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Buxus sempervirens

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Sandra

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Buxus sempervirens
« on: January 19, 2012, 01:20:39 PM »
Has anyone experience of growing Buxus sempervirens in Greece? I was inspired by the article about Nicole de Vesian's garden in the MGS journal last Autumn and seeing such inspirational use of evergreen topiary. Will it thrive or is it going to be too hot and dry during the summer months?

Sandra
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Sandra Panting
I garden in the Southern Peloponnese, Greece and will soon be creating a small garden in Northampton, England.  I'm co-head of the MGS Peloponnese group and a member of the RHS.
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Fleur Pavlidis

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Re: Buxus sempervirens
« Reply #1 on: January 19, 2012, 04:34:05 PM »
I haven't had much luck with box here in Attica. Of my many tries only the plant below survives and as you can see it is slowly giving up. Far more successful seems to be the Box Honeysuckle, indentified for me here on the Forum. it can apparently be clipped in the same way as box and as you can see this young plant from a cutting taken in 2009 is growing away well
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MGS member, Greece. I garden in Attica, Greece and Mt Goulinas (450m) Central Greece

Hilary

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Re: Buxus sempervirens
« Reply #2 on: January 19, 2012, 06:40:39 PM »
I had a Box plant in a pot,  on the hot sunny  south facing balcony, which died.
I got another one for the north facing balcony and  one part of it died.
Now it is still on the north facing balcony and enjoys the water from the air con in the summer but is not all that thrilling having an odd shape
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MGS member
Living in Korinthos, Greece.
No garden but two balconies, one facing south and the other north.
Most of my plants are succulents which need little care
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Alisdair

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Re: Buxus sempervirens
« Reply #3 on: January 21, 2012, 11:41:50 AM »
I have one box plant here in Greece, irrigated for its first few years but then left dry. Now about 14 years old, it's about the size that I would have expected in one-third the time in the UK. So unless you are extremely patient, Sandra, I'd be inclined to follow Fleur's advice and use a substitute. I've seen both some of the more compact teucriums and the Tarentina myrtle used quite successfully as topiary in the Mediterranean.
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Alisdair Aird
Gardens in SE England (Sussex); also coastal Southern Greece, and (in a very small way) South West France; MGS member (and former president); vice chairman RHS Lily Group, past chairman Cyclamen Society
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MikeHardman

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Re: Buxus sempervirens
« Reply #4 on: January 21, 2012, 10:41:12 PM »
While we're on the subject of alternatives, do we (the MGS forum collective consciousness) have an idea if Lonicera nitida / pileata would do in med. gardens?  I suspect they might, like box, underperform, but I have no actual experience of them here.
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Mike
Geologist by Uni training, IT consultant, Referee for Viola for Botanical Society of the British Isles, commissioned author and photographer on Viola for RHS (Enc. of Perennials, The Garden, The Plantsman).
I garden near Polis, Cyprus, 100m alt., on marl, but have gardened mainly in S.England

ezeiza

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Re: Buxus sempervirens
« Reply #5 on: January 22, 2012, 04:40:00 AM »
In my expereince and in not a totally summer dry climate it can not stand the heat.
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Daisy

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Re: Buxus sempervirens
« Reply #6 on: January 22, 2012, 10:31:59 AM »
I had also heard that Buxus sempervirens was not the best plant for a mediterranean climate.
However, I thought I would at least try some.
I have two in pots, and three in the ground.
The two in the pots get watered weekly, and the three in the ground are watered once a fortnight during the summer, along with the whole garden.
One of them gets some shade during the day. The others are in full sun.
They have only been planted for one year, but so far, they are all well, happy and thriving.
The only care I give them, is to clip them in the early evening, so that the cut edges do not burn.
Daisy :)
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Amateur gardener, who has gardened in Surrey and Cornwall, England, but now has a tiny garden facing north west, near the coast in north east Crete. It is 300 meters above sea level. On a steep learning curve!!! Member of both MGS and RHS

David Bracey

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Re: Buxus sempervirens
« Reply #7 on: January 22, 2012, 09:38:11 PM »
Buxus grows well in the Languedoc, both in containers and on the garrigue where it is indigenous, of course the container shrub will require some water most days in the summer.  On the garrigue they go into a state of "senescence" and seem to dry out but burst into life with the first rain. 
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MGS member.

 I have gardened in sub-tropical Florida, maritime UK, continental Europe and the Mediterranean basin, France. Of the 4 I have found that the most difficult climate for gardening is the latter.

Umbrian

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Re: Buxus sempervirens
« Reply #8 on: January 23, 2012, 06:01:44 PM »
Mike, I planted two lonicera nitida about7/8 years ago to train into topiary shapes for my two grandsons. One chose to have a rabbit and the other a heart!  Even here I have to trim them at least twice a year and both are still alive (no irrigation ) The heart is flourishing because the shape is more compact but the rabbit is a bit sparse, especially around the ears. I will try to find a photo to post when I have a bit more time. I also interplanted some variegated ones on a bank between low growing cotoneaster but these are not doing anywhere near as well, quite straggly and sparse all over despite pruning back to encourage more bushy growth. (I think they are naturally more arching in nature though)
In a garden, where I was called in for advice the other year, there was a lot of lonicera pileata doing a fine "ground cover" job. This garden is situated at about 700m but has "absentee landlords" and so does not receive a lot of attention.
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MGS member living and gardening in Umbria, Italy for past 19 years. Recently moved from my original house and now planning and planting a new small garden.
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John

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Re: Buxus sempervirens
« Reply #9 on: January 23, 2012, 11:02:56 PM »
With Lonicera nitida for larger ornate topiary I would suggest a support structure as I have seen it contort it's shape somewhat when it gets quite large. maybe even for a larger hedge.
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John
Horticulturist, photographer, author, garden designer and plant breeder; MGS member and RHS committee member. I garden at home in SW London and also at work in South London.

David Bracey

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Re: Buxus sempervirens
« Reply #10 on: January 24, 2012, 04:24:16 PM »
Hervé Canals in the Drome, South of France grows the following species which may be of interest:Buxus henryi, Buxus wallichii and certains cultivars of B. microphylla and of B. sempervirens.
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MGS member.

 I have gardened in sub-tropical Florida, maritime UK, continental Europe and the Mediterranean basin, France. Of the 4 I have found that the most difficult climate for gardening is the latter.

ezeiza

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Re: Buxus sempervirens
« Reply #11 on: January 25, 2012, 03:02:39 AM »
Which one is that with attractively dissected leaves?
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MikeHardman

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Re: Buxus sempervirens
« Reply #12 on: January 27, 2012, 10:58:48 AM »
re Lonicera spp. - interesting observations - thanks.
I am not surprised that they need support as topiary; I am familiar with lanky specimens in the UK.
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Mike
Geologist by Uni training, IT consultant, Referee for Viola for Botanical Society of the British Isles, commissioned author and photographer on Viola for RHS (Enc. of Perennials, The Garden, The Plantsman).
I garden near Polis, Cyprus, 100m alt., on marl, but have gardened mainly in S.England
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