The thuja is a very versatile tree. It can stand alone as a specimen, or be pruned in a group to form a sturdy hedge. Lowgrowing varieties also look good in containers. As an added bonus, the thuja grows almost anywhere.
After the European discovery of America, Europe was swamped with tales of the New World. One of the first stories was about a strange pyramid-shaped plant with scale-like needles - the thuja.
In 1536, only 44 years after Christopher Columbus landed in the Bahamas, the seafarer Jacques Cartier brought the tree to Paris.
A conifer you can prune
The name arbor vitae, or 'tree of life' as Thuja occidentalis was originally called, refers to several of the tree's characteristics.
It is an evergreen conifer which is very hardy. Its fine timber was once used by native Americans for making totem poles, houses and canoes.
The tree readily seeds itself and is easily grown from seed or cuttings. It also grows unusually rapidly. Even the severest pruning will not damage the tree, and it soon puts out new shoots and forms new needles and branches.
An ideal hedging plant
All its characteristics make the thuja the perfect hedging plant for both large and small gardens, as well as for parks and other public spaces.
The thuja is particularly suitable as a hedging plant for small gardens, as
it makes a year-round screen. Since it is possible to keep a thuja hedge looking good even if it is less than Im wide, it can occupy very little space.
The tree's dark green colour makes an attractive background for other plants, but you can also grow the thuja on its own if you are short of space.
A specimen tree
The thuja is used as an ornamental tree less than other conifers, perhaps because it is so often planted as a hedge. When, grown as a specimen, however, it can develop all its natural beauty.
The thuja will only achieve its natural shape if it is not pruned. A freegrowing thuja can grow to be an imposing focal point in the garden.
The thuja grows up to 20m tall. It is only at this size that the thin, pyramidlike shape of the tree becomes noticeable.
Such old specimens create a stately, almost majestic impression and can be found in parks, botanical gardens or on the tree's home ground in North America, where it grows in damp spots.
A tree with few demands
The scale-like needles of the thuja overlap like roof tiles, just like those of all other cypress plants. It is only during the winter months and in exposed places, that the dark green foliage turns a reddish brown colour which disappears with spring. This is entirely natural and should not be taken as a sign of disease or lack of nutrients.
The thuja needs a sunny and damp situation. It is at home in most soils, from stony sandy soils and sandy clays to soils rich in humus. However, the thuja prefers lime to acid soils.
The only time any special care is necessary is in dry spots and places where road salt can affect the plant. These are both disliked by this otherwise remarkably robust tree.
Early spring can be a difficult time for young plants. Lots of moisture evaporates in the sun and wind. To counteract this, water the young tree heavily in spring. However, make sure that the soil is well drained, so that the ground does not become waterlogged.
LOW-GROWING CULTIVARS
When choosing a thuja, take a close look at the low-growing varieties, some of which do not even reach 2m. Among these are 'Globosa', 'Little Gem' and 'Rosenthalii'. They are small enough to be planted in large pots to put on the terrace or beside an entrance.