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“Best of the Best” Boxwood Cultivars Manual May 2001 , 3rd Edition
This Manual is Only a Guide
I hope this manual will act as somewhat of a “compass” to help others in growing Boxwood. They have been a joy for me!
Paul Saunders
Contents
Introduction
Chapter
1 The History of Saunders Brothers Boxwood Nursery Chapter 2 Two Maxims for Boxwood Success In Horticulture--Variety is Everything--Almost! In Boxwood---Protection is Everything--Almost Bark Splitting Varying Microenvironments on the Homesite Use Trees for Protection Northern Exposures are Usually by Far the Best
Chapter 3 Upright Cultivars B. sempervirens ‘Dee Runk’ B. sempervirens ‘Fastigiata’ B. sempervirens ‘Graham Blandy’ B. microphylla ‘John Baldwin’
Chapter 4 Very Dwarf Cultivars B. microphylla ‘Grace Hendrick Phillips’ B. microphylla ‘Green Pillow’ B. microphylla variety japonica ‘Morris Dwarf’ B. mircophylla variety japonica ‘Morris Midget’
Chapter 5 Slightly Dwarf to Medium Size Cultivars B. sinica variety insularis ‘Nana’ B. sempervirens ‘Jensen’ B. sinica variety insularis ‘Justin Brouwers’ B. sempervirens ‘Suffruticosa’ (English)
Chapter 6 Sheridan Cultivars B. x ‘Green Mound’ B. x ‘Green Mountain’
B. x. ‘Green Velvet’
Chapter 7 Medium Size Cultivars B. sempervirens ‘Elegantissima’ B. ‘Glencoe’--- Chicagoland Green B. microphylla variety japonica ‘Green Beauty’ B. microphylla ‘Jim’s Tru Spreader’ B. sempervirens ‘Vardar Valley’ B. sinica variety insularis ‘Wintergreen’ (Big Leaf) B. sinica variety insularis ‘Wintergreen’ (Little Leaf)
Chapter 8 Large Cultivars B. sempervirens (Common or American) B. sempervirens ‘Elizabeth H. Inglis’
Chapter 9 Other Cultivars B. sempervirens ‘Asheville’ B. sempervirens ‘Aureo-variegata’ B. sempervirens ‘Newport Blue’ B. sempervirens ‘Natchez’ B. sempervirens ‘Pyramidalis’ B. sempervirens ‘Pyramidalis Hardwickensis’ B. sempervirens ‘Rotundifolia’ B. microphylla var. japonica
Chapter 10 Boxwood Testing
Chapter 11 Acknowledgments
This “Best of the Best” Boxwood Cultivars Manual, May 2001 , 3rd Edition, again contains my perceptions about the best cultivars of boxwood. This is the opinion of one man who has been involved with boxwood for more than 50 years, who has traveled thousands of miles visiting boxwood sites, seen hundreds of thousands of boxwood grown, and has talked to countless people about their observations. I will discuss my very strong beliefs on protection and further discuss the two main criteria that I believe one should use in judging boxwood: Is the plant “Grower Friendly” and does it have “Impulse Cosmetics”? I began growing boxwood 54 years ago as a young boy. I would not call myself an expert on boxwood, although over the years, I have been continuously growing them. Now it is one of the key plants grown in our family nursery. Although we grow many different species of plants, I still spend much of my time working with the boxwood nursery here, collecting boxwood test data, and visiting boxwood plantings and trials from the Atlantic seacoast to the Mississippi River. Although I will try to give evaluations of cultivars that I have seen growing in other areas, most of this information is about boxwood grown here in the Mid-Atlantic States. We grow most of these plants commercially at Saunders Brothers’ Nursery. In the following pages I have tried to give my frank opinions, as well as the opinions of others with whom I work and of others who are intimately working with boxwood--- expressing the good and the bad about various cultivars. I have categorized the plants according to growth habits and uses. Boxwood has become much more popular over the past several years. Landscapers have many choices as to suitability among the many different cultivars and their distinctive growth characteristics. Very rarely do deer forage on boxwood. I have seen only one case in 54 years of growing boxwood where deer nibbled on it. That was on a single plant. There is no perfect plant, yet some are
more suitable than others. There
are over 100, maybe 200, and possibly even 600 different cultivars. With
this tremendous number, it can often become “mind boggling” trying
to figure out which one is best. Many
have small, almost imperceptible differences.
