This week on Down the Garden Path, Joanne discusses strategies to prevent a box tree moth infestation and explores the moth’s continued impact on boxwoods in Durham Region.

Here are some of the topics discussed in this episode:

• The impact of the box tree moth on boxwoods
• Its discovery in Ontario in 2018 and its recent appearance in Durham Region
• Box Tree Moth Life Cycle: The adult moth has a short lifespan of 14 days but is a strong flyer, making it challenging to control
• The challenges in controlling the pest are due to its rapid reproduction and ability to survive cold winters
• Presents a significant threat to boxwoods and may be here to stay
• Be aware of its presence and consider protective measures for your plants
• Inspect boxwood plants for signs of box tree moth infestation, including webbing, chewed leaves, and caterpillars
• Explore treatment options, focusing on the need to kill caterpillars at the appropriate stage
• The only current control method is biological, using BTK spray, which must be applied diligently from mid-May onwards, ensuring thorough coverage, including the undersides of leaves
• Avoid moving boxwood plants to new locations to prevent spreading the box tree moth
• Explore alternative plants such as yews, globe cedars, strongbox holly, Japanese pieris, dwarf hydrangeas, dwarf mock orange, or dwarf lilacs as replacements for boxwood.
• Focus on ornamental areas rather than hedges when replacing boxwoods

Find more information about the box tree moth:

Canadian Food Inspection Agency

Landscape Ontario

The Box Tree Moth in Southern Ontario

What’s Wrong with Your Boxwood?

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Down the Garden Path Podcast

On Down The Garden Path, professional landscape designer Joanne Shaw discusses down-to-earth tips and advice for your plants, gardens and landscapes. As the owner of Down2Earth Landscape Design, Joanne Shaw has been designing beautiful gardens for homeowners east of Toronto for over a decade. She does her best to bring you interesting, relevant and useful topics to help you keep your garden as low-maintenance as possible. 

In Down the Garden Path: A Step-By-Step Guide to Your Ontario Garden, Joanne and fellow landscape designer Matthew Dressing distill their horticultural and design expertise and their combined experiences in helping others create and maintain thriving gardens into one easy-to-read monthly reference guide. Get your copy today on Amazon.

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