Golden Triumph Boxwood

‘Green’ and ‘boxwood’ go together – you see it so often even in their names. But sometimes we want to add some brightness, and that’s when we don’t want ‘green’, so ‘gold’ would be the obvious other choice. That’s exactly what the Golden Triumph Boxwood brings you – a striking golden look from leaves that are boldly edged and splashed with golden yellow around a green center. The look is very bright, making this the perfect accent evergreen. This variety is tough as we expect a Little-leaf boxwood to be, and it grows slowly into a dense ball, reaching a height of about 3 feet within 10 years. You can really brighten your beds with it planted as an accent, or use it for pots decorating your entrance or terrace. If you want to do complex hedging designs, rows of yellow can be interwoven with rows of green to make exciting patterns. This boxwood is truly different and exciting, and if you find boxwood ‘dull’, this plant will triumph over your prejudice and win gold in your heart.

Growing the Golden Triumph Boxwood

Size and Appearance

The Golden Triumph Boxwood is a small evergreen shrub, growing to 2 or 3 feet tall and 3 to 4 feet wide within 10 years. It can be trimmed as you wish, or try leaving it untrimmed for a more modern look – untrimmed boxwoods develop into attractive garden characters. It has dense branching, keeping foliage right to the ground for many, many years, even if never trimmed. The leaves are smooth and rounded, with a glossy surface. They are about 1 inch across, but with trimming and age they will become smaller. The leaves are a dark green color, and mostly surrounded with a broad, irregular edging of bright golden yellow. This border varies in thickness, with some leaves almost completely yellow, or sometimes with half the leaf fully yellow and the other half only bordered. New leaves may be completely yellow when they are young, developing their green centers later. The overall look is bright and bold – a triumph of gold over green. In very hot areas keep moist to avoid any summer scorching, and in cold areas the leaves may take on orange or bronze tones during winter, becoming greener again in spring. In spring, especially with untrimmed plants, you may see small, fragrant yellow-green flowers in clusters along the stems at the base of the leaves.

Using the Golden Triumph Boxwood in Your Garden

The Golden Triumph Boxwood is a wonderful bright accent to lift your beds. Use it at the corners when growing boxwood hedges, or as an individual plant in a bed. Grow a colorful hedge with it and let your imagination inspire you to unique designs with your boxwood hedges. It is perfect for growing in pots in warmer zones, making precise golden globes that will look great. For rows plant 12 inches apart and space carefully so that you don’t get gaps as it develops that will be slow to fill in. It can be trimmed into globes, squares and low pyramids. It can also be left to grow naturally, making a rounded dense evergreen accent with no effort or work at all.

Hardiness

The Golden Triumph Boxwood is more hardy than English boxwood, and grows well from zone 5 all the way into zone 9. It grows well in both cool and warm zones, with good tolerance of heat and humidity.

Sun Exposure and Soil Conditions

The Golden Triumph Boxwood should be grown in full sun for the most golden color, perhaps with some afternoon shade in hot zones. It will also grow in partial shade everywhere, and even in light full shade, but the foliage color will not be as pronounced, with a more greenish-yellow coloring. Save it for sunny spots, and use plain-green boxwood in more shady areas. It will grow in most soils as long as they are well-drained, favoring soils that are not too dry or too wet. Once well established it has good resistance to ordinary periods of summer drought, but it always does better with a regular supply of water.

Maintenance and Pruning

Like all boxwood, the Golden Triumph Boxwood is easy to trim and grows well when trimmed. The more you trim the denser the growth and the smaller the leaves, although this variety naturally has a dense structure. The ideal times for clipping are from after the last spring frost, once new growth has matured a little, and through until late summer, avoiding very hot and dry periods. Don’t clip in the fall, especially in cooler regions. This plant is more resistant to pests and diseases than English boxwood, and rabbits and deer usually leave it alone. If you trim regularly it is a good idea to apply an evergreen fertilizer in early spring and again during the summer. Mulch over the root zone will reduce the need for watering.

History and Origin of the Golden Triumph Boxwood

Japanese, or Little-leaf, Boxwood, Buxus microphylla var. japonica is a small tree with a broad crown when growing naturally in its home of Japan. It has been grown in America since the 19th century for its cold resistance and overall toughness compared to Buxus sempervirens, the English boxwood. It is also grown in Europe, and that is where the variety called ‘Golden Triumph’ was developed. We don’t know the details, but in 2004 Hendrick Koster, who has a nursery in Boskoop, the Netherlands, was granted European Plant Breeder Rights for it. It was found as a variegated branch growing on a Japanese boxwood variety called ‘Faulkner’.

Buying the Golden Triumph Boxwood at The Tree Center

For a great evergreen accent – and something very different in the world of boxwoods – the Golden Triumph Boxwood is a winner. You will love how it brightens your beds and planting, but order now, as rare varieties like this soon sell out, and we don’t know when we might see it again.