Gardening: ‘Wipe clean your secateurs regularly’

Weeds are not the only things to flourish in these moist and humid times. Box blight, an infectious disease caused by two fungi Cylindrocladium buxicola and Volutella buxi, is now a widespread problem. Both fungi cause leaves and stems of box (Buxus spp) to die back.

There is no known cure, although some fungicides can keep it in check. So what should you look for and what can you do to prevent its spread?

Danger signs: Both fungi turn box turns leaves brown and make them fall. Dead leaves have an almost transparent quality.

C buxicola causes black streaks on stems and their eventual dieback.

In wet growing conditions you may be able to see white (for C buxifolia) or pink (for V buxi) spores on the underside of infected leaves

What to do: Dig up, remove and burn infected plants on site and monitor spread. Daily inspections are recommended. If your box is mature and highly valued, cut out affected stems and foliage, remove fallen leaves and apply fungicide. It is wise not to prune uninfected box close in case cuts and clippings accelerate the spread of disease.

Both fungi survive on fallen leaves and are dispersed in water. Collect and burn clippings. Remove leaf litter. Wipe clean your secateurs regularly; dirty blades can harbour disease. If you are considering new plantings, space well to keep air circulating and moisture levels 
down and support your box with a regular tonic.

Planting alternatives include: Chinese holly (Ilex cornuta ‘Dwarf Burfordii’; I cornuta ‘Convexa’); Boxleaf honeysuckle (Lonicera nitida); Common myrtle (Myrtus communis); Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis); Cotton lavender (Santolina chamaecyparissus); Yew (Taxus baccata); Teucrium x lucidrys; Berberis buxifolia ‘Pygmaea’; Berberis thunbergii ‘Red Pillar’; Cotoneaster horizontalis; Hebe cupressoides ‘Boughton Dome’; Hebe x franciscana ‘Blue Gem’; Japanese holly (Ilex crenata).

• Rebecca Govier, Garden Designer (0781 750 5571; www.greenedgegardendesign.co.uk)