4' tall boxwood hedge - Green Velvet or Green Mountain?

9 years ago

We're replacing yews in front of our house with boxwood. The yews get eaten every winter by the deer, and this winter they were decimated by rabbits as well. We would like the hedge to be 4' tall or up to about 4.5' tall. One section of the hedge will be screening our A/C unit and gas meter which are in front of the house. There are windows above where the shrubs will be that are 5' up from the ground. I'm seeing different information on the height of Green Velvet and Green Mountain... Green Velvet seems to be listed anywhere from 2-4' and Green Mountain as 4-6'. If you grow either of these in the Midwest or zone 5ish, I would appreciate any insight or information you can provide on the height. Thanks in advance!

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Select Landscapes of Iowa

8 years ago

Green Velvet is the hardier of the two, surviving at or nearly at -30 here in Iowa. Green Mountain would be better if you were looking for a hedge that can be pruned into an upright or conical fashion as it is more pyramidal compared to the rounder Green Velvet.

Green Mountain may work for you in 5b, but where we are here (a solid 5a with sometime 4b temps or colder), Green Mountain will die back to the snow line once it reaches below -20 to -23. If there is a chance that you will reach these temps consider something else.

Also, be aware that there is a boxwood blight circulating the Eastern U.S. and becoming more prevalent in the Midwest. Your plants will need to be certified blight free. Most production nurseries have started doing this but check just to be sure.

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Comments (7)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
9 years ago
a lot of the tan dead looking plants around adrian and tecumseh are severely damaged boxwood ... right this minute ..

as you drive around.. see if you can spot them in your area ..

this winter was extreme.. but its a thought ...

part of that info is to suggest.. you do not plant a monoculture... on type of plant.. in volume.. just in case it happens again ...

ken
mad_gallica (z5 Eastern NY)
9 years ago
I've been thinking about doing the same thing for the same reason. What has been holding me back, though, is that boxwood is fairly picky about siting. It needs winter shade, and also a location sheltered from wind. Otherwise, it will burn and look every bit as bad as the yews.

Green Mountain seems to be getting taller than you want. It also is very conical. I have something that was simply labelled Buxus koreana that is shorter than the Green Mountain, and with a more spreading habit. But I don't have a better idea what it really is.
hortster
9 years ago
I've got an unsheared 'Green Velvet' in full winter sun. It becomes "everorange" instead of evergreen, but has lasted through subzero droughts with no damage year after year. Tough cookie.
Laura twixanddud - SE MI - 5b
Original Author
9 years ago
Thanks for the input. I'm not replacing all of the yews with boxwood, just two sections of them - the other yews are being replaced with something else.

I'm hopeful that the siting of the boxwood will work out for them, they are on the east side of the house and will be more protected than many of the other winter damaged boxwood I've seen around.

Hortster, how many years have you had your Green Velvet and how tall is it?
hortster
9 years ago
Planted over 10 years ago, can't remember the year it was planted. Slow grower. This one used to be in mostly shade but I lost the tree, so now only gets a small amount of afternoon shade in summer, no shade in winter. I noticed that it was beginning to shed some of its oldest foliage inside as it puts on new for the season. It is about the same width as height.
Cat
8 years ago
We bought Green Mountain because we're shaping it into spiral topiary. But the nursery told us that that brand sells more than any other boxwood they carry. We are in the Pacific Northwest, Zone 6. If that helps. It's very compact and beautiful. But maybe you don't want the conical shape. I don't know if they're all like that or whether they use that brand for topiary because of its shape.