If you love your outside space but want to add a little all-year-round greenery and increase your privacy, then a thuja evergreen is the plant for you. Growing to a minimum of 12 feet tall, these emerald green arborvitae trees are the perfect hedge or screening plant that will bring color and enhance your garden.
What Are Arborvitae Trees?
Arborvitae trees are one of the most natural and versatile evergreen trees that can be used in almost any garden setting. They grow tightly together, forming an ideal privacy screen that doesn’t require any trimming, unless, of course, you want to. They can also be used as a hedge or shaped like a topiary, adding to their versatility and reputation as one of the most popular hedge trees available.
What Is Their Growing Rate?
In ideal conditions, the emerald green arborvitae tree grows at a rate of 1-2 feet per year when young. As the tree matures, growth slows to around six inches per year until the full height is reached, which is usually between 10-15 years. Once established the trees have a lifespan of between 25-150 years.
How To Grow Emerald Green Arborvitae Trees
To give the trees a better opportunity for successful growing, it is best to plant them in the fall, when heat stress is at its lowest, but the soil is still pliable. The tree needs to be planted in relatively moist, but well-drained soil. They tolerate full sun and partial shade, and in warmer climates more shade is preferable. If used as a privacy screen or fence, the trees will need between 3 to 4 feet of space around them.
Weeds, grass, and debris including large rocks and stones need to be removed prior to planting, before digging a hole that is around twice the width of the tree’s root ball, take care not to dig any deeper than the root ball’s height.
The tree is then placed into the hole but remains slightly higher than the surrounding soil. Replace the soil in the hole, ensuring it is not packed tightly as this may suffocate the roots. To maintain the soil, add a couple of inches of compost, and water twice per week until the trees are established.
Once established, watering can then reduce to once per week for the following year. However, planting trees in the autumn allows you to take advantage of the seasonal rainfall.
Caring For Your Trees
The emerald green arborvitae tree needs minimal maintenance other than regular watering and trimming, which should take place in the autumn. In addition to the trees undergoing minimal growth, it will also give you an opportunity to remove any dead or damaged branches.If growing your arborvitae as a hedge, ensure the trimming is narrower at the top than the bottom.
This allows the sunlight to penetrate through the tree to the ground, allowing the emerald green arborvitaes to retain their lush green color from top to bottom, and enhance the look of your garden.