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The BoxwoodBulletin A quarterly devoted to Man's oldest garden ornamental Ickworth in Suffolk, England, home of the first National Collection ofBuxus. See story on page 23. (Photo: E. Braimhridge) IN THIS ISSUE Growing Boxwoods in England, Elizabeth Braimbridge ... ............ ..... ................... 23 Buxus Phylogeny, Basil Shanahan .................... ..... .. ..... .. ... ....... .. ... ........................ 26 Williamsburg Garden Tour, Mrs. Robert L. Frackelton ....... ................................. 28 Workshop in Williamsburg, Tom Saunders ............. .............................................. 33 Minutes of Summer Board Meeting ........ ...................... ......... ... .............. ............... 35 Correspondence ............................................................. ........ ................... .............. 35 Members Share ......... ................................................................. .............. ... ............ 36 The Seasonal Gardener ...... ... .. ... ......... ... ............................. .. ... .......... ........... ... .... ... 38 October 1993 Volume 33, Number 2 TheAmerican Boxwood Society The American Boxwood Society is a not-for-profitorganiza Available Publications: tion founded in 1961 and devoted to the appreciation, scien Back issues of The Boxwood Bulletin (each) $ 4 tificunderstanding and propagationofthe genusBuxus L. There Boxwood Buyer's Guide (3rd Edition) 8 are more than 800 members in the United States and nine $ International Registration List ofCultivated Buxus L. $ 3 foreign countries. Index to The Boxwood Bulletin 1961-1986 $10 Index to the Boxwood Bulletin 1986-1991 $ 4 Officers: PRESIDENT: Contributions: Mr. Dale T. Taylor Wenonah, N.J. Gifts to the Society are tax-deductible and may be undesig nated or applied to: VICE-PRESIDENTS: Mrs. Robert L. Frackelton Fredericksburg, Va. Boxwood Handbook Fund Mrs. Malcolm L. Holekamp Webster Groves, Mo. Boxwood Memorial Garden Fund Boxwood Monograph Fund SECRETARY: Boxwood Research Fund Mrs. Joan C. Butler Winchester, Va. ABS Blandy Capital Fund EXECUTIVE TREASURER: Mrs. Katherine D. Ward Deerfield, Va. Correspondence: REGISTRAR: For address changes, memberships, dues, contributions, or to Mr. Lynn R. Batdorf Colesville, Md. order back issues or publications, write: DIRECTORS: Treasurer, The American Boxwood Society Mr. Lynn R. Batdorf (1996) Colesville, Md. P.O. Box 85, Boyce, Va. 22620 Mr. John W. Boyd, Jr. (1994) Alton, Va. For general information about the Society, advice concerning Mrs. Sigrid G. Harriman (1996) Fredericksburg, Va. boxwood problems or cultivar selection, write to The Ameri Mr. Malcolm Jamieson (1996) Richmond, Va. can Boxwood Society at the same address. You are also Mr. Richard D. Mahone (1995) Williamsburg, Va. welcome to write directly to the President: Mr. Tom Saunders (1994) Piney River, Va. Mrs. Tyra Sexton (1994) Fredericksburg, Va. Mr. Dale T. Taylor Dr. Stephen D. Southall (1995) Lynchburg, Va. 105 S. Princeton Avenue Wenonah, N. J. 08090 EX-OFFICIO: Dr. Edward F. Connor Boyce, Va. Call for Papers: BULLETIN EDITOR: Technical articles, news, history, lore, notes, and photographs John S. McCarthy Webster Groves, Mo. concerning boxwood specimens, gardens or plantings are solicited for possible publication in The Boxwood Bulletin. Memberships: Photographs should be suitable for reproduction and fully Memberships for the year May through April include $12 for captioned. Suggestions regarding format 'and content are four quarterly issuesof The Boxwood Bulletin: welcome. Material should be submitted to: Chairman, Bulletin Committee Individual $15 Sustaining $50 1714 Greenway Drive Family $20 Life $250 Fredericksburg, Va. 22401 Contributing $30 Patron $500 Material to be returned to the sender must be submitted with Non-member subscriptions for groups and institutions, such a self-addressed envelope carrying suitable postage. Every as botanic gardens and libraries, are $15 by the calendar effort will be made to protect submittals, but the Society year. cannot be responsible for loss or injury. The Bo:nvood Bulletin (ISSN 0006 8535) is published quarterly for Sl2.00peryear by The American Boxwood Society, BIandy Experimental Farm, Boyce, Va. 22620. Second class postage paid at Boyce, Va. