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Buxus or Taxus?

Flo7Flo7 Posts: 33
in Plants
Hi I'm planning to frame the borders in my front garden with a hedge of about 40cm height. The site is south-facing, baking in the sun most of the day, drainage in the top soil is fine, but there is clay at about 1.5 feet depth. Would you go for box, or yew? I would prefer yew, but I'm worried about the height restriction. Any opinions would be much appreciated!
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  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 86,036

    I'd go for taxus every time - I love yew imageimage - and I've seen it work well in knot gardens so no reason why the height will be a problem. 

    The clay subsoil shouldn't be a problem either - 18" of topsoil sounds fine to me.  I've known lots of healthy yews on the clay subsoil of High Suffolk.  Prepare well, digging in organic matter, and they should be fine. 

    I wouldn't use buxus - it'd break my heart to lose it to box blight.


    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • chickychicky Posts: 10,391

    I agree with Dove ....we planted box edging and are now forever fearful of blight.  If I were starting again I would definitely go for yewimage

  • RainbowfishRainbowfish Posts: 276

    I know not box or yew but if its south facing you could try lavender? great for bees and loves gettting baked by the sun and can look neet and hedge like if clipped after flowering. There is a restaurant/hotel (some place with a french name :P) near us with a fantastic lavender hedge

  • RainbowfishRainbowfish Posts: 276

    http://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/06/06/a2/1b/belmond-le-manoir-aux.jpg

     

    http://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/08/79/04/6b/belmond-le-manoir-aux.jpg

     

  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 34,542

    I too am concerned about 40cm. What about ilex crenata?

    Devon.
  • Flo7Flo7 Posts: 33
    Oh wow, many thanks for the many, very useful replies! The design itself I think should work, but the "material" has been the main concern. I am trying to bring some formality into the front garden to tie different parts of it together - it looks bitty at the moment. So some formal hedging with informal planting seems like a good solution to me.
  • RainbowfishRainbowfish Posts: 276

    Unfortunately not my lavender, belongs to Raymond Blanc down the road  ut it is a fantastic example of lavender planting. Would love to plant this if we ever had a house with a south facing front garden.

  • TootsietimTootsietim Posts: 178

    I believe David Austin's rose gardens are edged with yew at around 12 inches high and broad. Sir Roy Strong is also an advocate of dwarf hedging with yew. 

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