Although horticultural specialists continue to track down members of the boxwood family, specifics concerning the performance and adaptability of each specimen in regions around the country are hard to come by. So in 1997, Saunders thought of an idea to test what he already considered to be the best varieties. The result was the National Boxwood Trials.

Today, some 40 trial centers around the country -- as far south as Griffin, Georgia, as far north as Chicago, and as far west as the Mississippi -- track the performance of some 15 different varieties. Participants have included many of the finest botanical gardens in the South.

Experiments have revealed a plethora of new information, including which varieties are best suited to the Southern climate. At the top of the list are B. sempervirens 'Dee Runk,' which naturally assumes a tall, vertical shape; B. sempervirens 'Vardar Valley,' whose blue-green foliage makes it an excellent foundation planting; and B. microphylla 'Green Mountain,' which can take more sun than just about any other boxwood.

These selections not only increase the options for the shape of boxwood plantings but many appear hardier and more versatile than standard American and English box.

Now that the door is open, it's certain that other varieties of box -- including B. microphylla 'Richard' (a fast-growing, low, bushy variety that has thick, oblong leaves with wavy edges) and B. microphylla 'Kingsville Dwarf' (a dwarf cultivar smaller than B. microphylla 'Morris Midget') -- will start getting the attention they deserve. There is no doubt about it: The aristocracy of box is undergoing a quiet revolution, which is bound to alter the way we look at and use it in the future. Richly varied, boxwood is stepping out of its narrowly-defined box.