Saturday, January 7, 2017

Fast Impressions With Thuja Green Giants

By Scott Bailey


Need a privacy fence, a windbreak, or an impressive border for your long driveway? Thuja Green Giants are hard to beat. The Green Giant is a well-shaped tree, tapering gracefully to a height of 20 feet. It grows like a weed (up to 5 feet a year), has soft, dense, evergreen foliage, and is virtually care free.

The basic drill is to plant them five to six feet apart in a row. In a remarkably short time, you'll have an unbroken line of year-round greenery, made up of identical trees. They are easy to prune to keep them at the exact height you need against a fence or along a lot line. Planted on an estate, these beauties can shield a home from the road and make a magnificent statement at the same time.

These vigorous evergreens need space to grow, although being in a row limits their height to about twenty feet and their width to about eight. As a single specimen, they can tower higher than a house and spread twenty-five feet around. They should be planted at least four feet from the property line or a fence, and not closer than fifteen feet to a septic field. Their roots will spread a little farther than the tree itself.

People love these trees, which are hybrid evergreens in the cypress family. They are arborvitae trees, a name which may be more familiar than thuja. They adapt to almost any soil, even sandy loam or clay, and require no fertilizer (you may choose to fertilize lightly on planting). They never need spraying, since they are resistant to most bugs - even bagworms - and diseases. They are heat resistant but do best when watered once or twice a week in hot, dry weather. Grown from cuttings, the trees are remarkably uniform in height, width, and shape.

Best known as a privacy fence or a windbreak, these trees also make excellent sound barriers. They keep heavy-metal laden air pollution out of your yard; research shows that a dense hedge can shield vegetables and herbs from as much as ninety percent of the effects of near-by traffic.

With their cross-bred nature, the giants are left alone by deer and insect pests. Hardy to -20 degrees Fahrenheit but heat tolerant, too, they can thrive in planting zones 5 to 9. Check optimal planting times for Georgia; planting at the right time of year helps new trees get established and start their extraordinary growth. Browse online sites for information on size, price, shipping costs, and guarantees. You'll also get tips on thuja culture.

The best deal seems to be a well-rooted tree in a roomy container. A 6 to 7 foot tree can come in a one gallon pot or in a 7 gallon container, depending on the nursery. Buying direct from a grower means you may get a great price - no middleman - and can save even more if you can pick up your trees rather than have them shipped. Evaluate the prices carefully, making sure to factor in shipping costs, if any. Some nurseries offer free shipping.

These trees that look like royalty and grow like weeds can transform your property in such a short period of time it seems almost magical. It's unreal that you can have six or seven foot trees shipped to your door and have a majestic row of them in as little as four years. However, it's true.




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