The acreage of Buxus has been decreasing in the Netherlands for several years. First due to Cylindrocladium and later due to the box tree moth. Will the market stabilise this year? Or is it going to take longer?
According to the most recent figures, the total acreage of Buxus is still decreasing. Between 2019 and 2020, another 133 ha disappeared, bringing the total acreage to 690 ha. This means it’s been halved compared with 2014, when there was still 1,544 ha of Buxus across Dutch nurseries. The market has seen a decrease of 854 ha since then.
Whether the acreage will continue to go down, depends on the developments within the market. In any case, the garden centres are cautiously more optimistic than they have been for a while.
Slightly more interest at Intratuin
“We’ve noticed there’s slightly more interest this year”, says Niels Feller, category manager Outdoor Green at garden centre Intratuin. “This spring, we’re offering commercial sizes Buxus in our stores again, for the first time in years. Think of Buxus balls and pyramids of up to €30-€35. Stores are more willing to take the risk than before. They’ve had to throw away an awful lot of Buxus products during the past few years. That’s why you won’t see any of the larger balls of around €80 back in the stores yet. We aren’t selling any shrubs either. The trend has changed. The days of Buxus hedging surrounding a rose bush are gone.”(..)
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