In this manual we have selected what we think is a cross section
of the best. Hence the
name, “The Best of the Best.” In future years, because of testing
and observations of these plants in the landscape, these evaluations
will probably change, ever so little in some cases, and in others the
evaluations will change radically.
This subject will be addressed in future manuals. I am a bit partial to boxwood for it is very much a part of our lives-- because this is where our nursery began many years ago. Come to see us and we can talk-- Boxwood!
The
History of Saunders Brothers Boxwood
Nursery
I was truly excited and
at the age of 13 years, I bought out my partner.
My father recognized my
interest and he fenced off a corner of the barn lot for my nursery near
an old woodpile. The
manure, which had accumulated for years in the old milk cow lot, plus
the organic matter from the woodpile, provided a nearly ideal
environment for my venture. Participation in 4-H, with this as a
project, further encouraged me.
See Photo --- County farm agent, Mr. John Whitehead, and I and my boxwood
venture-- about 1952.
See Photo
--- Boxwood nursery in the corner of the old barn lot about
1952.
Then came college and
the Army. Yet I continued propagation of boxwood.
I married a farm girl who helped me propagate more plants.
Then the magic: People wanted to buy them!
This boxwood money
helped pay for my wife’s engagement ring and my first Ford car. Then I made an observation—people were beginning to grow
plants in containers. Since
I was still very busy surveying in order to make enough money to feed a
house full of boys, my wife helped out by driving around to the county
schools and the local pie factory, picking up gallon tins that had been
discarded. Boxwood were planted in the fertile river bottom land on the
farm, and thanks to the tins she collected in that little pickup truck
full of children, one small container nursery was established on the
riverbank and another in a grove of pines.
See Photo
--- Photo in 1965 of five of the little sons who rode around in
the pickup with my wife as she picked up tin cans for us to grow
boxwood.
Then on August 20,
1969, along came Hurricane Camille.
Over twenty inches of rain were dumped on our countryside in one
horrible night of destruction and loss of life.
Almost all of our 10 acres of plants on the river bottom were
destroyed along with the little container nursery on the riverbank. In
another container operation a few plants, which we had placed near the
water reservoir of an old orchard water source in the grove of pines,
did survive. With this as a nucleus, the container nursery expanded.
Our customers wanted our boxwood in plastic containers so we
changed to suit their needs.
Time passed and the
seven sons went away to college. Then,
one by one, several of them came home to the farm---Tom came home with
his bride, Lyn, both of them horticulturists, to work in the nursery. Bennett came to take over the peach orchards, most of which
he converted into more productive apple orchards.
Robert, too, was “bitten” at a plant show and came home to
help us with our construction program of new plastic houses, then later
became our salesman. Next
was Jim, who first became a County Agent, then turned homeward to help
with our cattle and, as our operation expanded, to take over personnel
duties. Along the way, Frank, a French-Canadian by birth and a master
mechanic, became another member of our family team.
There are others who
have joined our Saunders Bros. team over the years to help make us what
we are today. Leonard
and Charlie Earl have helped us for nearly a lifetime—and Terry,
Maybelle, Lora, and Sarah for many years—as well as many others who
have become a part of the story here.
Not to be excluded is our wonderful Mexican work force that is an
integral part of our operation.
See Photo
--- Part of the crew at Saunders Brothers today.
Left to right, “Canadian” son, Frank;
son, Robert, wife, Tatum; son,
Tom and his wife Lyn; sons
Jim and Bennett and
the author. (Photo by
Kathy Plunket Versluys.)
For some 35 years we propagated only ‘Suffruticosa’ and sempervirens boxwood. Our nursery expanded: thousands of plants were produced. Many other plants—azaleas, rhododendrons, hollies, pines, and others-- were introduced to our customers. We realized during the mid-1970s that there were problems associated with our two basic boxwood cultivars. Therefore a search began for other boxwood to meet the needs for varying plant types, shapes and tolerance to various exposures. Sure enough, some exciting new cultivars were added to our inventory.
Two Maxims for Boxwood Success
I have two strong beliefs, based on a lifetime in horticulture:
1.
In Horticulture—Variety is Everything - Almost!
