Boxwood 'Green Mountain'
Buxus 'Green Mountain' · Buxaceae
A hardy boxwood that grows naturally into a neat, upright cone and stays green through northern winters.
- Size
- 5 ft tall, 3 ft wide
- Zones
- 4 to 9
- Light
- Full sun to part shade
- Flowers
- Grown for its leaves
- Pets
- Toxic (moderate)
- Job in a bed
- Anchor
A bed built around boxwood 'Green Mountain'
The planner designed this bed around boxwood 'Green Mountain' when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) formal bed in zone 6, part sun. It chose the other plants from the 708 that suit those conditions, and says below why boxwood 'Green Mountain' stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Boxwood 'Green Mountain' × 1, dark green leaves
- 2 Bloody cranesbill 'Max Frei' × 12, pink
- 3 Fringed bleeding heart × 6, white
- 4 Lilyturf × 13, purple
- 5 Easter lily × 4, white
- 6 Spring starflower × 14, blue
Why this plant
- The only plant grown for its leaves. Leaf lasts all season, where a flower lasts a few weeks.
- The bed's only structure. Shrubs and grasses keep their shape when the perennials die down, and it is the only one here.
Why here
- At the back. At 5 ft it is seen over Easter lily (3 ft) in front of it, and has nothing behind it to hide.
- One plant, alone. A shrub is seen as an object, and needs clear ground around it.
Why now
- Here for its leaves, all year. They cover the 16 weeks between early March and late November when nothing on the plan is in flower.
- One of two evergreens. They are what the bed has to show from November to March.
Planned as a formal bed: 50 of the 50 plants (100%) are mirrored across the middle of the bed: each stands on the middle line or has a twin of its own kind opposite it. Lilyturf repeats along the bed to tie it together. Fringed bleeding heart flowers longest, for 16 weeks.
The planner's own design check: 7 Excellent, 7 Good, 3 Satisfactory.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where boxwood 'Green Mountain' goes in a border
At 5 ft it belongs at the back of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is tall (4 to 5 ft).
Its job: anchor. A shrub that gives the bed permanent structure. Planted singly, as soon as the front edge is laid; everything else is arranged around it.
The boxwood to choose for a cone or pyramid: it needs little clipping to hold the shape. A pair at a gate or the corners of a bed gives instant formality.
- Cones and pyramids
- Formal accents at corners and entrances
- Low hedges
What to plant with boxwood 'Green Mountain'
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- English lavender 'Hidcote': adds the flowers, late June to late July; low enough (18 in) to stand in front of it.
- Catmint 'Walker's Low': adds the flowers, mid May to mid September; low enough (24 in) to stand in front of it.
- English rose: adds the flowers, early June to early October.
Questions about boxwood 'Green Mountain'
Does boxwood 'Green Mountain' need sun or shade?
Boxwood 'Green Mountain' grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day), part sun (4 to 6 hours of sun, including some afternoon sun) and part shade (2 to 4 hours of sun, mostly in the morning).
It wants ordinary well-drained soil, of average fertility, and a good soak in dry spells.
What zones does boxwood 'Green Mountain' grow in?
USDA zones 4 to 9. It is hardy to zone 4, which means it survives winter nights down to about −20 °F (−29 °C).
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
How far apart should boxwood 'Green Mountain' be planted?
2½ ft (75 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 3 ft (90 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 5 ft (150 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many boxwood 'Green Mountain' plants do I need?
At 2½ ft apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 2 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 5 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 6 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as one, planted singly: it is the bed's structure, and everything else is arranged around it.
In the bed above, the planner used one in one group.
Is boxwood 'Green Mountain' poisonous to dogs and cats?
Yes: moderate toxicity to people, dogs, cats and horses. All parts cause vomiting and diarrhoea if eaten, and the sap can irritate skin.
Rated from NC State Extension and the ASPCA. Where references disagree, the more cautious rating is used.
Is there a pet-safe plant like boxwood 'Green Mountain'?
These come closest to doing what boxwood 'Green Mountain' does, and no toxicity is recorded for them:
- Arborvitae 'Emerald Green': the same job in a bed; 8 ft taller, 6 in wider.
- Dwarf Hinoki cypress: a specimen, not an anchor, 6 in wider.
- Box honeysuckle 'Baggesen's Gold': the same job in a bed; 12 in shorter, 10 in wider.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
What does boxwood 'Green Mountain' look like in winter?
Boxwood 'Green Mountain' keeps its dark green leaves all winter, so it is one of the plants that hold a bed together from November to March, when the perennials have gone.
More Buxus
- Boxwood 'Green Gem' Buxus 'Green Gem'
- Boxwood 'Green Velvet' Buxus 'Green Velvet'
- Common boxwood Buxus sempervirens
- Dwarf English boxwood Buxus sempervirens 'Suffruticosa'
- Korean boxwood 'Wintergreen' Buxus sinica var. insularis 'Wintergreen'
- Littleleaf boxwood 'Winter Gem' Buxus microphylla var. japonica 'Winter Gem'
In these guides
Zone guides: Zone 4 · Zone 5 · Zone 6 · Zone 7 · Zone 8 · Zone 9
Every fact on record
- Type
- Shrub
- Size
- 5 ft (150 cm) tall, 3 ft (90 cm) wide
- Plant
- 2½ ft (75 cm) apart
- Height class
- Tall (4 to 5 ft)
- Place in the bed
- Back
- Flowers
- None: grown for its foliage
- Leaves
- Fine texture, evergreen; dark green
- Shape
- Upright, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 4 to 9
- Light
- Full sun, part sun, part shade
- Soil
- Average, well-drained
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- Light, in spring
- Family
- Buxaceae
Checked against NC State Extension and ASPCA poison lists. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.