Thuja , commonly referred to as thuja, is one of the most popular conifers planted in our gardens. Usually thuja is not very demanding and some of them grow quickly. Manycolumnar varieties of the thujacan create a dense green hedge in a few years. We will also find varieties with a conical or spherical shape that allow you to create interesting garden arrangements. Meet the most popularspecies and varieties of thujarecommended for planting in gardens.
Żywotnik - Thuja
Fig. pixabay.com
Western Thyroid
Western Thuja(Thuja occidentalis) belongs to the Cypress family (Cupressaceae) and comes in many varieties. It comes from the eastern part of North America, the northern parts of the USA and southern Canada. Western thuja is cultivated mainly as an ornamental tree, in Poland it grows up to approx. 15 m in height. There are manyWestern Thujadwarf varieties available that are perfect for smaller gardens and even potting.
Western Thymus 'Aurescens'- Polish Kórnik variety with a narrow, conical shape. It grows quite quickly, reaching several meters in height. The twigs are golden yellow in color, most intense in young growths. It prefers quite fertile and moist soil as well as sunny positions. It tolerates cutting and low temperatures well. It is a variety of thuja recommended for a hedge and as a solitaire.
Western Thyroid 'Aurescens'
Fig. © PoradnikOgrodniczy.pl
Western Thuja 'Brabant'- a very popular, fast-growing variety with a columnar habit, commonly referred to simply as Brabant thuja. It grows up to 4 m in height, annual increments can reach up to 40 cm. Bushes planted at a distance of about 70 cm and regularly pruned, create a compact and dense hedge. Light green foliage, turning brown in winter. It grows well in sunny or slightly shaded positions. The plant prefers quite fertile and moist soil. It is good at trimming and is resistant to low temperatures.
Western Thyroid 'Brabant'
Fig. Athantor, CC-BY-SA-3.0, source: Wikimedia Commons.
Western Thuja 'Golden Brabant'- has a loose, columnar habit. It grows quite fast and after 10 years it grows to about 3-5 m in height. Shoots take a yellow-green color. They are therefore much brighter than in the typical variety of the thuja 'Brabant'.
Western Thuja 'Columna ’ - variety with a compact, narrow, conical shape. It grows quite vigorously and reaches several meters in height. Dark green branches are slightly twisted. It grows well in sunny to partial shade positions. Prefers a fairly fertile and moist soil. The plant is hardy enough to withstand frost. It can be used to create unformed hedges.
Western Thuja 'Danica ’ - has a regular, spherical habit. It grows slowly, reaching a height of about 50-70 cm and a similar width. Light green shoots turn slightly brown in winter. The soil requirements are average, but the substrate should be fairly moist. The plant is resistant to low temperatures, responds well to forming. Recommended for planting both singly and in compositions, it is also suitable for growing in pots.
Western Thyroid 'Danica'
Fig. depositphotos.com
Western Thuja 'Filiformis ’ - a variety with a conical, loose habit with hanging, threadlike shoots.It grows slowly, after 10 years it reaches 1.5 m in height and 0.8 m in width. Under favorable conditions, it will grow taller. Green foliage. Requires a fairly fertile and moist soil and a sunny to semi-shaded position. It tolerates pruning and low temperatures well. Recommended for small gardens, pots, rockeries and Japanese gardens.
Western Thuja 'Filiformis'
Fig. © PoradnikOgrodniczy.pl
Western Thuja 'Golden Globe'- a variety with a spherical habit. It grows slowly, reaching approx. 1 m in width and height after 10 years. The foliage is golden yellow. It prefers quite fertile and moist soil. It grows well in sunny to slightly shaded positions, and becomes green in places that are too dark. The shrub tolerates molding well and is resistant to low temperatures. It is suitable both for planting in gardens and pots.
Western Thuja 'Golden Globe'
Fig. depositphotos.com
Western Thuja 'Globosa ’ - a variety with a spherical, highly dense habit. After 10 years, it can grow to a height of about 1.5 m. Light green foliage turns slightly brown in winter. It likes quite fertile and moist soil and a sunny to semi-shaded position. It is frost-resistant and tolerates cutting well. In gardens, it can be planted singly or in groups as a houseplant.
Western Thuja 'Spiralis'- a fast growing variety with a compact, conical shape. At the age of 10 it grows up to 3-4 m in height. Dark green branches are twisted in a spiral. It prefers moist and fairly fertile soil, as well as sunny and semi-shaded places. It can be planted singly or in rows. The plant is resistant to frost.Western Thuja 'Smaragd ’ - one of the most popular varieties of thuja with a conical shape, popularly referred to as thuja Szmaragd.The growth rate is moderate, after 10 years it reaches a height of approx. 3 m. Crowns with delicate shoots are thickened. They are emerald green and do not turn brown in winter. The plant prefers a rather moist soil and the soil is fertile in a sunny or slightly shaded position. It is planted every 50-80 cm. It tolerates pruning and low temperatures well. It is suitable for shapeless and cut hedges as well as for solitary planting.
