How far apart do you plant Thuja Green Giant?
Thuja Green Giant Arborvitae Spacing. For a living privacy screen or hedge, a windbreak, or a snow break, position Green Giants 5-6 feet apart. Or better yet for a unique green giant hedge, plant them in two rows, 4 feet apart, with the trees staggered 8-15 feet apart within each row.
How should you plant Thuja Green Giants?
Thuja Green Giants at a Glance
- Rapid growth to up to 60 feet
- Green year-round
- Low-maintenance
- Tolerant of insects, disease, and adverse weather conditions
- No need to prune
- Salt-sensitive
How to prune a Thuja Green Giant?
- Hand pruning shears for branches less than ½” in diameter.
- Lopping shears for branches ½ to 1” in thickness.
- Pruning or bow saw for branches thicker than 1” in diameter.
- Safety glasses to protect your eyes.
Do Thuja Green Giant attract pests or diseases?
Thuja Green Giant maintains its bright green color even in winter. Many arborvitae tends to have problems with diseases and pests, but the hedge has noteworthy resistance to the common issues. It even has some deer resistance, which makes it an improvement over deer-favorite Thuja occidentalis.

What happens if you plant Green Giant arborvitae too close together?
The second problem is that plants naturally compete with each other for light, so by crowding them together they grow tall and skinny, and the lower branches quickly die, leaving your hedge bare and thin. A tall thin hedge is also much more likely to bend over or even break in a storm, strong winds or a blizzard.
How wide does Thuja Green Giant get?
12–20'Mature Size. The green giant arborvitae grows to a height of 50–60' and a spread of 12–20' at maturity.
How close can you plant Green Giant arborvitae to a house?
Thuja Green Giant Arborvitae Spacing Or better yet for a unique green giant hedge, plant them in two rows, 4 feet apart, with the trees staggered 8-15 feet apart within each row. The row(s) should be at least 6-8 feet away from any building, driveway or road.
How far do you plant green giant?
Plant your Green Giant Arborvitae 5-6 feet apart for a fast privacy screen. At this distance, you will need to trim them periodically to keep them from reaching their mature height of 40-50 feet tall. Otherwise, they will rub against each other and cause branch damage.
How far from fence do you plant Green Giant arborvitae?
It's the perfect screening plant when you need that screening to go high. A Word to the Wise: Along with height and fast growth comes width, so before planting Green Giant be sure you can give up 8 to 12 feet to this plant. Don't put it two feet from your fence, or even from the property line.
How long does it take for a Thuja Green Giant to become established?
Thuja Green Giant Growth Rate Up to five feet a year is possible, under ideal conditions. With growth rates like that, after a few short years you have 15 foot, 20 foot and soon 30 to 40 feet trees. The growth stays upright and narrow, so you get the height, but they won't get too fat around, or crowd your garden.
How far apart should you plant arborvitae for privacy?
A mature arborvitae can be ten feet wide, so planting them ten feet apart is wise. If you plan to prune the plant to maintain a certain size or shape, keep that in mind when spacing arborvitae. They can grow quite tall, so avoid planting arborvitae under power lines or other overhanging structures.
How close to a fence can you plant arborvitae?
Due to its tall height and expansive branches, many people like to plant this variety along fence lines to create privacy. Planting it about eight to ten feet from any structure is the ideal distance. This ensures the arborvitae can reach maximum width without damaging your house or fence.
How far from property line should I plant a Thuja Green Giant?
If you are planting against a fence, plant 3 feet from the fence so that the lower part of the plants remains bushy and the hedge remains on your side of the property line. Use the wider spacing given here for vigorous plants like Thuja Green Giant, and the smaller spacing for others like Thuja Emerald Green.
What is the fastest growing tree for privacy?
What are the fastest-growing trees for privacy? Hybrid poplar tops the list. It can grow upwards of five feet per year. The Leyland cypress, green giant arborvitae, and silver maple are all close seconds because they add about two feet to their height each year.
Are Green Giant arborvitae good for privacy?
If you're looking for a robust tree that can provide year-round color and excellent privacy, look no further than the Thuja Green Giant, also known as Green Giant Aborvitae. This fast-growing evergreen can create a stylish barrier between you and your neighbors in a few short years.
How do you make green giants grow faster?
Water and Fertilizer for Thuja Green Giant For the quickest growth in that first season, water-soluble fertilizer gives the best results. This soaks right down into the root zone, and it is quickly absorbed and used by the trees. Look for a blend made for evergreen hedges and follow the directions.
How Much Sun Does a Thuja Green Giant Need?
Select a site that receives full sun to partial shade. However, know that your Green Giants will grow more quickly in full sunlight. Six hours of d...
What's the Best Soil for a Thuja Green Giant?
Thujas can adapt to a wide range of soil types, from sandy soil to dirt heavy with clay. Although they prefer slightly acidic soil, they adjust fin...
Why Is My Thuja Green Giant Turning Brown?
Thujas will turn brown for a couple reasons, most often due to the environment in which they are living. These environmental causes include lack of...
