August 1, 2007

To All Boxwood Trials Co-operators:

The prolonged cold snap in early April of this year severely affected some of the boxwood of many of the co-operators that participate in the National Boxwood Trials.  We have heard that some cultivars did better than expected and some did worse during this unseasonable spring.  There were surprises!

We would appreciate receiving observations from all of you about how your plants fared this past winter and spring. Although we have streamlined the form used in the 2005 Boxwood Trials Report, we encourage you to take as much room as necessary to add your personal comments and observations.  As you well know, the more input we get, the more useful our reports will be. 

Please use the scale of 5 designating “outstanding” and 1 being “very poor”.  The first column will be for recording your plants’ condition on April 15, or after the cold weather.  In the second, record the way it appears now or on August 1.  If you do not have the particular cultivar, please note “Not Tested”.

Sincerely,

Paul M. Saunders

Coordinator