Boxwood Blight Insight Group

Boxwood Blight Insight Group

Boxwood Gardening at Home

Learn more about how to diagnose if your boxwood plants have been affected

Boxwood Blight Insight Group (BBIG) is a team of scientists working together on an USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture – Specialty Crop Research Initiative (SCRI) project, in partnership with stakeholders and international collaborators. This transdisciplinary team and its partners aim to safeguard boxwood—the nation’s #1 evergreen ornamental shrub crop—from blight disease, thus saving an iconic plant featured in American landscapes since 1653.


Boxwood blight was first reported from the United Kingdom and New Zealand in the 1990s. The disease has since devastated boxwood production and gardens in Europe, western Asian, and North America. The first epidemics of this destructive disease in the United States were reported from North Carolina and Connecticut, followed by Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island and Virginia in 2011. As of September 1, 2020, this disease has spread via contaminated nursery stocks to twenty-two other states plus the District of Columbia, leading to tremendous economic losses and negative social impacts. The affected states are mostly situated along the East and West Coasts as well as the shorelines of the Great Lakes; they account for 95% of the U.S. boxwood production according to the 2014 National Agricultural Statistical Service. 

Who We Are

Project Vision

Boxwood blight, although on the rise in the U.S. over the past 10 years, can still be mitigated. This iconic evergreen ornamental shrub and cornerstone landscape plant can be saved if farmers and retailers are enabled to produce and sell only blight-free plant stocks and landscapers to practice strict sanitation between job sites, while consumers and homeowners are empowered to identify and better manage the disease at sites of contamination. 

Mission Statement

This project aims to provide everyone in the horticultural chain—from farmers to consumers and all citizens cherishing gardens and gardening—with the knowledge and tools needed to win the battle against boxwood blight through innovation, economic analysis and education. Accomplishing this goal will prevent further spread of the blight disease via nursery trade, allow better management of the disease at sites of contamination, and build resilience into boxwood production and gardening. All resultant innovations and technology integration will undergo vigorous cost/benefit analyses to ensure that each and every recommendation is economically viable, promoting the sustainability of boxwood production and gardening. New findings will be delivered to end users in a timely fashion for immediate application and benefit through the BBIG Newsletter, an online knowledge center, and other educational programming. For the broadest reach. Technology transfer will be conducted in collaboration with AmericanHort, the American Boxwood Society (ABS), the National Plant Diagnostic Network (NPDN), the National Plant Board (NPB), and other national and local institutions.

Learn More About BBIG

Latest Updates

By BBIG 23 Feb, 2024
The Boxwood Blight Insight Group (BBIG) invites horticulturists, researchers, and plant enthusiasts to join an insightful webinar titled, "In the Lab and the Landscape at the National Arboretum: Boxwood Genomics and AI Solutions for Blight Detection and Protection." This webinar will offer an exploration of the latest boxwood research from the National Arboretum, with a focus on the intersection of boxwood breeding, genomics, and machine learning. Webinar Highlights: Cutting-edge Genomics Research: Learn about the latest developments in boxwood genomics and breeding strategies aimed at identifying genetic resistance to boxwood blight. Gain insights into current methodologies and breakthroughs at the National Arboretum. AI Solutions for Blight Detection: Discover how artificial intelligence (AI) is enhancing the detection and protection of boxwood in both laboratory settings and natural landscapes. The seminar will showcase innovative AI methods for recognizing and combatting boxwood blight, presenting a glimpse into the future of plant disease management. Engaging Presentation: Attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions fostering a collaborative environment for learning and idea exchange.
By Dr. James LaMondia 23 Aug, 2023
The Boxwood Blight Insight Group is pleased to host the next webinar in their on-going efforts to assist the industry manage boxwood health in the nursery and in landscapes.
By Dr. Carrie Fearer 23 Jul, 2023
by Dr. Carrie Fearer of University of New Hampshire
By Mr. Bennett Saunders, Dr. Alejandro Del-Pozo, and Dr. Jeanine West 11 Apr, 2023
Box tree moth observations in Europe by Mr. Bennett Saunders of Saunders Genetics LLC Phenology of the box tree moth in Western New York by Dr. Alejandro Del-Pozo of Virginia Tech Managing BTM in the nursery by Dr. Jeanine West, Grower Technical Analyst, Landscape Ontario 
By Dr. Iryna Matsiakh 21 Dec, 2022
by Dr. Iryna Matsiakh, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences 
By Dr. Len Coop 15 Sep, 2022
Presented by Len Coop - Associate Professor @Oregon Integrated Pest Management Center, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon (USA) Boxwood blight is a fungal disease that can decimate boxwood plantings in most all settings and environments. The degree of injury can vary widely, depending on cultivar susceptibility, local disease severity, and weather, from nearly symptom-free to total destruction and death of boxwood plants. Dr. Len Coop will present how weather and climate affect both where the disease is of most concern, and when conditions may be most favorable for disease build-up. A demonstration of online tools will be given so that boxwood managers can apply these principles towards reducing and controlling this disease. Now boxwood blight model predictions can be delivered according to a subscriber's settings in their email in-box, making management decisions easier and less time consuming.
By Dr. Thomas Hsiang 17 Aug, 2022
Volutella blight is commonly found on boxwood plants worldwide. Although some consider it mainly a saprophyte surviving on dead tissues, it is capable of initiating disease on live wounded tissues. Here we present some background on the disease, some basic biology on how it causes infections, and end with its disease cycle and recommendations for management in nurseries.
Show More
Share by: