5 Arborvitaes to “Green Up” Your Grey Winter
Green Giant
Green Giant Arborvitae truly lives up to its name! It’s big and it’s green. If you are looking to screen, hide, or privatize something, Green Giant has you covered. This large gem grows up to 30-40 feet tall and about half as wide. If you are looking to replace an old Leyland Cypress hedge, use Green Giant.
Not only does Green Giant Arborvitae make a great screen, but it also makes a lovely, solitary specimen. With its dark, lustrous green, scaly leaves, it will stand out as a strong, noble presence. It makes the perfect backdrop for shrubbery or perennial planting beds.
Green Giant Arborvitae is deep green, shiny, and gorgeous!
2. Steeplechase
If Green Giant sounds a little too, well, giant, but you still want something green that makes a presence, Steeplechase Arborvitae is a more controlled option. Reaching only 20 feet tall and about 8 feet wide, this selection makes a tighter pyramid, something very much like a steeple, that can fit into almost any garden corner.
Of course a nice row of Steeplechase could hide utility units or nosey neighbors, but its fine texture and rich green leaves can light up a dark garden corner if only one was present.
3. Golden Globe
For some reason it seems that most arborvitae cultivar names simply describe the characteristics of the plant itself. Golden globe looks exactly as it’s named- a perfectly round globe, shining like the sun.
This petite 3-4 feet tall and wide selection has deep green foliage within the plant, but the exterior is fringed in a golden cloth. This beautiful ball of yellow could be used to mark a corner of a bed, flank either side of an entranceway, or partnered with deep green and purple foliaged plants for maximum color contrast.
4. Snow Green
Very little literature has been written about this unique selection. I might go as far as to say that Snow Green Arborvitae is virtually unknown. But this should not be the case!
The only history of this plant that I’ve heard, as a matter of fact, comes from the elder nurseryman that I purchased it from. His story goes that the great and late horticulturalist from North Carolina, JC Raulston, gave him a small plant of this arborvitae that he called Snow Green some thirty years or more ago. The nurseryman then went about planting the Snow Green Arborvitae in a shaded area. He forgot about the plant for several years. However, the next time he saw the plant, several years later, he saw a gorgeous small shrub— thriving.
This pale-green selection is brightly tinged with white tips in the spring and through summer— hence, Snow Green. Over the course of several years, the plant only grows to 3-4 feet tall and wide. It can handle growing in shade, which is a great characteristic, but when grown in sunnier sites it will really look snowy!
5. Degroot’s Spire Arborvitae
When you need something to point one’s attention towards the heavens, there’s no better selection than Degroot’s Spire Arborvitae. Degroot’s Spire is a slender, column of deep green curly foliage. Even though it can grow more than 10 feet in height, it only reaches about 2 feet in diameter. This plant makes a great alternative for Italian Cypress in our humid Southern heat.
Degroot’s Spire’s fastigiate form is excellent for creating a tight screen for a thin space, an outdoor cathedral, or used as a specimen to move the garden upwards. Use this column formed plant alongside globe and pyramidal shaped plants for excellent contrast in form.
Don’t forget about arborvitaes when planning or adding to your garden. They aren’t all as big as Green Giant, but each one will play a giant role in bringing uniqueness and intrigue into the garden.