The boxwood blight that is wiping out generation - sure-enough plants across the sou'-east , hit Wake Forest University ’s Reynolda Gardens in the fall of 2018 , incite experts to connect with Spring Meadow Nursery , growers of Proven Winners ColorChoice shrub ocean liner , to identify a boxwood switch that is both uniform with the historical landscape and resistant to disease .
Boxwood blight is a serious and extremely contagious disease because of the fungus Calonectria pseudonaviculatum . It first appeared in the United Kingdom in the 1990s and in 2011 was detected in North America in Connecticut and North Carolina . Since then , blight has been get hold in Alabama , Delaware , Florida , Georgia , Kentucky , Kansas , Massachusetts , Maryland , Missouri , New Jersey , New York , Ohio , Pennsylvania , Oregon , Tennessee , Virginia , West Virginia and Michigan .
boxwood have long been a decisive design feature of speech of the Reynolda landscape painting , draw up the forecourt of south façade of the cottage since 1937 . The boxwoods in landscape painting designer Thomas Sears ’s original plans were English dwarf boxwoods ; however , this species was problematic and was replant several times without succeeder . Then , in 2015 as part of its landscape painting restoration project , Reynolda replanted the forecourt with Justin Brouwers boxwood , also called Korean midget boxwood and affectionately get it on as the “ baby Turkish boxwood ” among the Reynolda faculty .
Jon Roethling , theatre director of Reynolda Gardens , says his staff first notice discoloration in the boxwoods along the perimeter of the forecourt garden in other gloam , 2018 . The discoloration was before long diagnosed as blight infection . Shortly after diagnose the Turkish boxwood , Reynolda removed all infected boxwoods and treated all plants in close proximity to forbid fungal bedcover . At that time , 80 of the 300 boxwoods in front of Reynolda House were slay .
“ Reynolda was not alone in determine boxwood blight affect our planting this descent , ” said Karl Erik , director of operations at Reynolda House . “ Landscapes in our surrounding neighborhoods and beyond also suffered . But here at Reynolda , address changes in our historic landscape painting is a particularly tender chore that we approach with precaution , and in consultation with expert in the field . ”
Erik and Roethling talked with historical garden specialists , researched how other land site were dealing with the blight and at last connect with Tim Wood , the Product Development Manager at Spring Meadow Nursery in Grand Haven , MI . Wood agree to provide Reynolda with a recommended replacement for the boxwoods , Proven Winners ColorChoice Gem Box Ilex Glabra ( inkberry holly ) . Ilex is examine to be a successful boxwood alternative in Europe and Wood hopes Reynolda might become a case subject field for boxwood substitute in North American historical landscape painting . “ Reynolda is our first enceinte - plate public exam in the res publica , ” enunciate Wood , “ so we ’re excited to be involved .
“ box blight has been devastating in Europe , ” Wood go forward , “ We have been examine alternatives in France where immense numbers of Turkish boxwood plants were used in palace , castle and chateaux garden as low hedge , name parterre . In addition to Gem Box we ’ve been growing Strongbox , Sky Box , Patti - O Box Ilex , as well as Juke Box , a raw thornless , nonflowering Pyracantha cross . ” All are recommended boxwood surrogate cultivar and can attend to different intent in the landscape painting , with varying habits and feature film .
The successful use of inkberry holly as a boxwood replacement in historical European situation made a convincing case for choose the dainty evergreen shrub to exchange the fail boxwoods at the historic Wake Forest University site . And in April of 2019 , a team of volunteers substitute all 300 Turkish boxwood plant in front of Reynolda House with Gem Box inkberry holly .
“ There is a long history of this landscape painting being progressive and adapting to change , ” said Roethling . “ The decisions we make today about how to deal this epidemic puts Reynolda at the forefront of demonstrating approaches for responding to our changing surround . ”
Roethling and team prefer Gem Box inkberry holly for its compact , fill out substance abuse and little , dark dark-green leave that develop attractive red tips during the spring . Like Turkish boxwood , it responds well to pruning and can be sheared in globes or hedge with round or squared off edges . Unlike many generic edition of the species , it hold its low leafage as it ages , making it an excellent substitution for boxwood . Inkberry holly is aboriginal to the Piedmont Triad and , according to Roethling , is a meet permutation for the design of Reynolda ’s forecourt .
“ Our duty is to both uphold the wholeness of the original landscape designing and character , and respond to the change needs of our surroundings , ” Roethling pronounce . “ We ’ll be observe these newfangled plant intimately and sharing information with the nursery and our colleagues working in other historic landscape painting and gardens . ”
For more info : Reynoldawww.reynolda.org
Spring Meadow Nurseryspringmeadownursery.com
