The Box moth crisis in one paragraph
Cydalima perspectalis, the Box tree moth, has progressively stripped Buxus sempervirens hedging across Continental Europe since the mid-2010s and is now established in Ireland and the UK. Combined with Box blight (Cylindrocladium buxicola), it has made replanting Buxus a poor investment for any commercial scheme with a 10-year horizon. The trade response has consolidated around two practical alternatives, both of which can be specified in trade-pack volumes through PlantGift's hedge plants collection.
The two viable substitutes — at a glance
Specification choice usually comes down to establishment speed vs visual fidelity. Compare on the same axes you'd compare nursery cultivars in a tender:
How to choose between them
Specify Euonymus 'Green Spire' when faster establishment, larger eventual scale, or coastal/exposed conditions matter. Specify Ilex crenata 'Jenny' when visual fidelity to traditional Buxus is the priority — listed heritage gardens, period estates, formal knot gardens. Both tolerate twice-yearly shearing and integrate cleanly with broader pollinator schemes when planted alongside Lavandula or Geranium macrorrhizum borders.
Specifying for tenders
Most council and estate tenders accept Latin name + cultivar + pot size + supplier source. Both cultivars specify cleanly:
Tender-ready specification lines
› Euonymus japonicus 'Green Spire' — 9 cm P9 trade-pack, supplier: PlantGift.ie (free EU delivery, 25 countries)
› Ilex crenata 'Jenny' — 9 cm P9 trade-pack, supplier: PlantGift.ie
Trade discount of 10% applies on orders of 50+ plants, with Net-30 invoicing available for established trade accounts. Free delivery to Ireland and 25 EU countries means the supplier comparison line is "all-in price" rather than "price + carriage".
Further reading