How Much Water Do Thuja Green Giants Need?
These arborvitaes get thirsty often. Water your Thujas three times a month during the summer months, and twice a month during the colder months. If...
What's the Best Mulch for a Thuja Green Giant?
You can help your soil retain moisture by placing a 3-inch thick layer of mulch around the tree’s base. The mulch will also keep weeds away and reg...
Fertilizing Thuja Green Giants
Generally, Thuja Green Giants don’t need to be fertilized. However, when you plant them, you can help them get established more quickly by adding R...
How to Prune a Thuja Green Giant
No pruning is required for Thuja Green Giants. They’ll quickly reach their massive heights if left untouched. You can promote wider growth that spr...
Can you get under a tree if it is too close to the fence?
You will eventually have to remove some dead or broken limbs. You will probably want to be able to get under the trees for a variety of maintenance issues. And, you wouldn't want the large limbs to eventually become damaged, as they grow through the fence, if your trees are planted too close.
Does the Green Giant tree grow in time?
It came up right next to the fence but the point remains the same - 'Green Giant' also produces a full sized tree in time. Any structural element that is close enough to be impacted by the enlargement of the tree's trunk or root crown - and is not dense and heavy enough to remain unaffected - will yield to the tree.
Green Giant Arborvitae Size
According to the Arbor Day Foundation, the Thuja is typically 50 to 60 feet tall at maturity, making it one of the tallest evergreen trees on the planet. Some sources indicate that they can even grow to a staggering 75 feet tall and 25 feet wide.
Green Giant Arborvitae Spacing For Planting
The Thuja looks stunning in many different landscaping arrangements, either solo or together with other trees. As a single specimen, it stands tall as a great accent, but with others, it creates more complex formations. However, to avoid root choking and harming the trees, proper care should be taken when spacing them.
How To Plant Green Giant Arborvitae
Before planting a green giant, map out an area that fits its sizing needs. The area should accommodate the tree’s width and height. The soil should have little clay, good drainage, and enough room for the mature tree’s roots to stretch into the ground. The area should be a good distance away from any water sources or wet areas.
When To Plant Thuja Green Giant
The Thuja is a particularly resilient tree in terms of drought tolerance, rainfall, and soil conditions. It grows best inside Hardiness Zones 5 through 7 which encompass most of the central, northeastern, and northwestern United States.
Green Giant Arborvitae Growth Rate
This conifer is praised and frequently used in hedging because of its speedy growth rate of several feet per year. The average green giant will grow at least 24 inches per year and in some cases as many as 60 inches in one year. This extreme rate is contingent on each of the tree’s needs being met, including sunlight, spacing, and drainage.
Green Giant Arborvitae Care
Green giants have several natural advantages such as pest resistance, weather resilience, and drought protection. However, they aren’t invincible, especially in their early stages. A green giant is capable of caring for itself almost entirely at maturity but will need special care as a sapling.
Final Thoughts: Green Giant Arborvitae Spacing
Now you know how to plant, space, and maintain the versatile and beautiful Thuja green giant. While it is a relatively self-supporting tree in adulthood, it can be a very labor-intensive and even fickle plant in its early seasons. Be sure to raise it with love and care and to stay attuned to its conditions and needs.
What zone do you plant Thuja Green Giants in?
Thuja Green Giants are recommended for growing zones 5 through 9. They’re cold hardy down to about -20 degrees and can even put up with the snow since they boast strong, durable branches. Furthermore, if you line your driveway with Thujas, they’ll create a barrier that prevents snow from building up.
How to keep a Thuja Green Giant moist?
Best Mulch for a Thuja Green Giant. You can help your soil retain moisture by placing a 3-inch thick layer of mulch around the tree’s base. The mulch will also keep weeds away and regulate soil temperature. Mulch will keep your soil warm in the winter and cool in the summer.
How to tell if thujas are getting enough water?
If you experience periods of drought or extreme heat, water your trees more often. It’s easy to tell when Thujas aren’t getting enough water: their needle tips will start to turn brown or the foliage will look dull, yellowed and weak. Signs of overwatering include drooping branches and discoloration of the branches.
What are the green giants?
What are Thuja Green Giants? 1 The Thuja Standishii is a Thuja variety that’s native to Japan and commonly gets 20 to 35 feet tall. 2 The Thuja Plicata is a variety native to North America that gets 65 to 70 feet tall.
How tall are Thuja trees?
Quickly growing to heights of 20 to 40 feet tall, the rapid growth of Thuja Green Giants makes them the perfect candidates for large Privacy Trees. However, Thujas are beautiful ornamental trees with a variety of uses.
How big do Thujas get?
Thujas may get quite large, up to 40 feet tall and 6 to 12 feet wide , but they respond very well to pruning for your desired height. Best of all, the Thuja’s exterior light and feather foliage give it an attractive texture, while its interior dark green foliage with slight yellow hues make it pop.
Why are Thuja trees called trees of life?
