If You Can’t Beat ‘Em, Substitute ‘Em!

With Boxwood still in limbo I thought I would give a refresher on some plant substitutions that have been flyin’ out the door as a replacement.

I would have to start with Ilex glabras – seriously! I would have considered these an underused plant, but their time has come to step out in the world! “Inkberries” are hardy to a zone 4, not too bothered by wet feet, and can take part shade. They are not as deer-resistant as boxwood but are on the ‘least browsed’ list. Ilex glabra do not like our alkaline soils and to look their best with an acidic fertilizer applied. (Our alkaline soils are why they get yellow.) They are also salt tolerant. Straight Ilex glabra gets rather leggy and is known to sucker. However, the newer cultivars are an improvement in both leafing all the way down and less suckering (…they say no suckers but… I don’t always believe what they say.)

Ilex glabra ‘Shamrock’ is 3-5’ x 3-5’ with upright branching.
I.g. ‘Compacta’ is 3-4’ x 3-4’ with an oval-rounded shape.
I.g. ‘Densa’ is very uniform in shape.

There are 3 new ones from Proven Winners. They are bred to have better disease resistance as well as leaves all the way to the ground.

I.g. ‘Strongobx’ is 2-3’ x 2’ with large leaves. The habit is kinda of a donut… squat and round.
I.g. ‘Gembox’ 2-3’ x 2-3’ with petite leaves and a globe habit. (‘Strongbox’ and ‘Gembox’ are both females.)
I.g. ‘Squeezebox’ is male with an upright, dense habit at 4-6’ x 2-3’

Fun fact of the day: Why are they called “Inkberry”? Civil War soldiers used the sap as ink to write letters home.

Even “Mugos” have seen a resurgence. Pinus mugo prefers full sun but is light-shade tolerant. Of all the evergreens it is the one that gets the least winter burn. They will tolerate our heavier soil but prefer something a little sandier. Pinus mugo is also deer-resistant and tolerates salt. Nothing new and fab but some tried and true ones are available…

Pinus mugo ‘Compacta’ is a dwarf cultivar reaching about 3-4’.
P. mugo var mugo gets 4-6’ x 4-8’, but is still considered a dwarf.
P. mugo var pumilio is a dense somewhat prostrate form with branching heading upwards for a slightly different look. It is still considered a dwarf but reaches 4-5’ tall and 6-10’ wide.
I am expecting to have some P.m. ‘Sherwood Compact’. They are very dense with leaves that have a slight twist to them. ‘Sherwood Compact’ will get to be about 3-4’ x 3-4’.
I am also hoping to get in some Pinus strobus ‘Sea Urchin’, a 2-3’ dwarf with blue-green needles and a tight globe habit.

Globe shaped Thuja occidentalis have been moving up the popularity ladder for the last several years. The Globe “Arbs” have some newer well-behaved cultivars (not that the older cultivars are not well-behaved!!). Thujas will take our alkaline soil as well as wet soils. They prefer full sun but will take part shade.

T.o. ’Golden Globe’ is very dense and a 2-4’ dwarf with soft yellow coloration.
T.o. ‘Firechief’ Do you remember ‘Rheingold’?? ‘Fire chief’ is a mutation of a ‘Rheingold’. It has a better orange-red coloration and gets 4’ x 4’.
T.o. ‘Linesville’ or ‘Mr. Bowling Ball’. ‘Mr. Bowling Ball’, also known as ‘Linesville’, is a dense 2-3’ x 2-3’ globe with blue-green foliage that is soft to the touch.
T.o. ‘Hetz Midget’ is a slow cultivar eventually reaching 3-4’ x 4-5’. The foliage is blue-green.
T.o. ‘Little Giant’ is another slow-growing cultivar with dense dark green foliage.
T.o. ‘Woodward’. They get big! They grow to 4-10’ x 8-15’ eventually. Landscape size will be on the smaller end, because these are very slow growers (reaching 4-5 x 8’ in 10yrs.) They have dark green needles.
T.o. ‘Anna’s Magic Ball’ As per the Proven Winners website these are nifty! (I like that word.) I agree, a nifty little plant 2-3’ x 3-4’ with bright yellow foliage.
T.o. ‘Danica’ I know this one is the love of everyone’s life, but it is incredibly difficult to find! I grab everyone I can! ‘Danicas’ only get to about 2’ x 2’ with dense emerald green foliage.

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There is one more “Globe Arb” to mention. T.o ‘Aurea’ (group). They are kind of a mishmash of yellowish foliage globe arbs. They usually only reach about 2-3’ x 2-3’

I hope I’ve given you enough alternatives to think about. If that’s not enough, there are a few other options – Mirobiota, Myrica, “Chamy’s” or even “Barberry”. Maybe I’ll delve into those suggestions in a future article. But for now, check out the above varieties.

Until next time!