| Description | Hyssopus officinalis
Hyssop is a perennial shrub in the mint family. It is a narrow, upright shrub that grows to about 70cm tall and only about 15cm wide. It loves sun, so a hot sunny position with well drained soil is best. When this plant is nourished enough it will produce small vibrant blue flowers. It looks very attractive in the garden, and bees love it. It's also a favourite with butterflies and hummingbirds. Traditionally Hyssop was used in ancient times as an insecticide, therefore, it makes a very good companion plant. It will repel flea beetles and cabbage moths, so planting near your cabbages and grapevines is a great place for this plant. Hyssop is a flavourful addition to salads soups and stews. Although the Hyssop is not for everyone, as it has quite a bitter aroma and flavour. Extracts of this plant have been used in soaps and perfumes, and to flavour liqueurs, puddings, and candy. When harvesting hyssop, dry the stems indoors away from sunlight, then remove the leaves and flowers. You can then grind these and store in a jar or air tight container away from sunlight. The woody stems lack flavour. To harvest the seeds, let the seed pods brown and dry out, the seeds are then easily removed, also store these in an air tight container out of the sun. Hyssop has expectorant, anti inflammatory and tonic affects. It can also lower fever. The flowers can be used for coughs. And the entire plant is used for fevers, bronchitis, upper respiratory tract infections, and colds. It can also be used to aid digestion, and to ease flatulence and colic. The flowers and leaves are also used on cuts and bruises. And the essential oils of this plant can be added to baths to help chest and bronchial problems. This also helps combat exhaustion. All in all, this herb is a great little all rounder that's easy to grow! | Buxus sempervirens
Want to buy cheap English Box? This is the size for you. English Box is popular because:
• Low maintenance, only requiring 1-2 prunings a year
• Evergreen with no flowers
• Can be used for hedging, topiary balls, cones, squares, spirals and standards
3"/7cm pot size.
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| Content | | Want to buy cheap English Box?
The 3" pot size are our cheapest English Box plants. While not as big as our other varieties, if you want to establish an English Box hedge as economically as possible, these are for you!
We typically have some of the cheapest English Box available in any retail nursery in Melbourne. These are bigger, bushier and more advanced than your average 3″ tubes of box.
For perfect English Box borders and hedges, we recommend a spacing of 5 plants per meter. The secret to making perfect English Box borders and hedges is to space your English Box closely. Some traditional gardening books recommend spacing them even closer. That's why buying cheap English Box can make a big difference to the price of putting in an English Box hedge, as so many plants are needed.
The advantages of English Box hedge and border is that it only requires one or two trimmings per year. It needs very little water and it grows in almost any soil, except for a very heavy or poorly drained soil. English Box grows in full sun through to the very deepest shade. In fact English Box will grow with no direct sunlight. English Box is the best of the low borders when you have a border that is partly in full sun and partly in deep shade.
Click here to view our English Box Factsheet for more information.
Please note: During Winter, it is common for discolouration on the foliage of English box. It is due to severe frosts, where our products are grown in the coldest parts of Victoria. They will sort themselves out in Spring, however if it does bother you, please treat with Dolomite Lime, and a slow release fertilizer a month later. | |
| Additional information |
| botanical name |
Hyssopus Officinalis
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| botanical-name |
Buxus sempervirens
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| height-x-width |
Up to 1.2 metres, or trimmed lower
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| planting-distance |
For border: 5 per metre For low border, 3 or 4 per metre For taller hedge
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| features |
Traditional slower growing neat hedge or border with glossy oval dark green leaves
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| conditions |
Full sun to part shade, moist well drained soil
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| landscape-use |
Hedges, borders, topiary, mazes, containers and general garden planting
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