Arborvitae trees are North American natives that earned their appreciative nickname (arbor vitae translates to “tree of life” in Latin) a few centuries back when Canada’s early French settlers discovered that brewing a tea from thuja bark was a cure for scurvy.
Guaranteed, you’ve seen thuja trees—either in your garden or someone else’s: they’re the evergreen cedar trees with curiously flat, fanned foliage. Depending on the species and cultivar, their height at maturity can range from “shrub” (dwarf thuja bushes can grow to heights of from 15 inches to 10 feet) to “major tree” (giant thuja trees can be 200 feet tall).
Commonly known as white cedars, red cedars, eastern arborvitaes or other nicknames, Thuja trees are hardy, fast-growing workhorses often planted en masse to create windbreaks. Planted in a row in front of a fence, they’ll grow together to create a dense screen within five years.
Is arborvitae the best tree for your garden? Keep reading to find out:
Also known as eastern arborvitae or northern white cedar, T. occidentalis varieties will grow to a height of about 50 feet at maturity (making them medium size trees). They will thrive in spots with either full or partial sun so long as they have well-drained soil.
Some dwarf varieties of thuja to consider: Thuja ‘Fire Chief’ (height of up to 4 feet and has gold-green foliage which turns red in autumn); T. ‘Anna’s Magic Ball’ (a mere 15 inches high, it’s a small-space evergreen shrub), and T. ‘Filip’s Magic Moment’ (height of up to 8 feet and golden foliage).
A few Christmases back, Justine bought a live thuja tree to decorate indoors—and then planted it in her garden after the holidays. Are you thinking of doing the same thing? See DIY: Plant Your Christmas Tree in the Garden.
For more growing tips, see Arborvitae: A Field Guide to Planting, Care & Design.
Are you wondering which tree would be the best choice for your garden? Get ideas from our curated guides to Trees 101 in our Garden Design 101 section. For more evergreen conifers, see our guides to Yew Trees and Cedar of Lebanon Trees. See how some of our favorite trees look in a landscape when they reach maturity: