Lots of Negative posts on Harland Boxwoods - but the flowers are awesome

[Bonsai_hope]

I just made a trip to Northern Georgia to buy some trees. I came home with a Buxus harlandii which wasn’t even on my list. There have been a lot of negative reactions to Harland Boxwoods on other posts. But the flowers on this tree screamed “take me home too.” Other than the opinion that they are only suited for zones 7-9 I can’t imagine why anyone wouldn’t want one. (A while back the head arborist at the Barnes Arboratum in Philadelphia told me it was his opinion that if treated properly and hardened correctly any tree would grow in any climate. As proof of this they had a Monkey Puzzle Tree which should not be growing in Philadelphia.)

 

[Gabler]

The monkey puzzle tree is hardy in zones seven through ten. I'm not sure what that proves.

 

[jszg]

Hardy in the ground in zone 7: big difference from in a shallow ceramic pot. I've always wanted a harlandii though, and yours has a nice show.

Incidentally it does seem like z 7 through 8 is the dividing line for growing the more robust subtropical: passionflower, some jasmines, Sabal spp. and Trachycarpus, (and to my surprise!) the new generation gardenia hybrids can all do well in-ground in 7b or 8a. But that might just be a bias from living in zone 7b for so long.

 

[canoeguide]

I'm a sucker for the bark of harlandii, but I've avoided acquiring any due to being zone 6. Some barberry have similar bark, and are more cold hardy.

 

[rockm]

Fwiw This regular old boxwood blooms every spring.

 

[Bonsai_hope]

The monkey puzzle tree is hardy in zones seven through ten. I'm not sure what that proves.

Maybe the Monkey Puzzle Tree wasn’t a good example but they had 2 Franklinia that bloomed every year and, over 20 years, I haven’t been able to get a Franklinia to live past a few years. Now that I’m about 100 miles from where they used to exist in nature, have sandy soil, and a water table that’s 3 feet below ground surface I’ll give it another try.

 

[Bonsai_hope]

Fwiw This regular old boxwood blooms every spring.

I’’ve had English and Japanese boxwoods as garden plants for 40 years and never saw one bloom. I’d love to see a photo of that if you have one.

 

[rockm]

I’’ve had English and Japanese boxwoods as garden plants for 40 years and never saw one bloom. I’d love to see a photo of that if you have one.

I didn’t think to take one. Boxwood in ground here bloom all the time. Dint think it unusual. Usually the flowers show up in April ish time frame

 

[Kanorin]

I have a shohin Harland boxwood. My thought is that it could be a nice addition to a shohin display where shohin broadleaf evergreens are a bit tough to find. Their bark is their feature that I love the most.

It's not fully winter hardy where I live, so I treat it similar to my satsuki azaleas and give them some brief dormancy by leaving them out most of November and December (not letting them get below 30 degrees though), then bring them inside under grow lights for the rest of the winter. Seems to have worked ok the past 2 years, but the jury is still out if it's a long-term solution. I certainly wouldn't recommend them to people in my similar climate unless they had some very solid overwintering setup ready for them.

 

[rockm]

I’’ve had English and Japanese boxwoods as garden plants for 40 years and never saw one bloom. I’d love to see a photo of that if you have one.

English boxwood flowers

Buxus sempervirens (Boxwood, Common Box, Common Boxwood, European Box) | North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox

English boxwood fruit

Common Box (Buxus sempervirens) - Woodland Trust

Find out all about the native, evergreen, common box, from where to find it to how it's used.

www.woodlandtrust.org.uk

Japanese boxwood flowers

Buxus microphylla or Japanese box | Care and Growing

Care of the plant Buxus microphylla, Japanese box, Small-Leaved Boxwood or Littleleaf box.

www.consultaplantas.com

 

[DaveNuts]

The bark is nice but it's also pretty delicate. Easy to end up damaging the bark while repotting.

 

[baldone]

I have 2 blooming like crazy right now in GA zone 8b. The bark is delicate though.