Buxus Tide Hill
Notify MeWhere most box grows upward, 'Tide Hill' spreads. This Korean box selection makes a low dense mound considerably wider than it is tall, with small oval leaves that are a fresher, lighter green than English box and hold their colour well through cold weather. Growth is slow and tight, so the plant keeps its shape with very little cutting.
That flat habit suits jobs the upright boxes do badly. Use it as a clipped edge only a hand-span high, as evergreen cover across a bank or between shrubs, along the top of a retaining wall, or in a rock garden where its neat texture sits well against stone. It is one of the better small evergreens for a shallow container.
Give it sun or light shade and free-draining soil improved with compost. Korean box handles cold and exposure well and takes both frost and coastal wind. Space plants 30 to 40 cm apart for a continuous low band. Avoid heavy ground that stays wet in winter, which is the main cause of thin patchy growth.
Grows around 0.3 to 0.5 m tall and 0.6 to 1 m across at maturity.
Trimming: One clip in late spring is usually enough, with a light tidy in late summer if the edges have moved. Do not cut in autumn. Because it is so slow, take a little off rather than a lot and let the shape build.
Fertilising: Apply a slow-release hedging fertiliser as growth begins in spring, then once more in December where the plant is being pushed to fill a gap. Mulch after feeding to hold moisture around the shallow roots.
Watering: Establish with regular water for the first two summers. Once settled it handles dry spells better than English box, though container plants still need checking through summer.
Pest Control: Buxus psyllid distorts the new spring growth and is treated with horticultural oil as buds break. Scale insects can build up on older stems in a crowded planting.
Disease Management: New Zealand has box blight, and a low spreading habit traps moisture more readily than an upright one. Keep water off the foliage, clear leaf litter from inside the plant, and disinfect shears between plants when clipping a run.
Enjoy complimentary delivery anywhere in mainland New Zealand when you purchase plants worth $250 or more*.
For orders below $250, the following flat-rate delivery charges are applicable:
- Urban delivery within mainland New Zealand: $19.95
- Rural delivery within mainland New Zealand: $39.95
- Waiheke, Chatham and Great Barrier Islands: Please contact us for shipping options.
We aim to have all orders shipped within 14 days from the order date, unless a different shipping date is specified alongside a product.
