Arborvitae 'Emerald Green'
Thuja occidentalis 'Smaragd' · Cupressaceae Popular
A narrow, dense pyramid of bright emerald-green foliage that keeps its colour through winter. It is the most planted evergreen for hedges and screens.
- Size
- 13 ft tall, 4 ft wide
- Zones
- 3 to 7
- Light
- Full sun to part sun
- Flowers
- Grown for its leaves
- Pets
- No toxicity recorded
- Job in a bed
- Anchor
A bed built around arborvitae 'Emerald Green'
The planner designed this bed around arborvitae 'Emerald Green' when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) English border in zone 6, full sun. It chose the other plants from the 966 that suit those conditions, and says below why arborvitae 'Emerald Green' stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Arborvitae 'Emerald Green' × 1, green leaves
- 2 Alpine aster × 8, purple
- 3 Leadwort × 10, blue
- 4 False sunflower 'Summer Sun' × 3, yellow
- 5 Rose turtlehead × 3, pink
- 6 Bergenia × 3, pink
- 7 Surprise lily × 10, pink
Why this plant
- The only plant grown for its leaves. Leaf lasts all season, where a flower lasts a few weeks.
- The bed's only structure. Shrubs and grasses keep their shape when the perennials die down, and it is the only one here.
- The only fine leaves here. The rest are medium and bold. A change of leaf keeps plants distinct when nothing is in flower.
Why here
- Anchors a back corner. At 13 ft it is the tallest plant here, and the tallest close the ends of the bed, where they stand in front of nothing.
- A step in the back row. Next to rose turtlehead (2½ ft): no two neighbours there are the same height, so the back steps up and down like a skyline.
- One plant, alone. A shrub is seen as an object, and needs clear ground around it.
Why now
- Here for its leaves, all year. They cover the 14 weeks between early March and late November when nothing on the plan is in flower.
- One of two evergreens. They are what the bed has to show from November to March.
Planned as an English border: 7 of the 7 groups (100%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. Leadwort and alpine aster finish the front edge. Leadwort stands beside surprise lily, a proven pairing.
The planner's own design check: 9 Excellent, 7 Good, 1 Needs revision. Its weakest point is height and scale: Heights average about 10 in at the front, 22 in in the middle and 4½ ft at the back. Along the back row the heights step up and down, between 2½ ft and 13 ft, and no two neighbours are the same height. It flags one thing to watch: Nothing on this plan is highly poisonous or an aggressive spreader.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where arborvitae 'Emerald Green' goes in a border
At 13 ft it belongs at the back of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is super tall (over 6½ ft).
Its job: anchor. A shrub that gives the bed permanent structure. Planted singly, as soon as the front edge is laid; everything else is arranged around it.
It makes a tall, narrow, green wall without shearing. Plant 75 to 90 cm apart for a hedge. It needs sun and water to stay dense, and deer browse it.
- Narrow evergreen screens and hedges
- Vertical accents
- Framing an entrance
What to plant with arborvitae 'Emerald Green'
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Panicle hydrangea 'Little Lime': adds the flowers, mid July to early October; low enough (4 ft) to stand in front of it; happy in the same moist soil.
- Daylily: adds the flowers, late June to early August; low enough (2½ ft) to stand in front of it.
- Cranesbill 'Rozanne': adds the flowers, early June to early October; low enough (18 in) to stand in front of it.
Choosing between it and a look-alike? Arborvitae 'Emerald Green' vs Hicks yew.
Questions about arborvitae 'Emerald Green'
Does arborvitae 'Emerald Green' need sun or shade?
Arborvitae 'Emerald Green' grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day) and part sun (4 to 6 hours of sun, including some afternoon sun).
It wants soil that stays evenly moist, of average fertility, and a good soak in dry spells. It copes with soil that stays wet.
What zones does arborvitae 'Emerald Green' grow in?
USDA zones 3 to 7. It is hardy to zone 3, which means it survives winter nights down to about −30 °F (−34 °C).
Above zone 7 it struggles: the zones measure winter cold, but a plant's top zone usually means the summers are too hot or the winters too mild for it to rest.
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
How far apart should arborvitae 'Emerald Green' be planted?
3 ft (90 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 4 ft (120 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 13 ft (400 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many arborvitae 'Emerald Green' plants do I need?
At 3 ft apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 1 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 4 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 4 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as one, planted singly: it is the bed's structure, and everything else is arranged around it.
In the bed above, the planner used one in one group.
Is arborvitae 'Emerald Green' poisonous to dogs and cats?
No toxicity is recorded for dogs, cats, horses or people, according to NC State Extension.
"Not toxic" is not "edible": a pet that eats a lot of any plant can be sick.
Do deer eat arborvitae 'Emerald Green'?
They may. NC State does not list it as resistant to deer or rabbits. Where they visit, protect it, or plant it among ones they avoid.
What does arborvitae 'Emerald Green' look like in winter?
Arborvitae 'Emerald Green' keeps its green leaves all winter, so it is one of the plants that hold a bed together from November to March, when the perennials have gone.
Is arborvitae 'Emerald Green' good for bees and butterflies?
Arborvitae 'Emerald Green' is visited by songbirds.
It is native to the United States and Canada (this is a named variety of the native plant).
More Thuja
- Arborvitae 'Degroot's Spire' Thuja occidentalis 'Degroot's Spire'
- Arborvitae 'Hetz Midget' Thuja occidentalis 'Hetz Midget'
- Arborvitae 'Mr. Bowling Ball' Thuja occidentalis 'Bobozam' (Mr. Bowling Ball)
- Arborvitae 'Rheingold' Thuja occidentalis 'Rheingold'
- Globe arborvitae 'Danica' Thuja occidentalis 'Danica'
- Globe arborvitae 'Little Giant' Thuja occidentalis 'Little Giant'
In these guides
Every fact on record
- Type
- Shrub
- Size
- 13 ft (400 cm) tall, 4 ft (120 cm) wide
- Plant
- 3 ft (90 cm) apart
- Height class
- Super tall (over 6½ ft)
- Place in the bed
- Back
- Flowers
- None: grown for its foliage
- Leaves
- Fine texture, evergreen; green
- Shape
- Upright, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 3 to 7
- Light
- Full sun, part sun
- Soil
- Average, evenly moist
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- Light, in spring
- Family
- Cupressaceae
- Comes from
- Central & E. Canada to N. Central and Eastern North America
- Attracts
- Songbirds
- Stands up to
- Wet soil, black walnut, pollution
Checked against NC State Extension. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.