Blight-Resistant Boxwood Varieties to Consider for the Garden
Learn about NewGen and Better Boxwoods
The spread of boxwood blight has made it necessary to replace infected boxwood (Buxus) in gardens and to seek alternative shrubs. Happily, we don’t need to abandon boxwoods altogether, because plant breeders have been working to create boxwood varieties that can withstand the blight.
NewGen Boxwood (USDA Zones 5b–8) have shown good resistance to boxwood blight and to a significant insect pest, the boxwood leafminer. This series has several cultivars:
- NewGen Independence (Buxus ‘SB 108’) is a midsize, rounded shrub that can substitute for older boxwoods like ‘Green Beauty’ or ‘Green Velvet’.
- NewGen Freedom (B. ‘SB 300’) is hardy through Zone 5a, with a narrower habit that makes it a stand-in for ‘Green Mountain’ or ‘Jim Stauffer’.
- The newest release, with limited availability as of yet (2024), is called NewGen Liberty Belle (B. sinica var. insularis ‘RLH-BI’). Remaining under two feet tall, it’s perfect as a small specimen or for planting along a foundation or border.
Also new to the US market is the Better Boxwood collection (Zones 5–9), bred in Europe, where boxwood blight first cropped up in the early 1990s. This disease-resistant series comprises four varieties with heights and habits that fit various roles in the landscape:
- With the potential to reach eight feet tall, Skylight (B. ‘HER2009B03’) can serve as a punctuation point or screening.
- The one- to two-foot-tall Renaissance (B. ‘HER200B01’) makes an ideal stepover hedge or container plant.
- Mid-height Babylon Beauty (B. ‘HER2010B04’) and Heritage (B. ‘HER2010B02’) serve as good evergreen accents, with the former supplying a spreading habit and the latter, a traditional upright silhouette.
Boxwood blight can still impact resistant plants if they are experiencing severe stress, so be sure to give them proper growing conditions. Boxwoods grow well in full to part sun, preferably with some shade in the afternoon. They will suffer in wet soil, so plant them in a well-drained spot. Provide regular watering through the first year or two in the garden, as the boxwood is getting established. Once established they can tolerate dry spells and mild drought.
Images courtesy of NewGen Boxwood and Better Boxwood.
