The Boxwo odBulletin A Quarterly Devoted to Man's Oldest Garden Ornamental The arch of ancient English boxwoods greets visitors as they approach the road-front entrance to the house at Woodlawn. See article on page 64. IN THIS ISSUE ABS Annual Meeting Scheduled for May 15-16, 1998 .. ... ................ ............. 63 ABS Garden Tour Saturday, May 16 .............................................................. 64 Designing with Boxwood, Sigrid Georgii Harriman ...................................... 69 Boxwood Hardiness in Southwestern Pennsylvania, Clyde Weber .. ............... 72 The Rt. 50 Boxwood, C. T. Fooks ................................................................... 73 Garden Week Highlights for Boxwood Enthusiasts, Suzanne Munson ........... 74 Maryland House and Garden Pilgrimage ......................................................... 76 News of the Society .................. :...................................................................... 78 f. April 1998 Volume 3;, Number 4 57 The American Boxwood Society The American Boxwood Society is a not-for-profit organiza­ Available Publications: tion founded in 1961 and devoted to the appreciation, scien­ tific understanding and propagation of the genus Buxus L. Back issues of The Boxwood Bulletin (thru Vol. 36) (each) $ 4 Boxwood Handbook: A Practical Guide (Revised) $ 17 Officers: Boxwood Buyer's Guide (4th Edition) $ 6 International Registration List of Cultivated Buxus L $ 3 PRESIDENT: Index to The Boxwood Bulletin 1961-1986 $ 10 Dr. Stephen D. Southall Lynchburg, Va. Index to The Boxwood Bulletin 1986-1991 $ 4 VICE-PRESIDENTS: Index to The Boxwood Bulletin 1991-1996 $ 3 Mr. Thomas Saunders Piney River, Va. Publications may be ordered from Mrs. K. D. Ward, ABS Mrs. Malcolm L. Holekamp Port Huron, Mich. Treasurer, 134 Methodist Church Lane, West Augusta, V A SECRETARY: 24485-2053. Prices include tax, postage and handling. Mrs. Joan C. Butler Winchester, Va. EXECUTIVE TREASURER: Contributions: Mrs. Katherine D. Ward West Augusta, Va. Gifts to the Society are tax-deductible and may be undesig­ REGISTRAR: nated or applied to: Mr. Lynn R. Batdorf Washington, D.C. Boxwood Memorial Garden Fund DIRECTORS: Boxwood Manual Fund Mr. John W. Boyd III (1998) Roanoke Va. Boxwood Research Fund Mr. Scot Butler (2000) Winchester, Va. Mr. Charles T. Fooks (1999) Salisbury, Md. Correspondence: Mrs. Robert L. Frackelton (2000) Fredericksburg, Va. For address changes, memberships, dues, contributions, or to Dr. Henry Frierson (2000) Charlottesville, Va. order back issues or publications, write: Mrs. Sigrid G. Harriman (1999) Fredericksburg, Va. Treasurer, The American Boxwood Society Mr. Richard D. Mahone (1998) Williamsburg, Va. P.O. Box 85, Boyce, Va. 22620-0085 Mr. Clyde Weber (1999) Bentleyville, Pa. Mr. Steve Zapton (1998) Port Republic, Va. For general information about the Society, advice concerning EX-OFFICIO: boxwood problems or cultivar selection, write to The Ameri­ Dr. Michael Bowers Boyce, Va. can Boxwood Society at the same address. You are also welcome to write directly to the President: BULLETIN EDITOR: John S. McCarthy Webster Groves, Mo. Dr. Stephen D. Southall 3912 Faculty Drive Memberships: Lynchburg, Va. 24501-3110 Memberships for the year May through April include $16 for four quarterly issues of The Boxwood Bulletin: Call for Papers: Technical articles, news, history ,lore, notes, and photographs Individual $25 Sustaining $75 concerning boxwood specimens, gardens or plantings are Family $35 Life $500 Contributing $50 solicited for possible publication in The Boxwood Bulletin. Material should be submitted to: Non-member subscriptions for groups and institutions, such Chairman, Bulletin Committee as botanic gardens and libraries, are $25 by the calendar 1714 Greenway Drive year as established or current year for new subscriptions. Fredericksburg, Va. 22401-5209 The Boxwood Bulletin (lSSN 0006 8535) is published quarterly for $16.00 per year by The American BOllwood Society, Blandy Ellperimental Farm, Boyce, Va. 22620. Second class postage paid at Boyce, Va. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Boxwood Bulletin, P.O. BOll 85, Boyce, Va. 22620. The Bulletin is printed by M-J Printers, Fredericksburg, Va. 38th Annual Meeting Scheduled for May 15-16,1998 ABS Meets in the Washington, D.C. Area Co-sponsored by the U.S. National Arboretum Speakers and their programs: Dr. Bonnie Appleton Schedule of Events An Extension Nursery Specialist Thursday, May 14 and an Associate Professor of Hort­ 8 p.m. Board meeting (TBA) iculture at Virginia Tech University, Friday, May 15 At u~ N a..,f' I ;H-b 0 r.::;f", J¥I she has a B.S. in Plant Science, an 8-9 a.m. Registration (pick up packets; pre-registration) M.S. in Ornamental Horticulture and 9 a.m. Welcome, business, coffee break, program a Ph.D. in Crop Science. Her work 12:30 p.m. Lunch an~ book signing has focused on topics such as con­ 1: 15 p.m. Tours of the National Buxus Collection tainer nursery design, landscape 2:45 p.m. Program with speakers continues renovation, herbicide injury, and 5:00 p.m. Boxwood auction (TBA) growing trees, shrubs, and vines. A 7:30 p.m. Banquet dinner at the Holiday Inn, Calvert, Md. noted and well-respected author, she Speaker: Mr. Wayne Amos has written four books and more than "White House Gardens" 500 articles for a variety of trade and Saturday, May 16 popular publications. 