“a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted”
The long-dreaded Winter with Covid is behind us. The world is not the same as it was 13 months ago, but life moves on. It is time to enjoy the warm, fresh Spring air and all that it has to offer.
It is time to go into the backyard and enjoy the simple things in life. For boxwood lovers, the time is at hand to plant the “aristocrat” of evergreens.
This newsletter focuses on the most basic attributes of the NewGen® boxwood cultivars and why both nurserymen and homeowners will like them.
NewGen Independence®
NewGen Independence® was found as a chance seedling near Gloucester, Virginia. A boxwood enthusiast found this chance seedling which exhibited waxy deep-green growth along with natural resistance to Boxwood Leafminers. There were many other sister seedlings beside the NewGen Independence®, but its superior qualities stood out.
NewGen Independence® - the new option for the traditional boxwood landscape
Saunders Brothers, Inc. secured this boxwood and began propagating. For several years, they simply grew this cultivar to get a feel for it. They also quickly noted the Boxwood Leafminer resistance and beautiful foliage.
In 2013 research from North Carolina, this boxwood also showed great tolerance to Boxwood Blight. Under moderate pressure, it rarely succumbed to the disease. Under severe Blight pressure, the variety showed some susceptibility, but it also recovered very quickly. It was an exciting cultivar!
The most impressive thing about this plant is what we call the WOW factor. The deep green, waxy leaves provide year-round classic evergreen color to a landscape!
NewGen Independence® is grower-friendly and seldom infected with Phytophthora, also known as root rot. Many boxwood cultivars are very sensitive to “wet feet”, but NewGen Independence® showed good resistance.
NewGen Freedom®
NewGen Freedom® is a very different sort of boxwood. Saunders Brothers, Inc. found this mutation of a Wintergreen boxwood. There are many selections of Wintergreen boxwood across the United States and their origins are confusing even to the most informed boxwood horticulturists. In general, the variety Wintergreen, as grown by Saunders Brothers, Inc., does not have very dense foliage. However, NewGen Freedom® shows the same Wintergreen fast growth rate, but much tighter and greener foliage.
NewGen Freedom®- fast grower, well-suited for residential and commercial applications
Indeed, the fast growth rate of this plant, at least for a boxwood, is its greatest strength. It may well be one of the most grower-friendly boxwood in the marketplace today. NewGen Freedom® will fill out space in about ¾ of the time as most varieties of boxwood and is easy to propagate.
In fact, NewGen Freedom® grows so fast that it needs regular pruning. The only downside to this boxwood is that sometimes it grows so quickly that it “flops” in the early summer. Its new growth is heavy and droops after a heavy rain in June, particularly if it was not pruned sufficiently. Even with its juvenile fast growth rate, it is considered at maturity a medium-size round-shaped boxwood.
It also shows good resistance to Boxwood Blight and Boxwood Leafminer.
We hope that you enjoy the NewGen® cultivars in your gardens.We look forward to our continued work to introduce more!