Today, growing conifers in the garden, office and home is becoming increasingly popular. People are fed up with violets and hydrangeas, I want to decorate my house with a majestic cedar or a delicate, evergreen shrub, called thuja. It is about her today that we will be talking. At the same time, varieties of thuja leave a huge number of options for decorating. Her evergreen needles will delight you and fill the house with life and beauty. At the same time, the plant cannot be called moody; it survives in the most difficult conditions.
general description
Almost everyone likes the fresh, spicy aroma that exudes this tree. It beckons to take a break from everyday work. All varieties of arborvitae are highly resistant to decay, they are winter-hardy and heat-resistant, that is, your tree will survive even in the conditions of the greenhouse, even in the garden. This plant belongs to the cypress family. In nature, thuja is a tree, its average height reaches 12-18 meters (sometimes they grow up to 75 meters), or a bush of the most diverse forms. The needles in these plants are very interesting, scaly, and needle-shaped in young plants. Varieties of arborvitae allow you to design your garden the way you want it. Below we will analyze their main types so that you have a complete picture of this wonderful coniferous family.
What happens thuja
We cannot describe all the varieties of arborvitae, since there are a lot of them. However, we will give you guidelines based on which you can plan your purchase. There are three main groups:
- Dwarf - are usually used in rockeries and rock gardens.
- Bushy species are used for planting hedges.
- Solitaire arborvitae are beauties intended for a single landing.
To date, five species of arborvitae and dozens of different forms and varieties are known. Thuja western is perfect for gardening in any climate zone. It is the most winter-hardy and unpretentious, has a large number of forms and varieties. The second species, which will also survive in any conditions, is the thuja Japanese. It is found in Japan, grows in mixed forests and mountains, at an altitude of 1000-1800 meters. The tree can reach 18 meters in height. These types of thuja are frost-resistant, unpretentious in care, they can do without water for a long time.
Folded thuja grows in central Russia . It does not tolerate winter so well, young shoots freeze during severe frosts, but the plant can recover quickly. Thuja east differs fan-shaped branches. In the middle lane, it grows only under cover. Finally, the Korean thuja is a shrub with sprawling branches and soft needles. However, it grows only in the southern regions. Now we would like to take a closer look at the types of arborvitae so that you can choose the best option for your home or garden.
Western Thuja Smaragd
In another way it is called thuja columnar. This plant came to us from North America. It grows well in shady areas, in clay and sandy soil. The only condition is sufficient moisture for the root system. This thuja can grow up to 20 meters in height, and such a tree lives up to 1000 years. That is, your great-great-grandchildren will rejoice at the landing. Thuja is colonized by rooting of cuttings. This is the most popular conifer in Russian gardens.
The crown diameter of this plant reaches 5 meters, this must be taken into account when you choose a place to plant. Of course, for a room or a winter garden this is too large a plant, but in the garden it will become a luxurious decoration. The young tree has a pyramidal shape, and older trees have an ovoid crown. The needles of a tree in the form of scales, dark green color, in winter it takes on a brown hue.
Features of growth and development
Do you know what this huge tree grows from? If you do not take into account the reproduction using cuttings and processes in the nursery, then these are seeds. Of course, thuja seedlings will become full-fledged trees much faster than seeds. Thuja fruits are cones. They grow small, maximum 12 mm. There are two seeds inside. A young plant adds annually up to 30 cm in height and up to 10 cm in diameter, that is, the growth rate is much faster than that of a Christmas tree or cedar.
The wood of this species has a reddish tint, it is quite soft. The resin does not stand out from this tree, but due to the essential oils it exudes a pleasant aroma. The roots are compact and do not grow.
This thuja grows best in a country house or on a plot with a private house. This plant loves light very much, but it also tolerates shade, so if there are no free sunny areas, it does not matter. Fertile chernozem is not necessary for it at all, the plant feels best on clay soils, grows well on light, sandy soil. It can grow even in lowlands where the soil is moist. A tree is not considered finicky at all. Mature trees tolerate both heat and cold, feel good in urban environments.
Thuja pyramidal
This is another wonderful view that is great for decorating the garden. This winter thuja will calmly endure even the most severe colds, which means it can be used to decorate the garden. This is a tree with a narrow crown up to 6-7 meters high and up to 1.3 meters in diameter. Very interesting is the structure of the crown, with short, dense shoots. The needles are scaly, the color is dark green, which practically does not change with the onset of winter. Planted in a certain sequence, it will be the perfect decoration for your garden.
Thuja pyramidal grows rapidly, up to 20 cm per year. It is undemanding to soils, but it feels best on moderately fertile soils of medium moisture. It tolerates drought very poorly, like a complete shadow. It’s best to choose slightly shaded areas. The trees have an ideal shape with regular pruning; they can be used to form tall (up to 4 meters), formed and freely growing hedges.
Thuja Sankist
Giant trees are not always and not in any garden. Somewhere for decoration I want to plant an elegant shrub. Do not rush to remove thuja seedlings from the options. For example, this dense shrub will be a wonderful decoration for entering the gazebo. Its height is 3-5 meters, crown diameter is 1-2 meters. The crown is conical, slightly tousled, with densely branched branches. She comes from Canada. Very elegant is the needles of these plants. In young plants, it is golden yellow, with age it changes to a brighter, lemon yellow. In adult plants, it acquires a bronze hue. This variety grows slowly, by about 10 years the thuja will reach only 2 meters.
Growing coniferous shrubs
The Sankist variety is not demanding on soil conditions. She is photophilous and tolerates a haircut. It experiences winter cold easily, except for very strong ones. This shrub is recommended for colorful, mixed compositions, and also looks great as an individual planting. It prefers moist, fertile soils, and tolerates drought hard. If you have a long, dry and hot period, and you do not have the ability to water, the thuja will enter the phase of mass seed production. This leads to a loss of decorativeness.
Thuja Wagnery
And we continue to consider an amazing coniferous plant called thuja. Species and varieties are presented in such a magnificent variety that you need to think carefully before choosing a plant for yourself. The next view is a small, decorative tree, up to 3.5 meters high and 1.5 meters wide. In a pot, it usually grows much more compact. It attracts an ovoid, dense crown, with numerous thin, vertically arranged shoots. The needles are gray-green, in winter it acquires a copper shade. The growth rate is average, it is very demanding on soil conditions; it needs to provide fertile and well-moistened soil. This small shrub is characterized by high frost resistance. The original shape of the crown makes thuja the most attractive option for tapeworm planting and container growing. That is, it is the best indoor thuja, homemade or grown in flowerpots, which are exposed to the garden in the summer, to fresh air.
Thuja Globosa
Another relatively small view that is great for containerized content. It is a spherical bush up to 2 meters high. The needles are light green, with the onset of winter it becomes brownish. Shoots are straight and flat, rise vertically upwards. It grows very slowly, in about ten years the bush will reach a height of 1 meter. Thuja is very convenient for growing both in the room and in the garden. This shrub is winter-hardy and shade-tolerant, drought-resistant. He needs to provide fertile and moist soil. Regarding this species, it should be noted that it tolerates dry air worse than others. It needs more frequent watering, when growing indoors it is advisable to cover it with moss so that the soil does not dry out.
These are the most popular varieties of thuja. We hope that you could be interested in, and you will definitely try to plant this evergreen plant in your country house or near your home, because there is nothing complicated in caring for it.