GardenGateMagazine.com | GARDEN GATE 59
Sanitize any tools that you use with a 1:9 bleach to
water mixture and wash clothing that comes into
contact with infected plants.
All that said, it might be easiest (and defi nitely less
expensive) to remove the whole plant, including any
soil touching the roots. There are several boxwood
cultivars that are resistant to boxwood blight:
North Star® boxwood Buxus sempervirens
24 to 32 in. tall and wide, cold hardy in zones 5 to 9
Sprinter® littleleaf boxwood Buxus microphylla
2 to 4 ft. tall and wide, cold hardy in zones 5 to 8
‘Green Beauty’ littleleaf boxwood Buxus microphylla japonica
3 to 5 ft. tall and wide; cold hardy in zones 6 to 9
‘Winter Gem’ Korean boxwood Buxus sinica insularis
2 to 3 ft. tall and wide, cold hardy in zones 5 to 9
Plant resistant varieties in new plantings, or use
them to replace a dead plant in a hedge. Keep in
mind that though these cultivars are resistant—they
don’t usually display the symptoms—they can still
spread the fungus to nonresistant boxwoods. They
may also need fungicide applications to suppress
the disease if symptoms show up, but these cultivars
rarely show the same kind of devastation.
HOW TO PREVENT BOXWOOD BLIGHT If you
don’t have boxwood blight yet, here are some things
to help minimize your risk:
In new plantings, grow open-habit boxwood
species, such as littleleaf boxwood cultivars, and
space them far enough apart that their branches
don’t intertwine. More air movement discourages
the fungus.
Avoid overhead irrigation so foliage doesn’t get
wet and provide the perfect environment for box-
wood blight fungal spores to take hold. Pull weeds,
prune foliage, and do other maintenance tasks only
when boxwood foliage is dry so you are less likely
to transfer the sticky spores with clothing and tools
(and make sure lawn care workers follow these pro-
cedures as well).
Use a 2-inch layer of mulch, such as pine bark,
under plants to keep water from splashing spores
from the soil up onto the leaves.
Purchase boxwoods only from nurseries certifi ed
as disease-free in the Boxwood Blight Cleanliness
Program, which requires growers to adhere to strict
cultural practices.
KEEP THE LOOK You could always try the plants
featured in “Similar Look Without the Blight” as
replacements. With leaf shape and texture resembling
boxwood, these plants can be shaped and sheared the
same way for that great formal look. Until researchers
can fi nd a cure for boxwood blight, use these tips to
fi ght hard for your boxwoods.
PHOTOS: Courtesy of Spring Meadow Nursery, Inc. (A); ©Proven Winners® ColorChoice® (B); courtesy of Bushel and Berry® (C); courtesy of John Ruter, University of Georgia, Bugwood.org (D)—Jennifer HowellSIMILAR LOOK WITHOUT THE BLIGHT
If all else fails and you lose your beloved boxwoods, you can
plant these lookalikes without fear of boxwood blight.A Juke Box® pyracomeles x Pyracomeles
A cross between an Osteomeles and Pyracantha, this evergreen shrub
with glossy leaves can be easily trimmed to a shape or sheared into a
hedge. It has a mounded habit and doesn’t form flowers.
Full sun to part shade; 1 to 3 ft. tall and wide; cold hardy in USDA zones 7 to 9
B Sky Box™ Japanese holly Ilex crenata
Naturally columnar, Sky Box lends a formal air to a planting. It has tightly
branched evergreen foliage and its insignificant white spring flowers lead
to inedible blue berries. Sky Box and Juke Box are part of the “Box” line of
shrubs that are all good boxwood replacements.
Full sun to part shade; 4 to 5 ft. tall and 2 to 3 ft. wide; cold hardy in USDA
zones 6 to 8
C Blueberry Glaze® blueberry Vaccinium hybrid
Get a compact, mounded hedge, plus sweet, tasty blueberries with this
acid-soil-loving bush. Dark green foliage turns red to purple in fall and
white flowers ripen into edible fruit.
Full sun to part shade; 2 to 3 ft. tall and wide; cold hardy in USDA zones
5 to 8
D Bordeaux®^ dwarf Yaupon holly Ilex vomitoria
If both the male and female plants of this evergreen shrub are close
together, the female will have bird-attracting red berries in the fall. Its dense
foliage has red-tinged new foliage growth and white flowers in spring.
Full sun to part shade; 3 to 5 ft. tall and wide; cold hardy in USDA zones
7 to 9GG14958_59_FTTG.indd 59GG14958_59_FTTG.indd 59 6/26/2019 11:27:09 AM6/26/2019 11:27:09 AMGardenGateMagazine.com | GARDEN GATE 59
Sanitizeanytoolsthatyouusewitha 1:9bleachto
watermixtureandwashclothingthatcomesinto
contactwithinfectedplants.
