The boxwood is a shrub often used as a hedge in English gardens. It has beautiful bright green, evergreen, small leaves, and it tolerates pruning well and produces many new leaves and branches, making it ideal for hedges.
In recent years, the spread of the fungal disease box blight in the UK and the increase in boxwood moths has led to a move away from hedges of boxwoods in favour of hedges of other plants.
We have been growing boxwood hedges in our garden potager for the last ten years. Box blight fortunately does not seem to occur in Japan, but box moths have long been known as a pest and occur several times a year. Biological methods are used to control it. This is a highly safe method that uses bacteria harmful only to certain caterpillars, rather than insecticides.
The key to control is early detection. The feeding damage starts mainly on new, tender branches and leaves, so early detection and elimination will avoid the appearance of the caterpillars being cruelly eaten away.
Therefore, we regularly patrol the boxwoods. Particular attention is paid to the new leaves and branches. There were no signs of pests on this visit.
セイヨウツゲはイングリッシュガーデンで生垣によく使われる低木です. 常緑で小さな葉の明るい緑色が美しく、剪定にもよく耐えて、新しい枝葉をたくさん出してくるので、生垣に最適です.
近年、イギリスではボックスブライトという真菌による病気が拡がり、ツゲノメイガも増えてきて、セイヨウツゲの生垣をやめて他の植物の生垣にするような動きが出てきているようです.
私たちの庭のポタジェではこの10年、セイヨウツゲの生垣を育ててきました. ボックスブライトは幸い日本では発生していないようですが、ツゲノメイガは古くから害虫として知られており、年に数回発生します. 駆除には生物学的な方法が用いられています. 殺虫剤ではなく、ある種の芋虫だけに有害な細菌を使用する安全性が高い方法です.
駆除の要点は早期発見です. 主に新しい柔らかな枝葉に食害が始まりますので、それを早めに見つけて駆除すると、無残に食べられて見かけが悪くなるのを避けることができます.
そこで、定期的にセイヨウツゲの見回りをしています. 特に新しい枝葉の部分を詳しく観察します. 今回の見回りでは害虫の兆候はありませんでした.
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| New leaves of boxwood セイヨウツゲの新緑 |
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