In 1753, Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus included two varieties of boxwood in the first comprehensive botanical classification: Buxus sempervirens (American boxwood) and B. sempervirens 'Suffruticosa,' (English boxwood). In turn, settlers brought these two varieties, classified and popularized by Linnaeus, to the New World. To this day, they have remained the bread-and-butter varieties that most American gardeners associate with the plant.

Through no fault of their own, however, English and American box have a reputation for being somewhat difficult and high-strung. Besotted with fanciful visions of boxwoods sculpted into hedges, parterres, and topiaries, as seen in Europe's finest gardens, modern gardeners tend to get caught up in their historical associations and plop them anywhere, without considering their horticultural needs.

"We sell more English box than any other variety, but maybe half of them shouldn't have been planted where they are," says Paul Saunders, founder of Saunders Brothers Nursery, which has specialized in boxwoods since 1947 in Piney River, Virginia. "In the right environment -- high dappled shade -- nothing can touch them. But put English box in full sun and it usually won't work. It'll get thick and it'll burn."

Saunders discovered that despite the great popularity of box, which is made all the more attractive because deer show no interest in foraging on its leaves, American and English varieties have some major limitations. American box may be able to tolerate more sun than English box, but, like English box, it prefers the abiding protection of high shade. And since both varieties are susceptible to root rot, they need to be planted in well-drained soil.

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.