![]() Like many diseases, boxwood blight can spread to other boxwood or plants in the family Buxaceae, including pachysandra and sweet-box. The only way to ensure the disease does not spread is to remove the infected plant material from the landscape. While fungicides are effective at protecting plants from boxwood blight infection, it does not cure infected plant material. Boxwood blight cannot be spread to humans or animals.īoxwood blight symptoms include a rapid loss of leaves, starting in the lower branches and moving upward, as shown here. ![]() While removing the affected plant material, staff will be wearing Tyvek suits, which they will remove and safely dispose of when finished working in the area to ensure the disease does not spread. To prevent additional spread, we are temporarily closing a few areas in the eastern portion of our gardens to remove select plants this winter while the disease is dormant, limiting further spread during the process. Although we have tested for suspected boxwood blight before, this is our first confirmed case here at Longwood, and acted quickly by removing infected plants in August and September. Upon our discovery, we immediately contacted the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, who came to Longwood and confirmed the disease. In August 2020, we discovered boxwood blight-a common fungal infection caused by Calonectria pseudonaviculata that affects boxwood and other plants in the family Buxaceae-on some small seedlings in an area between Flower Garden Walk and Peirce’s Park. du Pont strived to replicate here at Longwood. We are especially saddened to see these tree boxwood go, as they represent a portion of our Peirce’s Trees core collection and because boxwood in general are a cornerstone of the French and Italian gardens our founder Pierre S. The best long-term solution to combat this pathogen is to develop resistant cultivars.While we nurture each and every plant across our Gardens with the utmost care, it is with solemnity that we must say goodbye to a portion of our tree boxwood in the eastern part of our Gardens due to boxwood blight infection. However, boxwood plants are threatened by boxwood blight, a destructive disease cause by a fungal pathogen that leads to defoliation and plant death in nurseries and established landscapes. It displays deep green foliage year-round and is hardy to USDA Zone 5.Īccording to the USDA publication, boxwood is a valuable nursery commodity, with more than 11 million plants sold in the United States each year at a market value of $126 million. ‘Little Missy’ is a compact plant that grows to 2.5 feet high by 3.5 feet wide and requires minimal pruning to maintain its tidy appearance. Buxus ‘Little Missy’ ranked in the top 2% of boxwood blight resistant varieties.ĭiscovered by nurseryman Norman Cole and introduced by Star Roses and Plants in 2013, Buxus ‘Little Missy’ has been a reliable selection for its excellent landscape and container performance. The analysis combined data from various external studies conducted at multiple locations under multiple testing conditions. In a recent Journal of Environmental Horticulture publication, USDA scientists used meta-data analysis to rank 131 Boxwood varieties for susceptibility to boxwood blight. Star Roses and Plants has announced its Buxus ‘Little Missy’ was ranked in the top 2% of varieties resistant to boxwood blight in a recently published USDA analysis.
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