Illustration
Green Velvet
Buxus 'Green Velvet'
Green Velvet is grown for its foliage rather than flowers, giving the garden structure and color all season long.
Months here are Northern Hemisphere months; in the Southern Hemisphere, shift them by six months.
Growing Green Velvet
Plant it in full sun. It prefers moderate water. It is hardy in USDA zones 5–9. Expect it to reach about 3.5 ft tall and 3.5 ft wide at maturity, in roughly 4 years (not yet checked).
What was checked
Mature height and spread, hardiness zones, sun and the trait tags were checked against named botanical sources for this plant. The bloom months and water need on this page were not, and each fact above says which. The planting, spacing and size sections are derived from these checked facts by a fixed rule, not checked separately, and the plant type is the library's own classification.
When to plant Green Velvet
Plant Green Velvet in early spring as soon as the soil is workable, or in early fall at least six weeks before your first frost, so roots establish in cool weather. In zone 7, the middle of its hardy zones 5 to 9, spring means March to May and fall means September or October.
Month-by-month timing for your zone is on the planting calendar; if you garden near zone 7, the middle of this plant's hardy range, start with zone 7 in March. Derived from the plant's category, zones and bloom months plus typical zone frost dates, not checked separately.
How big does Green Velvet get?
3.5 fttall5 ft 7 inan adult3.5 ftwideSee Green Velvet in a garden plan: the planner shows it in 3D beside everything else you add, growing toward this size over the years.
How far apart to plant Green Velvet
Derived from the mature spread above by a fixed rule, not checked separately: spacing is the spread, center to center.
Space Green Velvet about 3.5 ft apart, center to center, so each plant has room to reach its full width.
Add Green Velvet to a garden plan and the planner draws it at its full width, so you see the spacing before you buy.
Where these facts come from
Green Velvet's height, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags were checked against 8 published sources on July 30, 2026. Each one is linked below with every fact it carried, which can include a fact this page still marks as not yet checked, because a source carrying a value is not the same as the value being held to the standard. Facts not in that list, and the planting, spacing and size sections, are not covered by these sources.
- fast-growing-trees.comFast Growing Treesheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, years to mature size and trait tags
- gertens.comGertensheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, years to mature size and trait tags
- NC State ExtensionGardener Plant Toolboxheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, years to mature size and trait tags
- The Tree Centerheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, years to mature size and trait tags
- patuxentnursery.comPatuxent Nurseryheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- Plant Addictsheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- Sooner Plant Farmheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- Missouri Botanical GardenPlant Finderheight, spread, hardiness zones and sun
How the checking works, and what each standard covers, is on the verified plants page.
Good to know about Green Velvet
Curated from university extensions, botanic gardens and other primary sources, with the source named on every note.
Safety
All parts are toxic to dogs, cats and horses (bitter steroidal alkaloids); a nibble mostly causes an upset stomach, and the foliage can irritate skin. per ASPCA and NC State
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FoliageDesign a garden with this
Drop this plant onto a 3D plan, see how it fills in, and watch your whole garden bloom across the year.