My father and his brothers raised fruit, primarily peaches when I
was growing up. At one time I grew over 125 acres of peaches.
Our farming operation today comprises over 100 acres of apples
plus some peach orchards. I
surely know from experience how the customer and market will frown upon
one variety of fruit and will pay far more for another.
We have found that some varieties do better here in our
microenvironment, and in other cases certain varieties will not do as
well as they do elsewhere. We
have to plant the variety that fits our growing conditions and the one
that the customer wants. Planting the wrong variety leads to real
trouble—no profit, hence failure in the fruit business.
The same principle holds true in the nursery business. In the forthcoming pages, I will address this concept with
respect to boxwood. Selection
of the wrong variety for the microenvironment being planted will produce
very disappointing results.
In Cultivar Selection---A Plant Has to Be “Grower Friendly” and Have “Impulse Cosmetics” to Be a Success.
A plant, a fruit, a flower, in order to be of value,
has to have these two qualities to be a success.
Of course, “Grower Friendly” means the plant is relatively easy to grow and
is adapted to that environment.
“Impulse Cosmetics”
can be defined as that striking beauty which, in a microsecond makes you
spin around in your tracks to take a second look.
To my wife, it means when she is in the dress shop and sees a
beautiful dress she cannot resist buying that dress and does not take it
home just for approval. She buys it to keep and wear.
To the customer who passes the produce counters in the
supermarket and sees the beautiful produce, it means that he buys it and
sometimes pays more because it looks good.
To those who are in the nursery and landscape business, it is the
“wow” that the plant gives to the landscape.
Is it outstanding? Does
it make you say, “Boy,
where did that beauty come from?”
It is that quality of an item that sums it all up in an
oft-quoted saying: “You can’t live without it!” It
means it is so attractive that you cannot resist admiring it and /or
buying it!
See Photo--- The Oval Office and the Rose Garden at the White House in
Washington D. C. at
Christmastime. Note the red
bow on the door to the Oval Office and the two cultivars of boxwood.
Large ‘Suffruticosa’are planted along the portico entering
the Oval Office, and ‘Justin Brouwers’ flank the edges of the Rose
Garden, with ‘Suffruticosa’ planted perpendicular and under the
protection of the overhanging trees.
See Photo
--- An aerial view of some of the boxwood gardens at Mt. Vernon,
former home of George Washington in Northern Virginia,. The mansion house and the Potomac River are in the
background. (Photo courtesy of the Mount Vernon Ladies Association.) See Photo --- A view of the Missouri Botanical Gardens at St. Louis.
See Photo--- A group of boxwood in front of the mansion house at
Carter’s Grove Plantation near Williamsburg, Virginia.
See Photo
--- A ‘Newport
Blue’ along beside a brick walkway at the Lewis Ginter Botanical
Garden in Richmond, Virginia.
These two, “Grower
Friendly” and “Impulse
Cosmetics”, go hand in hand.
They are of equal value. Both are necessary for horticultural
success. It is like two horses that pull a wagon; they must both pull
equally or the wagon does not run smoothly.
2.
In Boxwood—Protection is Everything - Almost!
The issue of protection
refers mainly to avoiding the damage from the mid- to late-afternoon
sun— primarily during the winter and during the scorching hot days of
summer. The winter sun
tends to discolor the foliage on most cultivars and this occurrence is
so obvious. In many cases the long-term result is a highly weakened
plant or possibly the loss of the plant.
In other cases, the early morning sun shining upon the frozen
foliage on the eastern exposure often may cause seared and unsightly
leaves.
Recently Mrs. Scot Butler of Winchester, Virginia commented:
“Your protection idea is one of the main considerations in
siting boxwoods!”
See Photo
---‘Grace Hendrick Phillips’, ‘Justin Brouwers’ and
‘Green Pillow’ growing in a very protected area and partial shade at
the National Arboretum, in Washington, D. C.
Bark
Splitting
The most devastating
damage is exposure to the sun in the late afternoon during the winter
months. To help persons
understand sun exposure, we often use the illustration that the most
damaging problems occur to plants exposed to the late sun on Christmas
Day. Not only does the
bronzing of foliage occur, in many cases there is the loss of the plant
through bark splitting.
I believe this is the
same damage that has caused extensive damage to peach and apple trees on
sunny sites. In fruit
production, we call it “southwest injury” or “winter injury”.
