West Grove, PA — Star® Roses and Plants is excited to announce its Buxus ‘Little Missy’ was ranked in the top 2% of varieties resistant to boxwood blight in a recently published USDA analysis.
“Boxwood blight continues to challenge the horticultural industry,” says Mike DuVall, Director of Products at Star® Roses and Plants. “Our team at Star® Roses and Plants is always striving to bring the best plants to market, so we were thrilled to get confirmation that ‘Little Missy’ was top-ranked for boxwood blight resistance.”
In a recent Journal of Environmental Horticulture publication, USDA scientists used meta-data analysis to rank 131 Boxwood varieties for susceptibility to boxwood blight. The analysis combined data from various external studies conducted at multiple locations under multiple testing conditions. Buxus ‘Little Missy’ ranked in the top 2% of boxwood blight resistant varieties.
Discovered by nurseryman Norman Cole and introduced by Star® Roses and Plants in 2013, Buxus ‘Little Missy’ has been a reliable selection for its excellent landscape and container performance. ‘Little Missy’ is a compact plant that grows to 2.5 feet high by 3.5 feet wide and requires minimal pruning to maintain its tidy appearance. It displays deep green foliage year-round and is hardy to USDA zone 5.
These traits combined with the results of the USDA analysis, make ‘Little Missy’ a smart choice in any landscape.
According to the USDA publication, Boxwood is a valuable nursery commodity, with more than 11 million plants sold in the United States each year at a market value of $126 million. However, Boxwood plants are threatened by boxwood blight, a destructive disease cause by a fungal pathogen that leads to defoliation and plant death in nurseries and established landscapes. The best long-term solution to combat this pathogen is to develop resistant cultivars.
To read the full USDA analysis, visit https://bit.ly/3luRqrQ.
For more information on placing orders or grower questions, contact your Territory Manager or call customer service at 1-800-457-1859. To download and view high-res images of Buxus ‘Little Missy’, visit https://bit.ly/3aGeeAd.
Star® Roses and Plants has been bringing great plants to the world’s gardens since 1897, and continues to introduce breakthrough roses, shrubs, edibles and perennials. Their most notable brands include The Knock Out® Family of Roses, Drift® Roses, Bushel and Berry®, and Bloomables®. Star® Roses and Plants is a wholly owned subsidiary of Ball Horticultural. For more information, please visit www.starrosesandplants.com.
