I have been wondering the same @Lizzie27, l wasn't sure if it was safe to put in my green waste bin and l can't find any information after a quick search online. I think the safest thing to do is possibly bag it up as @Desi_in_London mentioned and dispose of it in the ordinary waste. In my area this is incinerated.
I should add that it would probably have been possible to save "some" had i been minded to, but it seemed pretty daft to me to try save half a hedge and anyway I wasn't willing to put myself through the stress of constant vigilance. One set of neighbours has a beautiful box parterre surrounding a bed with a small specimen tree in it, but they pay someone to come "do stuff" to it every 6 weeks or so - plenty of other topiary or mini hedges in the area are usually afflicted to a greater or lesser extent so once it's arrived it is a constant battle.
I think the green waste bin would be okay, the lid should keep the blighters in and the hot compost method the Council uses should destroy the eggs/caterpillars etc I've got too much of it to bag it up for the black general waste bin.
There are a variety , just that so many gardens around have at least some box that its a never ending battle of re-infection. But I do like the plant, so perhaps a blight resistant small specimen in a pot would be a good compromise way of doing it. Thanks!
- i said re-infection, covid on the brain , i mean re-infestation with caterpillar.
Bunny is a loud advocate for keeping box. Is thinks it's not all hopeless and we shouldn't abandon the plant.... I took all mine out years ago. Interesting to keep an eye on.
I do volunteer work in a large garden nearby and the box has had to be removed because of box blight. The topiary garden has been replanted with Ilex Crenata and yew. I have to say that the Ilex is looking very good. This is a library photo of Ilex showing the similarity between it and box.
For what it's worth, @Fire , having viewed the Bunny video you posted above , I wondered whether there was research available on resistance to the caterpillar as well as blight. Link here : https://herplant.be/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Host-susceptibility-of-various-Buxus-09-2020-english-version.pdf -- and looks like some of the bred hybrids referred to in the video are better at coping with moth as well ( caveated that research done by breeder of said hybrids). Looking further down the rabbithole, also looks like buxus microphylla rococo is in fact available in the UK and is somewhat resistant to blight and actually very resistant to moth ( info from the same herplant study above)
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In my area this is incinerated.
My thoughts exactly @Desi_in_London.
- i said re-infection, covid on the brain , i mean re-infestation with caterpillar.