If you’re looking for a Boxwood species that will thrive in Litchfield County or Northern Fairfield County, you’ve come to the right place. Even though Boxwood’s are the anchor to most gardens, there are varieties of Boxwood’s that are better suited to this part of Connecticut than some other varieties. I’m often shocked at the amount of American Boxwoods, Buxus sempervirens, that are being planted in Litchfield County. American Boxwood would not be the variety of choice if I was designing a landscape in Litchfield County. Yes, they are one of the cheaper Boxwood varieties (if there is such a thing), out there. The availability of large, round specimens are typically plentiful, but in my opinion they just aren’t hardy enough for our gardens. I’m not saying they won’t make it through a winter but at some point, in the very near future, we’ll have a crazy winter and American Boxwood’s will be damaged from winter desiccation or cold. So the question is, would you rather buy a slightly cheaper Boxwood, such as American Boxwood, and then have to give it special care ever winter to protect it from the crazy winter weather you know we will eventually have or would you rather spend a little more for a Boxwood that you don’t have to worry about every fall?
So what do we use at Designing Eden llc for our Litchfield County landscapes and even Fairfield County gardens for that matter? Although there are quite a few varieties hardy enough for Litchfield County, the three we often lean towards are Buxus ‘Green Mountain’, Buxus ‘Green Velvet’, Buxus micophylla ‘Wintergreen.’
Green Mountain Boxwood tends to grow in a pyramidal shape although you can easily maintain a plant with a round top. Green Velvet is a slow growing variety that grows in a dense rounded shape. Where Green Mountain and Green Velvet are most similar in look to American Boxwood although they are actually a cross between American and Korean Boxwood, Wintergreen Boxwood is a variety of Korean Boxwood. The color of Wintergreen is not a dark green like the other two varieties. It’s more of a true green. The leaves are also larger and very glossy. The Wintergreen variety of Korean Boxwood gets it’s name because it stays more green that the parent, but Wintergreen and all Korean Boxwoods change to a coppery color through winter.
If you’re not familiar with what plants will grown in our area, it’s best to ask other gardeners and landscapers what’s working and what isn’t. Research online is better than nothing but I find plant information to be misleading a lot of times. For instance, no where on the world wide web does it say that the beautiful Buxus ‘Newport Blue’ is hardy to zone 5, Litchfield County. In fact, wherever you look online, Buxus ‘Newport Blue’ hardiness is rated to a 6, the same rating as American Boxwood. Now, based on experience, I would not plant American Boxwoods in Litchfield County yet I’ve had two Newport Blue Boxwoods planted here in New Milford for 22 years and have never had an ounce of die back and receives no special care.
