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Arborvitae.... A Plant For Screening Urban Areas Print E-mail
Plant File 113

What a great bumper sticker slogan we could make from this very true statement, "Arborvitae are for downtown!" Indeed, arborvitae are evergreen shrubs and trees especially well suited for urban areas where low maintenance and durability are needed most.

A great many cultivars of arborvitae are available. There are forms such as ball-like globed shapes as little as a foot high, tall thin columnar shapes and narrow pyramidal shapes with heights ranging all the way up to 100 feet. Aren't some of these ideal descriptions of plants for alongside buildings, near sidewalks and streets, and beautifying entrance doorways and terraces, "decorating with year 'round greenery?" The smaller arborvitae can even be grown in containers like barrels and pots, placed where they add beauty, having the added advantage that they can be moved. The forms of arborvitae which are usually found in the medium sizes are useful for planting in rows so when they are mature they will create sun and wind blocking privacy screens or "buffers." Doesn't a line of tall, thin evergreen trees give benefits far beyond using a rusting chain link fence to mark off property boundaries, or block off what's unsightly? Just think about how, on a blustery winter's day, a line of mature arborvitae can cut down the effects of the gusts of wind on us as we walk by, and on a blazing hot summer's day, the effects of the sun can be cut down as we walk by in shade.

Why are arborvitae considered so durable and "low maintenance" for urban usage? Well, most arborvitae only require at least partial sun to grow, though they will thrive in full size sun. That's pretty good for a start, right? A mere 3 hours per day of direct sunlight is necessary even for the non-demanding arborvitae and that's not much. If your downtown site is surrounded by tall walls very close, arborvitae can't be used. Dense shade conditions do have to be avoided. No plant can grow in total shadow anyway. As for the soil, though moist, well drained, silghlt acidic loam is best, healthy arborvitae can grow well in rocky clay. Low maintenance and durable arborvitae are known for being drought resistant and insect, pest and disease resistant too. How about that?

Bagworms are the single worst problem for "arbs," capable of completely defoliating every last needle leaf on the plant they infest. Yet, as bagworms don't travel downtown quite so often as commuters do, usually bagworms are found out in the countryside, it's "no problem." Very few deer make it downtown too, so the fact that many arborvitae cultivars are deer food is again "no problem," again arborvitae are ideal for downtown.

Now, also make note, some cultivars of arborvitae may require a little bit of pruning. There may be multiple leaders which can prove to be a detraction for the plant in confined spaces. Just one occasional cut where you see multiple leaders will be all that is required, a simple remedy. And, one other "issue" to mention is salt spray. Excessive salt spray is not good for any landscape plant, yet some species of arborvitae are "hypersensitive." When actual rock salt is used as "snow-melt," the briny water doesn't help any plant's leaves or roots, but for arborvitae, this is their "Achilles' Heel." If your downtown site is very close to the curb on a street where salt is regularly used, and there's a great deal of snowfall every year, you simply cannot use arborvitae to "decorate with greenery." Sorry. It is, in fact, difficult to suggest what would be a good choice for planting on a busy street in a place like downtown Buffalo, New York, which averages about 200 inches of snow in its long winters.

At Highland Hill Farm our most popular arborvitae for downtown is the Emerald Green. By the way, many people prefer to spell the name arbor vitae, because the name is from Latin, "the tree" (arbor) "of life" (vita) (vitae when there's more than one). Ohhh...

The hardiness zones for arborvitae are given as low as 2 and as high as 8, where minimum wintertime temperatures get as low as 50 degrees below zero to relatively mild 20 degrees above. That's -50 to +20 on the Fahrenheit thermometer on the coldest winter night in a particular locality.

The Emerald Green Arb is a slow steady grower, commensurate with downtown conditions, adding at most a foot of height each year. Like other arborvitae, not much water, not much sun, and most any soil are the non-demanding site requirements. You can plant Emerald Greens as close as 3 feet apart, 4 feet from any walls. When young, protection from wind is a requirement, but using a stake or two adds all the support that's necessary for exceptionally windy locations. Close between two tall buildings can be windy, as Marilyn Monroe proved in the movies decades ago.

