This week, on the one very, very windy day, Maintenance had a huge bonfire. He was burning three large, variegated box balls which had succumbed to the box tree caterpillar, and burning was by far the best solution to getting rid of the branches which were inevitably full of pupating larva. The rational for digging them up was partly because they looked so awful- brown, shrivelled and not at all decorative. Then we have to get used to the idea that this is now an annual pest- this moth is here to stay. We have a much more important box hedge which divides the garden in half and hides another lawn which then comes as a surprise. If this hedge were to go then it would be very detrimental to the garden layout and a huge logistic feat to take it out, replace it and plant something new. So — we have to concentrate on THIS hedge, which will mean spraying twice a year at least and using pheromone traps and, for reasons of time and money, the box balls had to go. My advice would be that nobody should buy box plants now.
There are plenty of good evergreen alternatives at garden centres now. In a way this is quite exciting. It means that we now have three spaces to decide what to do with. We’ve decided not to rush. We will live with the new airiness for a while before we decide whether we want to fill it again. It does leave rather an unhindered view of the Maintenance Shed – so perhaps new yew trees in the future to shape into pyramids, pagodas or peacocks. Who knows? But the crisis has turned into a wealth of possibilities.
Earlier in the year we were staying at Sissinghurst for a few days – it was April and the White Garden had not reached its zenith, but was full of potential. One of the bulbs that was flowering in it and which looked really lovely was ‘leucojum Gravetye Giant’. It is like a very tall snowdrop with the white flower petals edged in green- a most attractive perennial bulb which I made a note of, can’t think why it has taken me so long to cotton on to it. I have just bought 50. I shall plant them under the mulberry, which is no longer there (did I say that it had split in two and had to be removed?) So that whole area is lighter and brighter and I see it in my mind’s eye in Spring with the leucojum, little narcissi and crocus. Roll on