Globe arborvitae 'Little Giant'
Thuja occidentalis 'Little Giant' · Cupressaceae
A dense, rounded arborvitae with rich green, soft foliage, about a metre tall and wide. It keeps its globe shape with little or no pruning.
- Size
- 4 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 globe arborvitae 'Little Giant'
The planner designed this bed around globe arborvitae 'Little Giant' when this page was made: a 16 × 8 ft (4.9 × 2.4 m) English border in zone 6, full sun. It chose the other plants from the 966 that suit those conditions, and says below why globe arborvitae 'Little Giant' stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Globe arborvitae 'Little Giant' × 1, dark green leaves
- 2 Bloody cranesbill 'Max Frei' × 12, pink
- 3 Mouse-ear coreopsis 'Nana' × 50, yellow
- 4 White mugwort × 4, cream
- 5 Siberian iris 'Caesar's Brother' × 3, purple
- 6 Lady's mantle × 8, green
- 7 Hyacinth 'Delft Blue' × 7, blue
- 8 Surprise lily × 5, 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.
Why here
- Anchors a back corner. At 4 ft it is one of the taller plants 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 white mugwort (5 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 16 weeks between early March and late November when nothing on the plan is in flower.
- The only leaves in winter. From November to March it is what there is to look at.
Planned as an English border: 8 of the 9 groups (89%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. Among the neighbours here are three pairs of recognised partners, such as lady's mantle and Siberian iris 'Caesar's Brother'. Globe arborvitae 'Little Giant' carries the bed through winter.
The planner's own design check: 13 Excellent, 4 Good. 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 globe arborvitae 'Little Giant' goes in a border
At 4 ft it belongs at the back of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is moderately tall (3 to 4 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.
A dark green sphere to steady a planting of loose perennials. It needs sun and steady moisture, and deer browse it in winter.
- Evergreen structure in a mixed border
- Foundation planting
- Low hedges
What to plant with globe arborvitae 'Little Giant'
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Daylily: adds the flowers, late June to early August.
- Cranesbill 'Rozanne': adds the flowers, early June to early October; low enough (18 in) to stand in front of it.
- Salvia 'May Night': adds the flowers, late May to mid July; spires rising out of its mound; low enough (24 in) to stand in front of it.
Questions about globe arborvitae 'Little Giant'
Does globe arborvitae 'Little Giant' need sun or shade?
Globe arborvitae 'Little Giant' 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 globe arborvitae 'Little Giant' 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 globe arborvitae 'Little Giant' be planted?
3½ ft (100 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 4 ft (120 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many globe arborvitae 'Little Giant' plants do I need?
At 3½ 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
- 3 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 globe arborvitae 'Little Giant' 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 globe arborvitae 'Little Giant'?
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 globe arborvitae 'Little Giant' look like in winter?
Globe arborvitae 'Little Giant' keeps its dark 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 globe arborvitae 'Little Giant' good for bees and butterflies?
Globe arborvitae 'Little Giant' 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 'Emerald Green' Thuja occidentalis 'Smaragd'
- 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'
In these guides
Every fact on record
- Type
- Shrub
- Size
- 4 ft (120 cm) tall, 4 ft (120 cm) wide
- Plant
- 3½ ft (100 cm) apart
- Height class
- Moderately tall (3 to 4 ft)
- Place in the bed
- Back
- Flowers
- None: grown for its foliage
- Leaves
- Fine texture, evergreen; dark green
- Shape
- Rounded, 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.