Smaragd means "emerald" in Denmark, where the Emerald Green Arb was developed. Smaragd Arbs, Smaragdine Arbs, Emerald Cedars, and Emerald Green Arbs are all one in the same, not to worry, we just use the descriptive English name Emerald Green...

The texture of the Emerald Green reddish brown bark is quite fine, cinnamon red when the tree is young, covering what will become a strong softwood when the tree is mature. The Emerald Green Arborvitae has a conical form narrow to broadly pyramidal (your choice) reaching heights from 12 to at most 20 feet where it's exceedingly sunny with widths only about 3 to 6 feet. As a conifer tree, the Emerald Green's flowers/fruit are pretty half-inch erect cones, worth collecting too. Mature Emerald Green Arborvitae cast dense shade. If bagworms and salt spray are kept off this tree it should outlive even your great grandchildren's great grandchildren. Seriously, these trees live for hundreds of years.

The Hetz Midget Arborvita is a dwarf globe variety, at the other end of the size spectrum from the Emerald Green. This is a good choice along walkways as well as in gardens, on terraces, even for windowsills. It's a tough plant that's easy to "install," and easy to pay for with its low cost. The li'l Hetz Midget will maintain a nice green color throughout the winter and handles snow piling on top of it too. We carry these plants in 2 and 3 gallon pots. Prices range from about 15 to 30 dollars depending on the plant size and the quantity ordered.

The Rheingold Arborvita is another small globe shaped variety which is a little larger than the Hetz Midget. It has a bronze winter color and a golden green cast to it in summer. It's "purty fer shure."

"Tiny Tim" is an American Arborvita that grows in hardiness zones 2 through 7, where minimum wintertime temperatures can go from 10 degrees to as low as 50 degrees below zero. Minus 50 degrees, Brrrr. In zone 7, summertime high temperature can reach over 100 degrees. This little Juniper ground cover plant of the Cupressacae Family will grow from just a half a foot to a foot tall and spread as much as a foot and a half wide. (Just who was Tiny Tim? He was a popular entertainer/singer right about the same time Petula Clark was singing "Downtown" in the 1960's. How appropriate here for an American Arborvita.)

Now, when you go to buy your arborvitae, pick out the healthiest, most robust plants that have no evidence of disease or insect damage. Of course, you're thinking, but more than that, the potting medium should also be thoroughly inspected. Most of us don't ordinarily remember to do that. The potting medium should be moist, a rich, dark, loose, "loamy" soil. Look for roots that are growing from the drainage holes or circling the top of the pot or burlap ball and avoid those plants.

Many people choose to buy "arbs" from a mail order company. This is perfectly acceptable. However, please realize that most woody plants purchased from mail order catalogs will be shipped "dormant and bare-rooted," that is, without any soil attached to the root system. Such plants may be smaller in size because of the expense of shipping. It is important to get such plant material immediately into soil upon arrival. Generally, it is best to purchase one-year-old material from mail order companies since this plant material is more vigorous and will transplant better. Be advised, the larger plants which are offered often comprise the less vigorous plants held over from previous years to get bigger and stronger. Most large sized arbs are balled and burlapped. Don't buy any arbs more than 3 feet tall that are bare-rooted. Any plant larger than 3 feet tall should be balled and burlapped (that's measuring from the top down to the uppermost root, not the ground).

Our main farm, the Highland Hill Farm, is located in a solid clay soil in southeastern Pennsylvania close to Doylestown, in the center of Bucks County. We like plants that grow well in clay. All arborvita grow well enough here, we raise over 15 diferent varieties for sale, but the Emerald Green Thuja Occidentalis Cultivar, this is our favorite.

When you stop in to our nursery we would like to show you our many variations of arborvitae. We'll take you into the fields and show you the plants. There are lots and lots of plants to see so don't expect to see them all in 10 minutes. If you call in advance it is appreciated so we can set aside time especially for you. If you are coming from a long distance let's make your drive truly worthwhile.

You can also visit our websites at http://www.seedlingsrus.com , http://www.zone5trees.com , and http://www.highlandhillfarm.com .

Bill raises trees, plants,and shrubs on his farms, many located in Pennsylvania. He also has ranches out west for arrowhead collecting, fossil collecting and hunting for meteorites and big game.
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