5 Emerald Green Arborvitae Tree Starter Plants – Thuja Privacy Tree Bare Root Evergreen

Overview

Elevate your garden’s aesthetic and functionality with our 5-pack of Emerald Green Arborvitae bare root starter plants. This popular evergreen, scientifically known as Thuja occidentalis ‘Smaragd’, is celebrated for its distinctive rich green foliage that remains vibrant throughout the year. Perfect for homeowners seeking both beauty and seclusion, these columnar trees naturally form a dense, living screen. Whether you’re aiming to establish a lush privacy hedge, a protective windbreak, or simply add a striking decorative element, the Emerald Green Arborvitae is an adaptable and resilient choice that flourishes across various climates with minimal upkeep. These young, healthy plants are shipped bare root, ready for immediate planting to begin their journey towards transforming your landscape.

The Thuja occidentalis ‘Smaragd’ is a cultivar of the native North American Eastern Arborvitae, selected for its superior color retention and upright, narrow growth habit. Its elegant form makes it a favorite among landscapers and gardeners alike. These starter plants provide an economical and rewarding way to cultivate a mature, verdant barrier that enhances curb appeal and provides year-round interest.

Key Benefits

Our Emerald Green Arborvitae offers numerous advantages, making it an excellent investment for any garden or yard:

• Lush, Year-Round Greenery: Enjoy a consistent, vibrant emerald green color that persists through all seasons, providing continuous visual appeal even in winter. This unwavering color ensures your landscape always looks fresh and inviting.
• Exceptional Privacy & Screening: With its dense, columnar growth habit, the Emerald Green Arborvitae is perfectly suited for creating natural privacy screens, living fences, or effective windbreaks. Planted 3-4 feet apart, these trees quickly form an impenetrable barrier, offering seclusion and peace.
• Low Maintenance & Easy Care: This hardy evergreen is known for being remarkably easy to grow and requires minimal attention once established. It adapts well to various soil types and is drought-tolerant, making it ideal for both novice and experienced gardeners.
• Adaptable to Various Climates: Thriving in USDA Hardiness Zones 3-8, the Thuja occidentalis ‘Smaragd’ is a versatile plant that can withstand a wide range of temperatures and environmental conditions, ensuring successful growth in many regions.
• Fast Growing for Quick Impact: These trees exhibit a moderate to fast growth rate, typically adding 1-2 feet per year with proper care. This allows you to achieve your desired landscape effect and privacy relatively quickly compared to slower-growing alternatives.
• Versatile Landscape Use: Beyond privacy hedges, the evergreen privacy hedge can also be used as an elegant specimen tree, to define property lines, or to create a backdrop for other garden plantings. Its narrow form fits well into both large and smaller yards.
• Drought Tolerant: Once mature and well-established, bare root Arborvitae require less frequent watering, making them a water-wise choice and more resilient during dry spells.

Plant Care & Growing Tips

Caring for your Emerald Green Arborvitae is straightforward, ensuring healthy growth and a beautiful landscape. These trees prefer a location with full sun to partial shade, meaning they should receive at least 6 hours of direct sunlight daily for optimal growth and color. While they can tolerate some shade, too little light may result in sparser foliage. When planting your bare root trees, ensure the soil is well-draining; these plants do not like to sit in soggy conditions. They are adaptable to a range of soil types including clay, loam, and sand, but thrive best in rich, moist, well-drained soil.

During the first year after planting, regular watering is crucial to help establish a strong root system. Water deeply 2-3 times a week, especially during dry periods, ensuring the soil remains consistently moist but not waterlogged. Once established, the Thuja occidentalis ‘Smaragd’ becomes quite drought-tolerant, requiring less frequent watering. Fertilize in early spring with a balanced, slow-release evergreen fertilizer to encourage robust growth. Pruning is generally minimal for this species due to its naturally neat, columnar shape; however, light trimming can be done in late spring or early summer to maintain desired size or shape. Watch out for common pests like spider mites and bagworms, and treat promptly with appropriate horticultural oils or insecticides. Ensure good air circulation to prevent fungal diseases.

Size & Details

This offering includes 5 individual Emerald Green Arborvitae starter plants, shipped as bare root specimens. Bare root plants are dormant and arrive without soil around their roots, which helps reduce shipping stress and allows for easy planting. Upon arrival, the young trees will typically be between 6 to 12 inches in height, depending on the growing season. When mature, these impressive trees can reach a height of 12-15 feet and a spread of 3-4 feet, maintaining their elegant, narrow profile. They exhibit a moderate growth rate of 1-2 feet per year under ideal conditions, allowing you to quickly establish your desired landscape feature. The optimal planting time for these bare root Arborvitae is typically in the spring or fall, allowing their roots to establish before extreme summer heat or winter cold.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Q: How big do these Emerald Green Arborvitae plants get? A: When mature, Emerald Green Arborvitae trees typically reach a height of 12-15 feet and a width of 3-4 feet, maintaining a slender, columnar shape ideal for hedges and screens.
• Q: Are these an indoor or outdoor plant? A: These are outdoor plants, specifically suited for landscaping and garden use. They are not intended for indoor cultivation and require outdoor conditions to thrive.
• Q: How much sunlight does the Thuja occidentalis ‘Smaragd’ need? A: For best growth and color, the Thuja occidentalis ‘Smaragd’ prefers full sun to partial shade, meaning at least 6 hours of direct sunlight per day.
• Q: Is this plant easy to care for, especially for beginners? A: Yes, the Emerald Green Arborvitae is considered very easy to care for. It’s hardy, low-maintenance, and relatively forgiving, making it an excellent choice for both novice and experienced gardeners.
• Q: What condition will the bare root Arborvitae arrive in? A: Your plants will arrive dormant and bare root, meaning without soil around their roots. They will be carefully packaged to ensure they are fresh and healthy for planting.
• Q: When is the best time to plant these privacy trees for yard? A: The best time to plant privacy trees for yard like the Emerald Green Arborvitae is in early spring or fall, giving them ample time to establish roots before extreme weather.
• Q: Will this evergreen privacy hedge survive winter in my zone? A: The evergreen privacy hedge is very hardy and thrives in USDA Zones 3-8, meaning it can withstand cold winter temperatures in most regions within these zones.
• Q: How far apart should I plant them for a dense hedge? A: For a dense, continuous hedge, plant your Emerald Green Arborvitae trees about 3-4 feet apart from center to center.