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Growth Facts
- Hardiness Zone: 5-8
- Spacing: 10-15'
- Exposure: Sun/Part Shade
- Deer Resistant: Yes
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Green Giant Arborvitae
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Want to block views into your yard in a hurry? Green Giant Arborvitae is the answer. A row of these handsome, easy, fast-growing evergreen trees planted along your property line will let you enjoy your own yard in privacy, and they’ll be quick about it! Green Giant also makes a fine accent tree to provide structure and greenery all year-round to the landscape beds around your home, and it looks especially festive strung with Christmas lights. This tree requires hardly any pruning, but if you do trim it, you’ll appreciate its soft, non-prickly foliage and its fresh Cedar scent. This one’s an all-around people pleaser!
Growth Facts
- Hardiness Zone: 5-8
- Spacing: 10-15'
- Exposure: Sun/Part Shade
- Deer Resistant: Yes
- Show more ›
The Story
Arborvitae means “Tree of Life”; the Vitamin C in the needles of the Eastern species saved early explorers from succumbing to scurvy (we’ll stick to orange juice). This variety is a hybrid between a Western species and one from Japan. It was first grown at the Poulsen family nursery in Denmark (yes, the one that brought us ‘Emerald Green,’ too) in 1937, and then shared with the National Arboretum in Washington, D.C. in 1967. Once the public found out about it (which didn’t happen until the late 1990s), they loved it.
The Details
Ho-Ho-Ho! Use this Arborvitae as a hedge and not even the "jolly" Green Giant could see through it! (Just think, no more pesky neighbors!) A hardy evergreen that is handsome and fast-growing, no wonder it is a Gold Medal Plant Award Winner from the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society for its outstanding performance, hardiness, and eye-appeal.
How to Grow
Arborvitaes are fast growing and the different varieties give you many reasons to add a few to your landscape. Green varieties like full sun, but tolerate light shade as well. Arborvitaes prefer moist soil as long as it is well-drained, meaning it’s not consistently wet. Pests don’t seem to be of any concern for Arborvitaes. Apply a medium rate fertilizer once a year to give your Arborvitae a little kick heading into the growing season. Fertilizer can be applied in late fall or early spring. Arbs rarely need shearing. Green Giant Arbs, being such fast growers, can be sheared annually, preferably in March. Green Giant Arborvitae is fast growing, producing two to three feet of new growth a year. It is considered the “Leyland Cypress for the north.” While Leylands and Green Giants are similar in appearance and growth rate, the Green Giant withstands colder climates.
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Questions & Answers
I have Arborvitae that are 20' tall - can I prune 10' off of them?
Yes - you can prune the top 50% off of your Arborvitae.
For best results, you should do this late Winter or very early Spring. The goal is to have this completed prior to peak growing season. This drastic cut is going to shock your Arborvitae, so you should take additional steps to empower your hedge to overcome this action as quickly as possible.
Apply Elements Fertilizer - this will help improve the soil and insure ample nutrients are available to support the desired recovery and growth. Use Elements at the recovery level recommendations immediately after the cut and then again four weeks later.
Mulch & Compost with Elements Planting Composition. Apply around each plant, up to 3'' deep. Remove sod or any other competing plants/weeds around each Arborvitae. Our objective here is to create a strong growing environment around each plant, keep weeds away, allow ample water and to build living soil systems. Great soils produce great plants!
You should be prepared to expect new growth within a few short weeks but by then end of the year, much of this drastic prune will be hidden. By the following Spring season, you will be happy you made the time investment in doing so. In some instances, a drastic prune at this level may cause failure but our Growers tell us this practice has resulted in beautiful, fresh, rejuvenated hedges for many years!
One last note, be sure to use sharp pruning tools - the cleaner, less damaging the cut is, the shorter the time will be to full recovery.
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