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Bo:nvood Bulletin, P.O. Box 85, Boyce, Va. 22620. The Bulletin is printed by M-J Printers, Fredericksburg, Va. Growing Boxwoods in England Elizabeth Braimbridge The Langley Boxwood Nursery was plant identification. The aim is the boxwoods here was by Roy Lancaster started ten years ago and the first two conservation of a genus--or a section while he was compiling the famous years were spent clearing up the debris of it-in a known location. During the HiIlier Manual o/Trees and Shrubs. of a previously abandoned nursery last ten years the National Collections Entitled The Common Box in Britain which had been on the site. This year scheme has considerably raised public (ABS.Vol. 8(4):60), he realized how we were awarded the status of a awareness of the need to conserve old unaware we all were of the richness of National Collection of Buxus. Ickworth cultivars from becoming extinct. the boxwood family. in Suffolk, England, was the recipient The European concept of boxwood Langley Boxwood Nursery is of the first award of a National Collec is either as a topiary medium or as situated on very light sandy soil of low tion of Buxus status. sharply sheared hedging. We do not pH, in the county of Hampshire in the The collection holders are usually think of it as an ornamental shrub with South of England. We have a problem dedicated private gardeners, who differing forms and textures according with plummeting temperature drops in include His Royal Highness Prince to variety. Our more knowledgeable the evening, from a warm summer Charles, nurseries with a specialist gardeners here do know, rather hazily, afternoon to 3°C [37°F], even in production in a particular genus, or that there might be a few more varieties August, which does not help too much. horticultural colleges. There is therefore than dwarf and common box, and cv. A temperature of -lOoC [14°F] in a very personal attachment to their 'Elegantissima'; many of them wiIl winter with no snow cover is also a coIlections by the owners, which serves murmur, "I've always rather liked feature. to safeguard them and ensure their box ... ". Few of them, until recently, We mulch our fields with spent continuance in future. The collections were planting it. It was the missing mushroom compost, perfect for the are made available for reference and plant in our gardens. boxwoods owing to its chalk content sometimes propagating material and The only published study on and light humus. However, a benefit of At Langley Boxwood Nursery, customers select their specimens. (Photos: E. Braimbridge. except as noted) October 1993 23 the fast draining soil is that it can be glass at a nearby nursery, and receive sempervirens 'Memorial' quickly forms worked and plants lifted or planted them back in 9 cm pots ready to sell the a perfect oval shape. The new Germ<lI1 even after heavy rainfall. Root diseases following May. These young plants are cultivar B. sempervirens 'Blauer Heinz' do not occur, by then a bushy 10 cm tall and grow always stops our visitors in their tracks We produce the larger architectural rapidly thereafter. with its glaucous color and lovely neat sizes, such as six or seven feet high We are at present in the process of dense ball shape. B. sempervirens obelisks and one metre globes in the rooting 30,000 B. sempervirens 'Graham Blandy', despite its tendency field, along with much of the B. 'Suffruticosa' for the restoration of the to spring floppiness, is an excellent sempervirens and B. sempervirens Privy Garden at Hampton Court Palace. accent plant. We try to grow 'Graham 'Suffruticosa' hedging. Container All these have to be of exactly the same Blandy' with fairly low nutrient growing for year-round planting is a clone, of course; otherwise the unifor conditions to keep growth hard. must these days. Containers are placed mity would be spoilt. We have several The British gardening public is very on capillary-watered sand beds, with dwarf types from various sources which knowledgeable about the wide range of the larger containers being drip have distinct differences in leaf shine, plants which can be grown here, and it watered individually. bushiness, colour, habit, etc. gives every plantsman a thrill to see just Topiary and hedging are still the We consider the cultivar B. sinica one "new" item. When they visit us , main call. We cannot produce enough var. insularis 'Justin Brouwers' to be a they can see many varieties unknown to dwarf box on our premises, so we now really first class box. Buxus cv. them before. Most of these are the take cuttings from our own stock in 'Faulkner' (Does anyone know its selections and cultivars kindly supplied August, send them to be rooted under origin?) is a winter sparkler. B. to us by the ABS and your arboreta. Some topiary forms at Langley Boxwood Nursery. A boxwood rooster at Langley Boxwood Nursery. 24 October 1993 At the Hampton Court Show, Langley Boxwood's exhibit contained 50 kinds of boxwood. (Photo: The Royal Horticultural Society) The emphasis on using B uxus as a was thanks to Dr. John Creech, who Wherever possible we study box shapely shrub, selected for its natural directed us to one of the most dramatic growing wild in its native country. We and particular