What happens in fruit trees is that the temperature just beneath
the bark, in the cambium layer, increases dramatically as the sun shines
upon the naked, exposed trunk, increasing the temperature sometimes as
much as 40 degrees Fahrenheit above the surrounding air temperature. For
instance, if the air temperature is 60 degrees then that temperature in
the cambium layer may on sunny days increase to 100 degrees.
Then a cold front comes through at night and the air temperature
drops to 15-20 degrees. The
bark temperature at night drops to the air temperature and the bark
often splits or cracks and with eventual loss of the plant.
If the plant is protected, then these high daytime temperatures
are not attained. A primary cause of bark spitting in smaller plants is sometimes that they are too vigorous and go into the winter without “hardening off” (that process where the plant twigs and foliage have ceased to grow and are ready for cold weather). One of the common culprits here is applying fertilizer too late in the season, the plant becomes stimulated, and the cold of winter comes too quickly on the succulent growth, and the bark splits. The old folks would say; “The sap is up too high!"
Varying Microenvironments on the Home site
Persons who have plants doing well in protected northern or
eastern exposures, or shadowed by some old big trees, often plant the
same cultivar in “wide open” areas expecting to get the same
results. Many times the result is quite different from what was
expected—the microenvironment has changed. The plant that was grown in
one microenvironment was moved sometimes ever so little—maybe from one
side of the house to the other—often on the same lot.
The results are sometimes quite disappointing.
See Photo
--- A row of ‘Suffruticosa’ in an ideal shady environment
near Amherst, Virginia.
In summer, natural or man-made shade affords another benefit. The
reduced temperatures found under a canopy of trees or in their shadows,
or in the protection of a tree or building, keep the soil surface cooler
on extremely hot days. This
“over story” shade moderates fluctuations in temperature.
One added benefit is that in heavy or poorly drained soils, trees
take up some of the excessive soil moisture, contributing to the
survival of some cultivars that are very susceptible to root rot
problems. I surely do not
recommend planting extremely close to a big tree.
Plant near the drip line of the trees, preferably on the northern
and eastern sides—hovering a little bit under the outer leaf area.
Boxwood is synonymous with many early colonial estates in
Virginia and the surrounding area, where some of the most beautiful and
stunning plants are still scattered among the old overhanging protective
trees. Often as these
protective trees have been removed, the boxwood lose much of their fine
beauty. Boxwood over the years has been planted in rows or beds.
It is quite interesting to note variations in quality of these
plants where some have been protected and are doing quite nicely, while
adjacent plants, without the luxury of the trees’ shade and their
friendly protection, have large discolored areas.
Some may appear stunted, and in other places the plants are
missing or dying. See Photo --- A group of handsome English (‘Suffruticosa’), shaded by old trees, at Carter’s Grove Plantation near Williamsburg, Virginia.
Use Trees for Protection
Nature has given us a panorama of trees. Use them to protect boxwood.
Boxwood are not particularly choosy about which tree they prefer.
Trees with a deep root system would be preferable to those that
have an abundance of roots near the ground surface, which would compete
with the boxwood root system. High, loose, dappled shade that protects the plant from near
midday to the southwest setting of the sun is preferred. And truly this
protection is a Godsend for boxwood quality and even survival,
sometimes.
See Photo
---View of sempervirens planting
at Cheekwood Botanical Garden and Museum of Art, in Nashville,
Tennessee. Note the high
shade and protection.
The question then
becomes, what type of tree do I plant?
Many of the old boxwood nurseries planted locust trees.
They grew fast, they did not have objectionable foliage, and
their roots provided some nitrogen to the soil. Fast growing pines have
done quite well on some sites. Select a fast growing tree, which may
eventually become a part of your desired landscape.
It is amazing the
protection given by leafless (deciduous) trees and large shrubs during
winter. One might think
that protection needs to be a complete mass of shade.
Generally, not so! This deciduous protection is often adequate. This “ latticed snow-fence type”, varying, mingled,
non-uniform, dappled shade gives the boxwood the “friendly
protection” in winter and then when the protective tree takes on
summer’s foliage, it further insulates the shrub from the harshness of
scorching midday sun.
See Photo
--- Trees protecting boxwood in the Missouri Botanical Garden in
St. Louis, Missouri.
