Cemetery tests blight tolerant Buxus
On a recent visit to Omaha Beach cemetery, EBTS UK Treasurer Stephen Fenny took a look at the American Battle Monuments Commission’s (ABMC) trials of blight tolerant Buxus.
Boxwood plays a big part in the horticulture found in cemetery’s, not least at Omaha Beach where American forces suffered over 4,000 casualties in the bloodiest of five landing sites on the Normandy coast on June 6th, 1944.
The varieties being tested include BetterBuxus® ‘Babylon Beauty’, ‘Heritage’ & ‘Renaissance’ as well as ‘Faulkner’ & ‘Temoin non traité’.
We contacted ABMC for some additional information about the trials and Horticultural technician Charlie Sommer from the American Battle Monuments Commission, sent us the following detailed information.
Thank you for your interest about the Buxus sp. trials we have set up on several of our sites to find the varieties best suited to our various needs.
The trial starting in 2021 concerns the following sites:
Normandy American Cemetery :
- Buxus sempervirens – control
- Buxus microphylla ‘Faulkner
- Buxus sp. ‘Babylon Beauty
- Buxus sp. ‘Heritage
- Buxus sp. ‘Renaissance
Saint-Mihiel American Cemetery
- Buxus sempervirens – control
- Buxus sp. ‘Heritage
- Buxus sp. ‘Renaissance
- Buxus sempervirens ‘Blauer Heinz’, which unexpectedly does well in calcareous soil
- Buxus sempervirens ‘Château’, which we’ll be planting in a bed in 2024. We were able to observe at a nursery (D’Elle Normandie Nursery) that this variety did not seem to be very sensitive to Calonectria pseudonaviculata
The goal of these tests is to find varieties less susceptible to Calonectria pseudonaviculata and Volutella buxi. We also wish to observe the level of appetence of these varieties to Cydalima perspectalis. None of the test varieties are treated, and we no longer use any phytosanitary products apart from chemicals free (e.g. Bacillus thuringiensis).
For more information on the varieties ‘Babylon Beauty’, ‘Heritage’, ‘Renaissance’ and ‘Skylight’: https://betterbuxus.com/hybrids/?lang=en
We noticed that the BetterBuxus varieties had a slightly faster growth rate (like ‘Faulkner’) and, above all, foliage that turns orange from the first cold days of fall if fertilization isn’t sufficient. In summer, the green color is lighter than that of Buxus sempervirens. For the moment, ‘Babylon Beauty’ for low hedges and ‘Skylight’ for high hedges would be the most interesting alternatives.
In addition, Dauguet Nursery propose to test Buxus sempervirens ‘Dee Runk’ and Buxus harlandii as possible choice varieties.
In 2024, the Dutch editor Van Vliet New Plants is due to market 3 American Saunders Brothers varieties in Europe: NewGen Independence, NewGen Fredom and NewGen Liberty Belle. We may have the opportunity to test these varieties.
Ilex maximowicziana ‘Kanehirae’ is one of the alternatives we’re still considering.
