How to Grow English Box

Choose a place in the garden that gets full sun to part shade. Prepare the planting area well by digging in Yates Dynamic Lifter Soil Improver & Plant Fertiliser.

Dig the planting hole twice as wide and to the same depth as the root-ball. Remove the plant from the container, gently tease the roots.

Position in hole and backfill with potting mix, gently firming down.  Form a raised or doughnut shaped ring of soil around the outer edge of the plant's root zone. This helps keep water where it's needed.  Always water in well after planting to settle the soil around the roots and keep the soil moist for several weeks while the new plant establishes.

Mulch around the base with organic mulch such as bark chips, sugar cane or pea straw, keeping it away from the trunk.  Water in well.

Feed occasionally with Yates Dynamic Lifter Soil Improver & Plant Fertiliser to ensure strong root development.

Choose a pot that is at least twice the size of the selected plant. Position in a part of the garden that receives full sun to part shade.

Fill the pot with a quality potting mix, such as Yates Potting Mix with Dynamic Lifter.

Remove the plant from the container, gently tease the roots and cut away any circled or tangled roots.

Position in a hole and backfill with potting mix, gently firming down.

Mulch around the base with organic mulch such as bark chips, sugar cane or pea straw and water in well.

Feed occasionally with Yates Dynamic Lifter Soil Improver & Plant Fertiliser to ensure strong root development.

• Make sure the soil is well draining.
• Water regularly during establishment and water longer-term only when top soil dries out.
• Prune regularly to keep the desired shape, we suggest twice a year in Spring and Autumn to avoid sunburn over the summer months. English Box prefers slightly alkaline soil, try adding some garden lime to maintain a soil pH reading of about pH7.5.
• Potted topiary may need to be re-potted every 2-3 of years.
• The suggested planting interval is 4 per meter (25cm spacing).
• There are also dwarf box available for compact dense borders, planting interval is 15cm spacing for dwarf form.

If it's winter and the leaves are turning orange, this is normal. The leaves will recover again in spring. Just give the plant a feed to help it recover.

If the orange "stuff" can be rubbed off, it is likely to be Rust.