Caring for Green Mountain Boxwood
Caring for your green mountain boxwood should be easy, no matter where you live. Green mountain boxwood is a cross between English boxwood and Asian boxwood that is designed to look great while withstanding both frosts and drought, and is hardy in United States zones four through nine. This boxwood can grow to about five feet in height and three feet in diameter, and will naturally grow into a pyramid shape with no pruning. It makes a really great choice for hedges or potting because, thanks to its rich, dense foliage, you can trim it into all sorts of cool shapes.
Conditions
Your green mountain boxwood will grow in either sun or shade. It prefers full sun or partial shade and will thrive if protected from drying winds. Green mountain boxwood is easy to grow in all sorts of soil types and especially likes rich garden loams and heavy soil.
Maintenance and Growth
Your green mountain boxwood requires frequent watering. This is especially the case if you live somewhere hot. If you keep your green mountain boxwood in a pot, then you will need to water it even more often. Keep the soil around your shrub moist, but don't let the plant sit in standing water.
You can expect your green mountain boxwood to grow very quickly when young, then slowly as it matures. You can fertilize it with an all purpose fertilizer in spring before you see any new growth. You may also want to treat is with an anti-desiccant spray.
If you don't prune your green mountain boxwood, it should grow into a five-foot tall, three-foot wide cone. If you do want to prune it, however, you can shape it like a sphere or a cube or whatever you want. Pruning should be done in the summer.
Protection
Green mountain boxwoods are susceptible to powdery mildew, root rot, canker, leaf spot and pests. You can protect your shrub from these perils by giving it adequate spacing, not spraying water directly on the leaves and mulching the ground around the plant's roots.
