NewGen Freedom® Boxwood

For superb, dense, boxwood balls, look no further than the NewGen Freedom® Korean Boxwood. Bred for density, uniformity and form, this modern replacement for older varieties like Wintergreen and Green Mountain will be exactly what we expect good boxwoods to be – neat, green, and handsome. A steady grower, adding up to 6 inches a year, you will soon have the globes of your dreams, with bright-green, reliable foliage that looks especially fresh and bright in spring, when the new growth comes. You could leave it to grow naturally into a slightly irregular, rounded bush, but most likely you will want to clip it for perfect geometry. It will grow to about 3 feet tall and wide in 10 years, and mature around 5 feet tall and wide – perfect for the foundation planting around your home, or for a pair framing a door or a set of steps. Use it for the corners of formal beds, or plant a row along a path – it could also be clipped into a perfect hedge. It is great too for larger balls in pots and tubs, and remember that the Korean boxwood is very cold tolerant, so it thrives even in zone 5.

• Very dense, compact variety perfect for trimming into balls
• Bright green, glossy foliage, especially on new growth
• Makes a dense, rounded bush even if not trimmed
• 3 feet tall and wide, to 5 feet when mature
• Good cold resistance in zone 5

Grow your NewGen Freedom® Korean Boxwood in full sun, or with some afternoon shade. That shade is especially useful in hot zones. The best soil is moist, rich and well-drained, but it will grow in average garden soils that aren’t wet. Although it has some drought tolerance, it is best to give it some deep soaks of water in dry summers. Fertilizer in spring with evergreen fertilizers – use liquid forms for plants in pots – and it is also helpful in early winter if you see the leaves bronzing. Trim once new growth hardens a little, as the leaf edges will brown if they are trimmed too young. In cold zones don’t trim after the end of summer. Deer and rabbits won’t eat it, and this vigorous variety has good resistance to both boxwood blight and to leafminer.