Thuja occidentalis 'Teddy'

Teddy Eastern arborvitae

When I first saw 'Teddy', I knew that I had to have it. Too cute for words (but I'm going to try), it forms an oval to rounded ball of soft leaves that look like the fur on a teddy bear.

These aren't the 'regular' flat sprays of leaves that many of you have seen on Eastern arborvitae. These are juvenile leaves, so that means that they're dense, clustered, soft, and very three-dimensional. They're a nice blue-green in the summer and pick up purplish-bronze tones in the winter.

'Teddy' is a dwarf conifer, so don't expect it to get taller than 16-18". It grows best in moist, well-drained soils in full sun to part shade, but it shows a wide range of soil tolerances. The key to its happiness is making sure that it doesn't dry out (which includes protecting it from cold winter winds).

In zones warmer than 6a light afternoon shade should be provided to protect against the hot summer sun. Plant it in rock gardens, in containers, or in garden railroads.

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(c) 2007 Christopher P. Lindsey