Sensation Boxelder

Sensation Boxelder (Acer negundo ‘Sensation’) is both beautifully ornamental and tough and hardy. Discovered by Warren Carnefix, an Idaho plantman and patriarch of Fruitland Nursery, this medium- to large-sized tree has a pyramidal shape as a young tree then spreads as it gets older. A fast-growing tree, Sensation Boxelder is a male selection and seedless in nature, making it less attractive to box elder bugs, a pesky bug that feeds on the female flowers and has a habit of making itself at home in people’s houses.

It has ornamental value in both the spring and the fall, its leaves turning a light red at winter’s end and a brilliant bright red in autumn. The green leaves also maintain a slight red tint in the summer. This tree can do well in both partial and full sun and has a high tolerance for many soil types.