NewGen Independence® was chosen based on its very high tolerance to boxwood blight as well as its outstanding performance in boxwood leafminer trials. It’s growth is similar to ‘Green Beauty’ boxwood but has much better boxwood leafminer resistance and the leaves are slightly more elongated. NewGen Independence® is a very deep green medium-sized cultivar that holds excellent color throughout the winter. It has a rounded habit that is nearly as tall as wide. NewGen Independence® can be used in formal plantings where a medium-sized round plant is desired. It would be a replacement for Buxus sempervirens ‘Suffruticosa’ (English Boxwood) for foundational plantings. Branching structure is very strong allowing it to withstand most moderate to heavy snow loads. Deer resistant.

This ponytail Palm has a thickened base that swells at the soil level and a tuft of leaves that resemble a horses tail from the top of the stem. It makes a great house plant and can also be grown outside. For best results It’s roots do not like to be disturbed so try planting in a container that can be easily brought indoors for the winter.

If you lived in the western Chinese mountains, this might not be your first choice for landscaping since it is a favorite food of the indigenous Giant Pandas which might devastate your landscape. Without such bothers here, you’ll find this selection to be elegant, easy to grow and an exciting, clumping, non-invasive addition to your landscape. Early shoots on this hardy species display exquisite orange-red culm sheaths surrounding the narrow, upright shoots that tend to fountain over slightly as they rise, creating a flowing landscape form that will be prized individually or in groups. This clumping mountain bamboo also makes the perfect evergreen screen with dark green foliage that will keep the landscape cool looking even in the heat of summer. It grows well in any sun to partial shade location in moist, well-drained soil and, in the absence of Giant Pandas, even the deer won’t munch on them.

A very unique fern, Ebony Spleenwort has sterile fronds that are only 2-6 inches long who’s blunt evergreen pinnae alternate. The ebony name refers to its shiny black stalk that turns with age. It is one of the most drought-tolerant ferns, so while it prefers shade, finding a partially sunny/shady spot will do just fine, provided it’s kept moist enough-without being flooded. In nature, it is found along rocky wooded ledges, rocky slopes and mossy banks, but will make a lovely addition to your landscape.

Sometimes it’s hard to classify an evergreen as a colorful plant but this outstanding selection will certainly fit the bill. The first thing you’ll notice about this variety is its upwardly curving deep green needles backed so brightly in brilliant white that the plant takes on a unique two-toned look that is more than unusual… it’s stunning! Slow growing at first, ‘Horstmann’s Silberlocke’ will pick up momentum as it ages adding up to 2′ of growth per year on its way to becoming a tall, narrow specimen that will truly stop traffic. It even sports generous amounts of bright green, upright standing cones that loom above the foliage, adding to its unique look!