me in the east Midlands. Rupert uses lavender, Lavandula vera, for hedges and balls but does not let it flower or it collapses and flops. "Be tough," he says, "and cut just before it flowers and more cuts will be necessary." Rupert loves rosemary hedges too, if also treated this way (no flowering allowed). Rupert finds, as I do, Euonymus japonicus 'Microphyllus" prone to frost damage and variable. At Highgrove they have replaced box in the Kitchen Garden with Teucrium x lucidrys. This form of teucrium forms a better, evergreen hedge than the more common T. chamaedrys. At Highgrove they let it flower (the bees love it) but if you cut it frequently (four times a year) and do not let it flower, it forms a perfect, regular, box-substitute hedge. Ilex crenata 'Dark Green" has been planted at Levens Hall. Chris Crowder, the head gardener, says theirs has been in around 18 months, and seems to go rather worryingly yellow in the sunny areas. I have not had good long-term experiences with this though. Arabella also rates Hebe topiaria and Hebe subalpina, these are slightly looser and need an annual clip to prevent dead wood appearing. Sir Roy Strong planted a golden and green heather knot garden 10 years ago. He loves it. I can recommend it. The Victorians did it. It looks incredibly pretty when it is scattered with its tiny white flowers. But he says it will need replanting in the next few years. He points out that 100 years ago a box parterre would be relaid out every five years or so from scratch.