Thuja is an evergreen plant and one of the most popular hedge plants. It is also called tree of life and originally comes from Asia and North America.
Thuja feels at home in most places, which is why they are wonderfully suitable as garden plants. However, amateur gardeners should first learn about the plant before planting it, and in this article we would like to look at some important aspects.
Types of Thuja
Not all Thuja are the same, because there are different species and the three most popular would be the “Thuja occidentalis Brabant”, the “Thuja Martin” and the “Thuja Emerald”. The “Thuja occidentalis Brabant” has a light green needle color and grows up to 50 cm per year.
The “Thuja Martin” has dark green needles and is considered a particularly dense and compact hedge.
The “Thuja Smaragd” has winter-bronze needles and can grow in both shady and sunny locations. All the varieties mentioned here are suitable for amateur gardeners.
Care of thuja
Although there are different types of thuja, there are no major differences in terms of care. Basically, thuja are quite easy to care for, but gross mistakes – for example, when cutting – can have serious consequences, and in the worst case they can even lead to the death of the plant.
Therefore, when cutting thuja, caution is required and the plants must not be cut back to the old wood under any circumstances.
There are also some things to consider when fertilizing and if you want to fertilize a thuja, it is best to do so with organic fertilizer such as horn shavings or compost. Alternatively, fertilizer mixtures are also an option, but with such it is important to pay attention to the exact dosage, as thuja are very sensitive to overfertilization.
So there are a few things to consider when caring for thuja, but maintaining a garden in general is fraught with challenges, and in the end, that’s what makes gardening so appealing.
The right location for thuja
The right location plays a role in plants of all kinds, and evergreens generally require a different location than herbs. However, it depends here strongly on the type of Thuja, because, for example, the “Thuja Emerald” can grow in both shady and sunny locations.
Basically, however, this is not the case and most thuja prefer sunny to semi-shady locations: Typically, thujas do not thrive well, if at all, in the shade. In addition, freshly planted thujas are best placed protected from the wind, as they are not too hardy at the beginning.
Planting thuja
Once a good location has been selected, the thujas can be planted and planting is done either in the spring or early fall. Especially in the beginning it is important to water the seedlings very well and regularly, because the root system is not too strong, which is why the thuja are not able to absorb water from the lower layers of soil.
When planting, it is also important to provide adequate winter protection, as frost damage to thuja can not be ruled out. What ultimately applies, however, depends to some extent on the particular species, because some thuja are more robust than others.
I have 30 years of experience and i started this website to see if i could try and share my knowledge to help you.
With a degree a Horticulture BSc (Hons)
I have worked as a horticulture specialist lead gardener, garden landscaper, and of course i am a hobby gardener at home in my own garden.
Please if you have any questions leave them on the article and i will get back to you personally.