One whose property does
not have adequate protection on the south and the southwest, and who
wishes to grow boxwood, would do well to plant trees to provide that
protection, shade and environment in which boxwood thrive. There are exceptions. Some cultivars are more tolerant of sunny sites, yet most prefer some protection—especially to the southern and western exposures.
Northern Exposures are Usually By Far the Best
P. D. Larson, author of one of the fine books on boxwood, Boxwood
Its History, Cultivation, Propagation and Descriptions,
mentioned in one of his lectures that boxwood does best on the north,
secondly on the east, thirdly on the south, and worst on the western
exposures.
I agree with him, yet we need to go further.
The northern exposures are generally by far the best. Hands down!
Why? The direct sun
often does not even strike the plant.
Trees, bushes, buildings or other obstructions shield the plant.
In winter on some fully exposed eastern sites, damage occurs when the
morning sun shines upon frozen or heavily frosted foliage.
The result of course is scalding or severe bronzing of the
foliage. Here again,
protection would prevent this from happening..
See Photo
--- Maury Murray with two handsome
sempervirens being
protected on the north side of his home near Mt. Vernon, Indiana.
The winter of 2000-2001
has been a tough one and was very damaging to boxwood plantings in many
areas. It was a time
when we could evaluate comparative hardiness of different cultivars as
well as comparisons of how size affected survival.
We noted where older, larger plants of the same cultivar in the
landscape often survived and were not harmed, whereas younger or
recently transplanted plants received extensive damage or were killed.
Generally, the older the plant with a more extensive and deeper
root system, the better its chance for survival during harsh winter
weather.
Lastly, we cannot
always put our boxwood on the northern exposures and sometimes shade is
impossible to attain. It is up to the landscaper to choose locations
that will shelter boxwood from extreme exposure if possible or to select
those cultivars that are genetically hardier and will be more tolerant
of harsh sun and wind.
Boxwood Types-According to Size and Shape
The Benchmark Cultivars
The following cultivars
we call benchmark or reference plants, many of which are well known,
while others are newer introductions to the trade.
At this time we feel they are the most distinguished boxwood that
have been described in publications, plus many more which are becoming
available in their respective categories in the Mid-Atlantic States.
You will note the
minimum hardiness zone as well as the mature size, or a relative size or
growth habit for comparison. (Note two fine reference books at the
conclusion of this booklet for further data.)
A feature of this
year’s edition of “Best of the
Best Cultivars Manual–May 2001 Edition” is additional
information concerning pests and diseases, mostly focusing on leaf miner
and psyllid. Most of this
data is from the reference book Boxwood Its History,
Cultivation, Propagation and Descriptions, by P. D. Larson.**
We grow or are testing
in our nursery most of the cultivars discussed in the following pages.
We do not grow or are discontinuing production of some of these,
as well.
Chapter
3
Upright Cultivars
1. Dee Runk Zone 6 ** Height 10-12’ Width 2 to 2.5’ (@ 25 years)** B. sempervirens
Dee Runk
See Photo
--- Two large ‘Dee Runk’ at the home of Mrs. Charles Woltz
in Charlottesville, Virginia. Here
are the oldest known specimens of this fine cultivar.
See Photo
--- Allen Byous and Dr. Orville Lindstrom standing beside a
‘Dee Runk’ in the “National Boxwood Trials” test plot at the
University of Georgia Experimental Station at Griffin, Georgia,
February 28, 2001. Their
test plants of ‘Dee Runk’ were among the best they had there and are
growing in full sun in an open field area.
The
oldest known specimens of this exciting new cultivar are growing in the
garden of a prominent former University of Virginia professor. This is a conical grower and is relatively new to the market.
It is quite an impressive plant when pruned to a single central
leader and becomes a very distinctive upright plant with branches at
about a 45-degree angle. It has rich green foliage, appears to be a little more
conical in its growth pattern than ‘Fastigiata’ and it has performed
well in heavy soils where ‘Graham Blandy’ has done poorly.
Because
of its more recent introduction to the boxwood industry, its range of
habitat and hardiness are not fully known.
It is becoming extremely popular.
In the places we have seen it
growing and from information available to us, this has to be one
of the best of the uprights. It is not terribly susceptible to root rot
problems: it will tolerate more sun than most and will perform in shade
as well. It has a rich leaf
color. We think this
is a winner. Pests and Diseases: Being Evaluated--Right now we think it
will be similar to ‘Fastigiata’. 2.