Western Thyroid 'Smaragd'
Fig. © PoradnikOgrodniczy.pl
Western Thuja 'Smaragd Light'- this variety of the popular Thuja grows slower than the Thuja Thuja 'Smaragd' and after 10 years it reaches a height of approx. 2 m. Its twigs are light green and yellowish spots appear at the ends of summer growths.
Western Thuja 'Smaragd Witbont'- another version of the popular thuja 'Smaragd', this variety has a slow growth rate, after 10 years it reaches a height of about 2 m.Spring growths take a cream color, which later fades away, although the ends of the openwork shoots remain brighter.
Western Thuja 'Teddy'- quite a new, dwarf variety with a spherical shape. At the age of 10, it grows only up to about 30 cm wide, so it works well in small gardens, in flower beds and in rock gardens. Its green shoots in younger specimens are covered with needles. Likes quite fertile and moist soil in sunny and slightly shaded positions.
Western Thymus 'Teddy'
Fig. depositphotos.com
Western Thuja 'Yellow' Ribbon ' - a spectacular variety with a conical shape. The growth rate is medium, during the first three years it grows slowly, reaching about 2 m in height by the age of 10. The golden-yellow twigs maintain their color throughout the year. Likes sunny positions with sufficiently moist soil. It is resistant to low temperatures and tolerates cutting well.It is planted every 60-80 cm. It is an interesting color accent in the garden. Suitable for growing in pots.
Eastern Thuja
Eastern Thuja(Platycladus orientali), also known as Eastern biota or Eastern Platykladus, comes from China, Korea and Japan. It belongs to the cypress family (Cupressaceae). It is more sensitive to low temperatures than the Western Arborvitae and the Aldabra giant. For this reason, the Eastern Thuja is much less popular in Poland and we have a much smaller selection of varieties of this species.
Eastern Thuja 'Aurea Nana'- a slowly growing, dwarf variety growing up to 70 cm in height at the age of 10. This ovoid-spherical shrub has dense, fan-shaped and vertical shoots. Spring shoots are yellow-green, slightly brown in winter. It grows best in a sunny position, sheltered from the wind. It is drought-resistant, but not very frost-resistant. Recommended for rock gardens.
Eastern Thuja 'Aurea Nana'
Fig. depositphotos.com
Eastern Thuja 'Elegantissima'- a broad-columned shrub with fan-shaped, raised shoots. It grows slowly, reaching the target height of 3-4 m. The foliage is yellowish to light green, in winter it turns red-brown. It has low soil requirements, is drought-resistant, but not frost-resistant. Prefers warm, well-drained soils in sunny, sheltered positions.
Eastern Thuja 'Elegantissima'
Eastern Thuja 'Justynka'- a Polish variety with a columnar habit. The growth rate is low, at the age of 10 it grows to a height of about 1 m. Dark green shoots are flat and arranged vertically. Has low soil requirements. It is frost resistant. It grows best in full sun to partial shade, sheltered from the wind.
Giant Thuja
Giant Thuja(Thuja plicata) is a tree belonging to the cypress family. It comes from the western regions of North America. In nature, the giant thuja reaches over 50 m in height, and in Polish conditions (in cultivation and in forests) it grows up to approx. 35 m. smaller sizes.
Giant Thuja 'Atrovirens ’ - a variety of conical shape with quite thick shoots that branch from the ground. Ultimately, it grows up to approx. 15 m in height. The foliage is shiny and dark green. It likes fertile and quite moist soil. It prefers sunny to slightly shaded positions. Doesn't like pruning. Recommended for planting in the form of rows or as a solitaire.
Giant ryegrass 'Kórnik'- Polish variety from Kórnik with an egg-shaped habit, later turning into a broad-conical one.It grows up to several meters in height. Young growths are golden yellow in color, turning green over time. It grows best in sunny positions with quite fertile and moist soil. Doesn't like molding.
Giant Thuja 'Whipcord'(Thuja plicata) is an original, dwarf variety with weeping shoots. It grows slowly, after 10 years it grows to only 0.3 m in height and 0.6 m in width. A stump grafted variety of this thuja is also available for sale, growing up to about 1 m in height. Delicate, weakly branched, stringy shoots hang down to form a small dome or umbrella, which in the case of a specimen grafted on a trunk gives the effect of a very exotic-looking tree. The plant does not have high requirements and is frost-resistant enough.
Giant Thuja 'Whipcord'
Fig. © PoradnikOgrodniczy.pl
Giant Thuja 'Zebrina'
Fig. © PoradnikOgrodniczy.pl
Monika Glory