7:30 a.m. Coffee at the Holiday Inn on Powder Mill Road, Her topic for the meeting is "Ergo­ Calverton, Md. nomic Garden Tools." Many of the 8:30 a.m. Bus departs for tour of private gardens, lunch and tasks performed in caring for box­ tour of Sotterley in St. Mary's County, Maryland wood, such as digging, raking, prun­ (see next page) ing and spraying involve repetitive motions. One of the best ways to prevent some of the repetitive motion injuries (carpal tunnel syndrome, His presentation, "Boxwood at Mt. low and Above Stairs'" is a tale of the tennis elbow, trigger finger) that Vernon," as the title suggests, will life and experiences of Bertie the plague gardeners is to use ergonomi­ focus on the boxwood and their long Boxwood as he struggles with the cally-designed garden tools. The public history. The well documented realities of existence under the guard­ science of ergonomics will be exp­ gardens of Mt. Vernon have a rich ianship of Peter the Person. It is a lained, and a wide variety of tools and interesting history regarding their gripping tale with a moral. demonstrated. Ways to make existing design usage and cultural consider­ Mr. Lynn R. Batdorf tools more ergonomic (body friendly) ations. Curator of the National Boxwood will also be presented. Dean and his entertaining style Collection at the U.S. National Arbor­ Mr. Dean Norton will both inform and delight the etum, he has a B.S. in Horticulture. The Horticulturist at Mount participants. He serves as the Boxwood Registrar Vernon, the home of George Wash­ Mr. Ian Robertson for The American Boxwood Society, ington' he has a B.S. in Ornamental A Landscape Design and Horticul­ which is the International Registra­ Horticulture. Dean is responsible for tural Consultant, trained at the Royal tion Authority for Cultivated Buxus. applying the latest plant science and Botanical Gardens in Edinburgh, he He wrote the popular, and authorita­ management techniques to horticul­ manages his own design and build tive Boxwood Handbook. He has ture in a historic setting. He super­ firm. An internationally acclaimed published numerous articles and, vises 21 employees who tend the horticulturist, he has worked on lectured widely on a variety of box­ gardens and grounds. Besides being garden projects throughout the U.S. wood topics. interviewed on television and radio, He frequently lectures on horticul­ His presentation, "Knowing and he has lectured before many profes­ tural, environmental, and design Growing Boxwood," explores the sional organizations throughout the topics. cultural conditions to promote healthy country. His lecture, "A Short Story, 'Be- boxwood. Planting, pruning, soil April 1998 63 conditions, winter effects, pests and and enthusiastic society is involved in diseases of boxwood are discussed. numerous, high profile activities. Her REGISTRATION: Mr. Wayne Amos presentation will detail the exciting Forms were mailed in the A native Georgian, and graduate projects of the EBTS. January issue of The Boxwood of the University of Georgia in Horti­ Mrs. Elizabeth Braimbridge Bulletin. If you've misplaced culture, after working for nurseries in Mrs. Braimbridge and her hus­ yours, please contact Mrs. California and Georgia, he has been band, Mark, started the Langley Robert L. Frackelton, 1714 with the National Park Service, White Boxwood Nursery, south of London, Greenway Drive, Fredericks­ House grounds, for 21 years, with an in 1983. In 1993, this nursery was burg, VA 22401-5209. ,Regis­ exception of three years when he was awarded the status of a National tration fee includes refresh­ conservatory manager for the green­ Collection of Buxus. Today, the ments, lunch and banquet house and nursery production that nursery is world-renowned for its dinner on Friday, May 15, and services the White House grounds. selection and quality of boxwood and bus trip with coffee before He lives and gardens in Alexandria, topiary. They are responsible for departure with lunch and tours V A. His program will show the organizing the European Boxwood on Saturday, May 16. prominent and historical gardens and Topiary Society, several box­ which surround one of