Pest battle with Holly — and how I won

I had a serious problem with box blight and box moth caterpillar on Buxus species on my Holly earlier this year. Caught it late and had to work hard to bring the plant back. The experience was frustrating but educational.

Now that it's healthy again I can fully appreciate multi-season interest from flowers, berries, bark, and autumn colour, which is remarkable. I've repositioned it in a large container for a terrace or courtyard and improved my attention to pruning at the right time of year for the specific species. winter bark and evergreen foliage interest was the proof that the plant had fully recovered — genuinely beautiful. Moral of the story: inspect regularly and catch problems early.