Buxus M. ‘Green Velvet’ 3Gal

Latin Name: Buxus × ‘Green Velvet’ (Buxus sempervirens × B. microphylla var. koreana)

Common Name: Green Velvet Boxwood

Zones: 5-8 (some sources list 4-9)

Height & Spread: 3-4 feet tall, spreading 3-4 feet wide (some nurseries list 2-3 feet, and plants left unpruned can reach 5 feet)

Descriptive Features: A Missouri Botanical Garden Plant of Merit and one of the most popular boxwoods in cultivation, valued for hybrid vigor and cold hardiness. Forms a dense, broadly mounded to rounded evergreen shrub of small, glossy, pointed leaves that emerge bright green and mature to a rich, velvety forest green, holding their color well through winter. Foliage can bronze in harsh winters, especially in open sites exposed to wind and full sun. Pale green flowers in April are inconspicuous. Grows at a moderate pace and takes shearing exceptionally well, so it is a go-to choice for low hedges, topiary, and formal shapes, though it looks equally good left natural. Adaptable to most soil types in full sun to part shade, and tolerates both rabbits and deer. Susceptible to boxwood blight, volutella blight, and leaf spot, and watch for boxwood leafminer, mites, psyllid, and box tree moth. Not recommended where boxwood blight is a concern, in which case the NewGen cultivars are a stronger choice. Mulch the shallow roots and water during dry spells. An excellent choice for hedges, foundation plantings, borders, parterres, edging, containers, and topiary in full sun to part shade.