Fastigiata
Zone 6**
Height 12’
Width 5’
(@ 40 years)** B. sempervirens
Fastigiata
This
is a moderately fast-growing conical plant with a minimum of bronzing in
winter. This plant has
richer, darker foliage than ‘Graham Blandy’. Probably the richest
green color of the uprights. After
its initial pruning as a specimen into a tight conical shape, it forms a
handsome plant. This plant is good as a specimen, for corner or accent use.
Appears much more tolerant to heavy or poorly drained soils than
‘Graham Blandy’.
We
like to train it as a young plant through pruning into a conical
central-leader plant. Because
of its superior foliage quality, it may be one of the best uprights.
This plant is becoming quite popular.
“Pests
and Diseases: Resistance to leaf miner and mites.
Indicates some attraction for psyllids.” **
3.
Graham Blandy
Zone 6**
Height 10- 12’
Width 1 to 1.5’
(@ 25 years)** B. sempervirens
Graham Blandy
See Photo --- Maybelle Schmidt standing beside a
‘Graham Blandy’ at the author’s
home in Central Virginia.
This is a pure columnar grower--an accent
plant--sometimes used to frame a doorway with “exclamation marks”
where little space is available. This
plant was named for the donor of the land now designated as the State
Arboretum of Virginia at Blandy Farm at Boyce, Virginia.
It has been grown there for many years.
This was one of the popular early uprights. It has a very distinctive ‘cigar shape’. The plants have
done well at one site at Blandy Farm and another site in Charlottesville
where they have been elevated and there is excellent drainage.
‘Graham
Blandy’ is very site sensitive and does not do well in poorly drained
soils or any soil with high moisture content.
The new spring growth along the sides tends to flop downward.
This may be overcome by cutting off about one third of the new growth,
or “tipping”, or by wrapping loosely with monofilament fishing line. The line is tied in a barbershop spiral vertically from the
base of the plant upward and secured at the top, thus holding these new
branches against the main plant.
An evaluation: To “tell it like it is”, being an
“umpire”, here is a tough call and possibly for some an unpopular
call. We cannot really
recommend this cultivar. For
many years this was one of the very popular plants because of the
“crazy way it grows.” I have several of them growing in my own yard.
But trial tests of this cultivar on many sites have proven very
disappointing compared to some other uprights, especially ‘Dee Runk’,
which have outperformed ‘Graham Blandy’.
Its major drawback is that on many sites this cultivar is not
“Grower Friendly” due to its affinity for root rot problems and
resultant death of the plant. Secondly,
the foliage color is not as bright and lacks the luster of ‘Dee Runk’
or ‘Fastigiata’. Thirdly,
there is the tendency for the succulent new growth to bend outward and
downward. There are other cultivars that are better upright boxwood.
“Pests and Diseases: Prone to leaf miner and
psyllid infestation.” **
4. John Baldwin Zone 6* Height 10’ Width 3.5’ (@ 25years)* B. microphylla
John Baldwin
See Photo
--- Mrs. Joan Butler standing beside a large, handsome ‘John
Baldwin’ at her home of in Winchester, Virginia.
An
attractive, small-leaved upright plant. It is a slow grower. It was
found as a seedling growing in Historic Williamsburg, Virginia. The shape tends to be more columnar and it gets fatter as it
grows. Its shape somewhat
resembles the old typical ‘Cola’ bottle of the World War II
era—more columnar at the base, more pointed at the top.
It is a favorite to many. Mrs.
Joan Butler states, “I cannot find any disadvantage of this plant.”
In
some of the plantings it is called “Little leaf Boxwood” due to the
size of its leaves. The leaves are much smaller than the other uprights
and tend to have a blue-green cast. Its foliage gives a bit of class to
the landscape. Will perform well in moderate shade as well as in open
sites. Frankly, the more we
see the plant the better we like it.
From the photos, note its range of adaptability Northern Virginia
to St. Louis.
“Pests
and Diseases: Resistance to leaf miner, psyllid, and mites.” **
Very Dwarf Cultivars
1.
