Emerald Arborvitae Tree (Thuja occidentalis)

The Emerald Arborvitae is a dense narrow pyramid shaped tree that has short ascending branches heading to the ground and it eventually ends in flat yet spreading horizontal sprays. It usually has one trunk but multiple trunks might also occur. The Emerald Arborvitae is a Native American tree and the name is from Latin which means the 'tree of life.'

Description

The Emerald Arborvitae has shimmering emerald green foliage thus its unique name. It is great for screens and hedges. It is narrow yet pyramid shaped and has an appealing appearance the entire season.

The Emerald Arborvitae leaves are bright green and lustrous foliage that does not discolor during the winter like the other type of arborvitae.

Emerald Arborvitae grows to a height of 10’ – 15’ feet and spreads to about 3’ – 4’ feet at full maturity. The tree has slow growth rate. This means that the tree grows at about 12” or less in a year. It has a pyramidal shape.

Attributes

The Emerald Arborvitae does pretty well in acidic, rich, loamy, silt loam and well drained soils. The taxonomy does classify this tree under the Thuja occidentalis family. If you look closely you will notice scales-like covering on its back

Care Information

Caring for Emerald Arborvitae is quite simple, you could follow a regular irrigation schedule especially the first growing season so that it can establish a deep yet expensive root system.

General purpose fertilizer should be used for new plants. And for a neat and tidy appearance, you should shear annually to shape it. Pruning time is during the spring.

Uses

Generally the Emerald Arborvitae attracts various birds which are a good place for building nests.

As with the family it belongs it is also used for medicinal purposes for a long time now.

If well trimmed they can be used as fences.