Brian Minter: Better Boxwood varieties are much-valued garden plants. Here's why
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Both residential and centuries-old collections were casualties.
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By 2011, this disease had spread to both Canada and the U.S., causing significant harm to boxwood plantings. Both the Buxus sempervirens and the very low-growing, compact variety, Buxus sempervirens Suffruticosa, were highly vulnerable.
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In the late '90s, a renowned Belgium grower, Didier Hermans, working with the Flemish Institute for Agriculture and Fisheries, began a meticulous breeding process of developing blight resistant varieties. After two decades of scientific research and breeding and trialing a range of blight resistant varieties, a branded series, known as Better Boxwood, was developed and is now available in Canada.
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There are four different varieties in this new series, each with its own size, shape and unique characteristics. All of them are also deer- and pest-resistant, making these new boxwoods a much-valued garden plant.
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Buxus Babylon Beauty is a very compact variety that spreads wider than it grows tall, measuring about three-feet tall by four-feet wide. It's ideally used as a low hedge or foundation plant to cover unsightly cement exposures, as well as open areas under decks and raised patios. It's also a great hardy Zone 5 container plant. Unlike many boxwood varieties, it keeps its evergreen vibrancy all year long, which is especially appreciated during the winter. As a landscape plant, it works beautifully for both formal and informal plantings.
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The Buxus Heritage variety has the traditional boxwood look with some of the deepest dark green foliage available. Size-wise, it's reasonably compact and would work well as a lower-growing hedge. Heritage is a very symmetrical growing variety, making it ideal for shaping as a topiary. From a narrow pyramid to a stately columnar form, it's one of the easiest boxwoods to shape. Quite at home in a container, it will also make an excellent patio specimen and will require only a minimum of maintenance. Hardy to Zone 5, this Buxus will suit many locations, growing about four-feet tall, with a spread of 2 1/2 feet.
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If you're looking for a more traditional rounded form, Buxus Renaissance might be your plant. This variety can be contoured into intricate topiaries and stunning parterres. Its compact growth habit and dense, lush appearance means it's an excellent candidate for use as a specimen plant, by itself in a container, or for a row of hedging that will require far less maintenance than other varieties. Renaissance holds its deep green colour over the winter far better than traditional varieties. Also hardy to Zone 5, it's a fantastic new variety, growing about 2 1/2-feet tall and three-feet wide.
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