Grace Hendrick Phillips
Zone 5*or 6** Ht 1’ to 1.5’Width 3’to 3.5’(@ 25
yrs.)**
B. microphylla Grace
Hendrick Phillips
See Photo
--- Large specimen ‘Grace Hendrick Phillips’
in the National Arboretum in Washington, D.C.
This is the largest specimen of this plant that I have seen and
has grown to about a 9 foot spread and is probably over 3 feet tall.
This plant is very old and is growing under conditions it likes
very much—lots of protection and heavy shade.
An
impressive dwarf mounded plant.
Annual growth of ½ to ¾” in height and 1½ to 2” in width.
May be used as a specimen, edging, or bonsai.
Attractive rich green foliage. It is a sport of Buxus microphylla ‘Compacta’, but usually a richer green and
faster grower with a spreading habit similar to its parent.
When
we consider the very broad plant shown in the photo at the National
Arboretum, perhaps one would say: ‘This plant is not a dwarf!’
For sure this plant is
unusually large, but when considering the growth habit of the cultivar
we agree with Mrs. Scot Butler of Winchester, Virginia, who states
positively, “This plant
is a dwarf!”
The
plant is similar in growth habit to Ilex
crenata helleri, yet it does not grow as fast and has more
distinction. Best
dark color is maintained in shade, not in full sun. Mature specimens are
at the National Arboretum in Washington, D.C.
“Pests
and Diseases: Resistance to leaf miner, psyllid and mites.” **
2. Green Pillow Zone 5* Height 30” Width 40” (@ 30 years)* B. microphylla Green Pillow
See Photo
--- My wife, Tatum Saunders standing beside a ‘Green Pillow’
at National Arboretum, in Washington, D. C.
See Photo
--- ‘Green Pillow’ planted along the grass in its most famous planting, along the edges of the
Jacqueline Kennedy Garden at the White House, in Washington, D. C.
This
is a low, mounding dwarf plant. As a smaller plant its shape is similar
to a squatty, half-inflated basketball.
Good for dwarf edging. This
is a slow grower. As a
small plant it is similar to ‘Morris Dwarf’ and ‘Morris Midget’,
yet it matures a bit larger. Two
rows of these plants, planted in 1962, are at the White House in
Washington, D. C., and they are doing well there.
The
new foliage on the plant appears to hold its new light green color
longer than most cultivars and this is a very distinguishing
characteristic. Often this
new foliage is frosted or frozen in the fall, making this plant a bit
unsightly. Mature specimens are at the National Arboretum in Washington,
D.C. and the Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis, Missouri. “Pests and Diseases: Resistance to leaf miner, psyllid and mites.” **
3.
Morris Dwarf
Zone 5** or 6*
Height 3’
Width 4.5’ (@ 40 years)* B. microphylla
var.
japonica Morris Dwarf
See Photo --- ‘Morris Dwarf’ forming the center planting of a parterre
at Mount Vernon. This
planting replaces a planting where ‘Suffruticosa’ had not done well. This parterre is in near full sun and the plants around the
perimeter of the planting are ‘Justin Brouwers’.
See Photo
--- A very outstanding group of three ‘Morris Dwarf’
at Blandy, the State Arboretum of Virginia, near Wnchester.
See Photo --- Caleb Saunders beside a small row of ‘Morris Dwarf’ along
a walkway at the office of Saunders Brothers
near Piney River, Virginia.
‘Morris
Dwarf’ is a compact plant that originated as an open-pollinated
seedling at the Morris Arboretum in Philadelphia. Clusters of 2-3”
somewhat brittle shoots result in a tufted bush outline.
This plant tends to get larger than its sister plant, ‘Morris
Midget’.
They
have been successfully used in dwarf gardens and other uses where very
dwarf plants are needed. Care must be exercised to monitor and to cut
out any shoot-reversions that often occur on this cultivar. In some of
the gardens where this plant has been used it is a favorite.
Words
of Caution: There appear to
be at least two different strains of this cultivar.
One is very dwarf, which is impressive, and a larger plant that
is very unimpressive. One is probably correctly identified as the
‘Morris Dwarf’, while the other is incorrectly identified.
This variation might have been a result of the tendency of this
plant to “throw sports”— twigs and limbs developing on the main
plant structure that are not true in type to the parent plant.
“Pests
and Diseases: Resistance to leaf miner, psyllid and mites.” **
4. Morris Midget Zone 5** or |