Emerald Green Arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis ‘Smaragd’) is a highly favored selection for enhancing outdoor spaces. Its vibrant, consistent color, refined columnar shape, and low maintenance make it a versatile choice for landscape designs, contributing year-round beauty and structure.
Key Characteristics for Landscaping
Emerald Green Arborvitae’s characteristics make it suitable for diverse landscaping roles. This conifer typically matures to a height of 10 to 15 feet with a narrow spread of 3 to 4 feet, making it an excellent fit for compact areas. Its natural growth habit is a dense, upright pyramid or column, which requires minimal shaping.
Its foliage maintains a lush, emerald green hue year-round, resisting winter bronzing common in other varieties. The plant’s dense branching structure provides a full appearance, offering both visual weight and a soft texture. It is hardy across USDA zones 2 to 7, tolerating various environmental conditions.
Versatile Landscape Applications
Emerald Green Arborvitae offers numerous functional and aesthetic applications in landscape design. Its dense, year-round foliage makes it an effective choice for creating privacy hedges and screens. When planted in rows, these arborvitae form a solid green barrier, providing seclusion and reducing noise.
Its uniform shape also defines spaces and property lines. Rows can act as natural borders, delineating garden rooms and pathways, creating order and structure. Individual specimens serve as striking accent plants, their upright, columnar form creating vertical emphasis.
They can be strategically placed to frame an entrance, anchor a garden bed, or provide a focal point. They are also common as foundation plantings around a home’s base. Their moderate size and narrow footprint provide year-round greenery without overwhelming the architecture.
Emerald Green Arborvitae adapts well to container plantings for patios, balconies, or entryways. In pots, they offer vertical interest where in-ground planting is not feasible. Their uniform shape makes them excellent for formal garden designs.
Consistent growth and light pruning allow for structured, symmetrical layouts, contributing to a classic aesthetic. For expansive designs, their density creates “green walls” or defines outdoor rooms. Close planting forms living partitions, transforming open areas into functional outdoor living spaces.
Design Principles for Effective Use
Effective landscaping with Emerald Green Arborvitae requires considering design principles for visual impact and health. Optimal spacing is crucial and varies depending on the intended purpose. For creating a dense privacy hedge, planting them 2 to 3 feet apart allows them to grow into a solid screen.
For individual accent plants, a spacing of 5 to 6 feet allows each specimen to develop its full form. Grouping and repetition establish visual rhythm and unity. Planting them in consistent patterns or clusters creates a cohesive look, guiding the eye and reinforcing the design.
Considering scale and proportion ensures the plants fit harmoniously within the landscape. With a mature height of 10 to 15 feet, they suit smaller yards where larger trees would overwhelm, providing vertical interest without dominating. Their narrow width of 3 to 4 feet allows placement in tighter areas.
Combining Emerald Green Arborvitae with other plants enhances the landscape through contrast in texture, color, or size. Companion plants with broad leaves, different shades of green, or vibrant flowering elements create visual interest against the arborvitae’s fine foliage. Rhododendrons and azaleas, which share similar growing preferences, offer seasonal color that complements the evergreen backdrop.
Proper placement, considering sunlight, soil, and drainage, is important for the plants’ success. Emerald Green Arborvitae thrives in full sun, requiring at least six hours daily for optimal density, though it tolerates partial shade. Well-drained soil is important to prevent root rot, as these plants prefer moist but not waterlogged conditions. Amending heavy clay soils with organic matter can improve drainage and nutrient availability.
Maintaining Your Emerald Green Landscape
Maintaining Emerald Green Arborvitae is straightforward, preserving their aesthetic appeal and health. Light pruning in early spring helps maintain their columnar form and encourages denser growth, beneficial for hedges and accents. Trim only the leafy parts of branches, avoiding bare wood, as new foliage may not sprout from old wood.
Consistent watering is important, especially for newly planted arborvitae, to ensure proper establishment. During the first year, regular deep watering, about once a week, helps develop an extensive root system. Once established, they tolerate moderate drought but benefit from watering during prolonged dry periods.
Fertilization supports vigorous growth and maintains the rich green color. Applying a balanced, slow-release fertilizer in early spring, before new growth begins, provides essential nutrients. Following recommended application rates prevents over-fertilization, which can be detrimental.
Monitoring for pests and diseases helps address issues before they significantly impact the plant. While low-maintenance, bagworms and spider mites can occasionally affect arborvitae. Removing egg bags by hand or treating affected plants manages these pests. Ensuring good air circulation by proper spacing and removing dead interior needles helps prevent fungal diseases like needle and twig blight.