🌲 Arborvitae
Thuja occidentalis
The living fence that minds its own business and yours.
Sun
Full sun to partial shade
Days to harvest
N/A — ornamental; screens in 3–5 years
Spacing
4–5 ft for a hedge, 8+ ft as specimens
Soil pH
6.0–8.0
How to grow
Plant at the same depth as the nursery pot, backfill with native soil, and water deeply at planting. These are the introverts of the hedge world — give them space and they'll reward you with a dense green wall. Shear lightly in early summer to keep the shape; never cut into bare brown wood, because unlike some evergreens, arborvitae won't regrow from it.
Water & feeding
Keep consistently moist the first two growing seasons — they establish roots before they impress anyone. Mature trees are moderately drought tolerant but brown out in prolonged dry heat.
Common problems
- Bagworms (little cone-shaped cocoons hanging like ornaments — handpick them off)
- Winter burn and browning in harsh northern winds
- Root rot in soggy soil — they want moisture, not a swamp
- Deer browsing, which turns your hedge into a topiary you didn't ask for
Harvest
No fruit — prune lightly in early summer after the spring growth flush. Skip the fall haircut; late pruning invites winter damage.
Nerdy fact: 'Arborvitae' literally means 'tree of life' — French explorers learned from Indigenous peoples that its vitamin-rich foliage cured scurvy. It also doubles as cedar for rot-resistant lumber, so your privacy screen is secretly a pharmacy and a lumberyard.