Allthatsaid,it mightbeeasiest(anddefinitelyless
expensive)toremovethewholeplant,includingany
soiltouchingtheroots.There areseveralboxwood
cultivarsthatareresistanttoboxwoodblight:
NorthStar®boxwoodBuxussempervirens
24 to 32 in.tallandwide,coldhardyinzones5 to 9
Sprinter®littleleafboxwoodBuxusmicrophylla
2 to4 ft.tallandwide,coldhardyinzones5 to 8
‘GreenBeauty’littleleafboxwoodBuxusmicrophyllajaponica
3 to5 ft.tallandwide;coldhardyinzones6 to 9
‘WinterGem’KoreanboxwoodBuxussinicainsularis
2 to3 ft.tallandwide,coldhardyinzones5 to 9
Plantresistantvarietiesinnewplantings,oruse
themtoreplacea deadplantina hedge.Keepin
mindthatthoughthesecultivarsareresistant—they
don’tusuallydisplaythesymptoms—theycanstill
spreadthefungustononresistantboxwoods.They
mayalsoneedfungicideapplicationstosuppress
thediseaseif symptomsshowup,butthesecultivars
rarelyshowthesamekindofdevastation.
HOWTOPREVENTBOXWOODBLIGHT If you
don’thaveboxwoodblightyet,herearesomethings
tohelpminimizeyourrisk:
Innewplantings,growopen-habitboxwood
species,suchaslittleleafboxwoodcultivars,and
spacethemfarenoughapartthattheirbranches
don’tintertwine.Moreairmovementdiscourages
thefungus.
Avoidoverheadirrigationsofoliagedoesn’tget
wetandprovidetheperfectenvironmentforbox-
woodblightfungalsporestotakehold.Pullweeds,
prunefoliage,anddoothermaintenancetasksonly
whenboxwoodfoliageis drysoyouarelesslikely
totransferthestickysporeswithclothingandtools
(andmakesurelawncareworkersfollowthesepro-
ceduresaswell).
Usea 2-inchlayerofmulch,suchaspinebark,
underplantstokeepwaterfromsplashingspores
fromthesoilupontotheleaves.
Purchaseboxwoodsonlyfromnurseriescertified
asdisease-freeintheBoxwoodBlightCleanliness
Program,whichrequiresgrowerstoadheretostrict
culturalpractices.
KEEPTHELOOK Youcouldalwaystrytheplants
featuredin“SimilarLookWithouttheBlight”as
replacements.Withleafshapeandtextureresembling
boxwood,theseplantscanbeshapedandshearedthe
samewayforthatgreatformallook.Untilresearchers
canfinda cureforboxwoodblight,usethesetipsto
fighthardforyourboxwoods.
PHOTOS: Courtesy of Spring Meadow Nursery, Inc. (A); ©Proven Winners® ColorChoice® (B); courtesy of Bushel and Berry® (C); courtesy of John Ruter, University of Georgia, Bugwood.org (D)—Jennifer Howell
SIMILARLOOK WITHOUTTHE BLIGHT
If all else fails and you lose your beloved boxwoods, you can
plant these lookalikes without fear of boxwood blight.A Juke Box® pyracomeles x Pyracomeles
A cross between an Osteomeles and Pyracantha, this evergreen shrub
with glossy leaves can be easily trimmed to a shape or sheared into a
hedge. It has a mounded habit and doesn’t form flowers.
Full sun to part shade; 1 to 3 ft. tall and wide; cold hardy in USDA zones 7 to 9
B Sky Box™ Japanese holly Ilex crenata
Naturally columnar, Sky Box lends a formal air to a planting. It has tightly
branched evergreen foliage and its insignificant white spring flowers lead
to inedible blue berries. Sky Box and Juke Box are part of the “Box” line of
shrubs that are all good boxwood replacements.
Full sun to part shade; 4 to 5 ft. tall and 2 to 3 ft. wide; cold hardy in USDA
zones 6 to 8
C Blueberry Glaze® blueberry Vaccinium hybrid
Get a compact, mounded hedge, plus sweet, tasty blueberries with this
acid-soil-loving bush. Dark green foliage turns red to purple in fall and
white flowers ripen into edible fruit.
Full sun to part shade; 2 to 3 ft. tall and wide; cold hardy in USDA zones
5 to 8
D Bordeaux®^ dwarf Yaupon holly Ilex vomitoria
If both the male and female plants of this evergreen shrub are close
together, the female will have bird-attracting red berries in the fall. Its dense
foliage has red-tinged new foliage growth and white flowers in spring.
Full sun to part shade; 3 to 5 ft. tall and wide; cold hardy in USDA zones
7 to 9