Japanese box builds a dense, fine twigged framework of small glossy leaves that takes repeated clipping without thinning out at the centre. Its defining trait is the slow growth rate: a clipped line holds its edge for months, so a hedge needs fewer cuts a year than a faster shrub does. That, together with a fibrous shallow root system that tolerates being cut back, is why it remains the standard plant for formal edging, low parterres, clipped balls and topiary. Soil, spacing and the blight that stays in the ground It grows across most of temperate and subtropical Australia in full sun to part shade, and it holds better colour where it gets some afternoon shade in hot inland districts. Expect bronzing through a cold winter, more than English box shows, with green returning as growth starts in spring. Soil is where most hedges are lost: this plant will not tolerate heavy clay that stays wet, and it rots out in patches that never fill again, so raise the bed and work coarse compost through it before planting. Space three to five plants per metre for a low edge, wider for anything at knee height. The failure to plan for is box blight. It shows as dark leaf spots, black streaking on young stems and sudden bare patches, and it spreads on wet foliage, on clippings and on dirty shears. The fungus survives in fallen leaf litter and in the soil itself, which is why replanting box straight back into the same trench so often fails a second time. Clip in dry weather, rake debris out from under the hedge rather than letting it sit, water at ground level, and clean blades between plants. What box does that Snow Maiden and viburnum cannot Nothing else in this range clips as finely, but two plants cover jobs box is often asked to do badly. For a low line in full sun and reflected heat, Indian Hawthorn Snow Maiden holds a rounded shape with far less cutting and flowers as well, though it will never read as formal. For anything above waist height, or where you want screening rather than a drawn line, Sandankwa Viburnum gets there in a fraction of the time. Choose box when the geometry is the point: parterres, balls, path edging, or a permanent hedge below knee height. See the wider range in hedges. Clipping a slow hedge, and feeding it Trim during the growing season, from spring to early autumn, taking small amounts often rather than one hard cut. Avoid clipping in the middle of a hot day, which scorches the freshly cut leaf edges, and stop before cold weather so the last flush hardens off. Feed in early spring and again after midsummer with a complete slow release fertiliser, keeping mulch clear of the stems. Yellowing across a whole hedge at once usually means it is hungry rather than diseased, and established plants respond well to a liquid feed after each trim.Choosing a sizeThis plant is available in 3 sizes, from 140mm up to 300mm, priced from $16.95 to $99.95 per plant. The size shown is the pot the plant arrives in, which is the rootball, not the height of the plant. These are younger plants, priced for planting in quantity, and they establish quickly once in the ground. Not sure which to choose? Read our guide to hedging plants for Australian conditions.
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