We have box trees in the garden and some of them are very old.

We have four different species : the one with small leaves that doesn't smell very nice, the variegated one, the one with big very green leaves that doesn't smell and the dwarf one. I have learned to like box trees thanks to Bill Oddie who recommends to have at least one to help early spring insects. They blossom at the end of February therefore provide food.

Two years ago, in November, I took cuttings and although I watered them well, none of them rooted. I have since read that spring is a better time to do so for evergreen. So yesterday, I cut a few branches, removed all the side stems and cut off the top. I pushed them in the ground along the garden shed in the sun and gave them a good watering. I shall do so every week and hopefully I will have plenty to plant next year to make a nice hedge at the bottom of the garden.

One of our box trees has mahonia growing at it's foot. Mahonia is a yellow flower and I thought that it would be nice to associate a blue one with it so last summer, I planted a bed of blue irises and one white. I just forgot that the two flowers do not blossom at the same time at all !!!! Never mind.