In praise of Thuja Green Giants

When we planted these Thuja Green Giant arborvitae trees less than 5 years ago, all 7 of them came in one little box. We were underwhelmed. Now, they are *this* close to offering the privacy, shade and windbreak we envisioned when we planted them. They've been beautiful, easy-care trees and we highly recommend them. (We put 4 on the north end of the yard, and 3 on the south. Those on the north are slightly taller, but they've all done well.)
September 2006
June 2009
May 2011

June 2011

July 2012

July 2012

7 comments :

Melanie said...

Those have done great! We've talked about getting them a couple of times. .but never did!! Any pests that bother them?? Your yard looks great!

Deborah Raney said...

Thanks, Melanie. No pests that we've encountered, and I think that's saying a lot because we've lost other trees in the yard to borers, fire blight, etc. The thujas continue to thrive.

Anonymous said...

How far apart were they planted, and how far off the fence? Real pretty tall grass in the 2009 pic---what's that? :-)

Deborah Raney said...

We planted them about 8-10 feet apart and about the same distance from the fence.

The tall grass is pampas grass. We moved it from the side of the house because it got so large and so tall it was brushing under the eaves. The rootball weighed over 200 pounds and we had to drag it to the backyard with a tractor!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for your quick response! Debating planting some of those trees at our house in IN as a privacy hedge along our fence. Very pretty!

Monica Simone said...

Wow, they look great! Would you please post an update on how they look now? I have plans to plant green giants very soon for backyard privacy screen, but I'm not sure if I should start with tiny trees like you did, or go with larger trees, like 3-4 feet tall? Any suggestions?

Deborah Raney said...

Monica, we don't live at this house anymore, but I just updated the post with photos from July 2012, which is the most recent photos I have. I haven't been in the backyard since w moved, so I couldn't say how much bigger they are now, 10 years after we planted them.

We usually have the philosophy of paying for the smallest plants possible because they usually do SO much growing in the first year or two that you really save a lot of money and don't have to wait long before the plants are 3-4 feet tall anyway!

All the best!