Archive for the ‘Arborvitae (Thuja spp.)’ Category

Growth Rates Of Four Privacy Screen Evergreens

  In a hurry to create a little privacy from neighbors, then add a tall evergreen privacy screen to your planting chores. Four most popular conifers are rated by annual growth rate. If you recall the children tale of “The Tortoise And The Hare”, fast does not mean best. Leyland cypress (x Cupressocyparis leylandii) (zones 6-9) has the fastest growth rate at 40-50 feet […]

Autumn/Winter Garden Dressup

It’s fall and many gardeners take leave of their garden until spring. Autumn is a great time to create new color schemes that will carry over into the winter garden. It’s just like spring all over again! Frost hardy flowering plants get their turn, such as pansies, violas, snapdragons, and diascias (USDA Hardiness zone 7), […]

Landscape Shrubs Rarely Damaged By Deer

Deer will eat or nibble on any landscape plant, particularly when they’re starving. Abnormally high deer populations, starved by a shortage of their favorite foods (mast), will feed or browse on almost any plant. This is a survival reaction. To truly protect plants when deer numbers are unusually high, a tall fence or reinforced netting […]

Top Conifers Picks By Southeast Reference Gardens

In 2011 poll conducted at the SE Region meeting in Athens, GA, the top favorite conifer picks from SE Reference Gardens. Georgia Lockerly Arboretum, Milledgeville Cryptomeria japonica ‘Elegans Nana’ Juniperus virginiana var. silicicola ‘Brodie’ Platycladus orientalis ‘Aurea Nana’ Thuja occidentalis ‘Rheingold’ Smith Gilbert Garden, Kennesaw Cedrus deodara ‘Gold Cone’ Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Verdon’ Platycladus orientalis ‘Morgan’ […]

Ranking Four Popular Evergreens As Privacy Screens

If you are searching for a tall evergreen conifer as a privacy screen, the four most popular in the Southern Appalachian region (USDA hardiness zones 6 and 7) are: # 1 is Leyland cypress (x Cupressocyparis leylandii) which rapidly grows 40-50 feet tall and 20-25 feet wide in less than 25 years…if they live long […]

‘Green Giant’ Arborvitae: A Terrific Green Privacy Screen

Western arborvitae (Thuja plicata) is a large native evergreen tree from the Western U.S. (USDA hardiness zones 5-7). As many as 30 cultivars are available among dwarf, weeping, and variegated leaf forms. One of the most popular selections is ‘Green Giant,’ a hybrid between T. plicata and T. standishii, a Japanese arborvitae. In its native […]

Franky Boy Arborvitae

Franky Boy oriental arborvitae (Platycladus orientalis ‘Franky Boy’ [syn Thuja orientalis]) is a dwarf evergreen conifer currently in hot demand among collectors. What immediately catches your eye is its thread-like foliage which changes color from one season to the next. Its evergreen foliage adds a fine textured look to the landscape. The new spring growth […]

‘Morgan’ Oriental Arborvitae

When dwarf conifer hobbiests visit one another’s gardens, they discover new plants, some which later show up in their own landscape. Morgan oriental arborvitae (Platycladus orientalis ‘Morgan’) has become very popular among collectors living in the southeast and mid-Atlantic regions. Morgan arb is a fairly slow-growing, typically 5 inches or less per year. It provides […]

Leyland Cypress Too Big For Many Sites

Leyland cypress  (x Cupressocyparis leylandii)  grows into a 50 foot tall evergreen behemoth. What happens when the plants (in photo) get too close to the small deck(s)? Access to the deck from the stairs will become impossible as the evergreens swallow up the entire back yard. Looking out from the deck and windows from the home won’t be likely […]

‘Morgan’ Oriental Arborvitae

Among dwarf conifer collectors, ‘Morgan’ Oriental arborvitae (Platycladus orientalis) has become one of the most sought out evergreens over the past decade. Its oval form and seasonal coloration makes Morgan a standout. It performs well in part sun, but its chartreuse-yellow foliage appears more vibrant in direct sunlight. Its dense foliage grows in vertical layers. Andy Pulte at the […]