They’re called trees of life because their sap can supposedly be used for medicinal purposes. This covers all varieties of Thujas, from the Nigra Thuja to the Emerald Green Giant. The Thuja Green Giant is actually a cross between two different Thuja varieties: namely, the Standishii and Plicata varieties.
How fast does Arborvitae grow?
Arborvitae are a slow growing plant variety (generally less than 12 inches per year of new growth), which is why I believe when this crossed hybrid was found to be a more rapid grower, it become the "spokes tree" for the variety.
How tall are arborvitae?
When field transplanting, we typically used Green Giant liners that were 6 to 8 inches tall. At the end of the first growing season, the field plants varied from 10 inches to 30 inches tall. By the end of the second summer, their heights often reached 22 to 40 inches. Arborvitae are a slow growing plant variety ...
Is Thuja Green Giant evergreen?
The Thuja Green Giant are touted as one of the fastest growing evergreen trees on the commercial market. Will they really live up to this adoration? Here at Greenwood Nursery, we have grown and sold the Cedar Green Giant Trees for over 15 years. The plants are hybrids so they are propagated by cuttings as they will not come back true from seed.
How tall do Thuja trees grow?
They need little or no clipping to maintain an attractive form and can be planted as a screen and left to develop naturally. They soon reach 20 or 30 feet in height, creating a solid barrier that filters wind, noise and pollution and gives complete privacy.
What is a Thuja plant?
Thuja plants are part of the big group of plants called conifers. These are the trees that have cones, not flowers, and normally have narrow green needles, not thin, broad leaves and flowers like most other plants. Almost all are evergreen and they are often found in colder regions of the world.
What is the best hedge for a climate?
By choosing the right variety, a perfect hedge for any climate can be easily grown to almost any size and form. For larger hedges Thuja Green Giant is the outstanding and premier choice, while for smaller hedges in cooler areas Thuja Emerald Green is perfect.
What is the best tree for hedges?
There are hundreds of different forms, varying enormously in size and shape and including some of the best fast-growing trees for hedges, such as Thuja Green Giant, a remarkable tree that is always top of the list for screening and hedging plants. The name Arborvitae comes from the Latin phrase ‘ arbor vitae ’, which means ‘tree of life’.
How tall is the tallest tree in Michigan?
The tallest tree currently known is growing on South Manitou Island, Michigan and is 112 feet tall with a trunk diameter at ground level of 69 inches. The tips of the branches are flattened and the underside is pale green. The cones are about 1/3 of an inch long, oblong in shape, made up of eight or ten scales.
Is Thuja a hybrid?
It forms a much more open tree than the other Thuja trees. There are no particular cultivated forms of this tree and the tree is in fact very little grown outside Japan, although it is hardy to zone 6, but it is one of the parents of the important hybrid, Thuja Green Giant.
Where is the Green Giant from?
Thuja ‘Green Giant’. The story of this jolly green giant is long and complex [8]. It begins in a nursery in Denmark in 1937. This was D.T. Poulsens Planteskole og Frøhandel, founded by Dorus Theus Poulsen, a gardener and botanist born in 1850 in Frijsenborg, Denmark [9].
How tall do Thuja trees grow?
Green Giant arborvitae shrubs may be small when first transplanted. However, they grow quickly and mature to some 60 feet (18 m.) tall with a basal spread of up to 20 feet (6 m .).
What is a Thuja tree?
Trees and shrubs in the Thuja genus are fast-growing evergreens. They are more commonly known as arborvitae and feature dark green foliage. Some species develop bronze streaks in winter. While arborvitaes have lost some of their popularity with gardeners in recent years, the cultivar ‘Green Giant’ is an exceptional plant.
What is the color of the green giant arborvitae?
Green Giant arborvitae have flattened sprays of scale-like leaves. The foliage is bright green and darkens a little in the colder months. It never bronzes like the Oriental arborvitae. Look for a white line on the bottoms of the leaves of these plants. It is faint but adds a touch of brightness to the foliage.
How big do arborvitae grow?
Green Giant arborvitae shrubs may be small when first transplanted. However, they grow quickly and mature to some 60 feet (18 m.) tall with a basal spread of up to 20 feet (6 m.). Obviously, you won’t want to start growing one, or even a few, in a small garden.
What zone do green giants grow in?
Growing a Thuja Green Giant doesn’t require exceptional effort if sited appropriately. These plants thrive in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 5 through 7. If you are wondering exactly how to grow a Green Giant in these zones, find a sunny site large enough for to accommodate its mature size.
What type of soil do green giants prefer?
The type of soil is not critical since most soil types, from sandy loams to heavy clays, are suitable, although they prefer deep, moist loam. They accept either acidic or alkaline soil, and transplant easily from a container. When you are considering how to grow a Green Giant, remember that these are easy-care plants.
Does the Thuja Green Giant grow taller?
Image by Jana Milin. Few garden plants grow faster or taller than the Thuja Green Giant. This enormous and vigorous evergreen shoots up rapidly. Thuja Green Giant plants quickly tower above you and, in a few years, grow taller than your house. For more information about Thuja Green Giant plants, also called Green Giant arborvitae, read on.
