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Gerald L. Klingaman
Cupressaceae
Thuja plicata
Giant Arborvitae, Western Arborvitae, Western Red Cedar
Native to northwestern North America, western red cedar is a broadly pyramidal evergreen tree with slender drooping branches. It has feathery flat sprays of dark green, scale-like leaves which emit a fruity odor when bruised. They become bronze-tinged in cold weather. Older plants have ornamental shredding red-brown bark. The small tan female cones are ornamentally insignificant.
This handsome conifer prefers moist organic well-drained soil and full to partial sun. Unlike eastern arborvitae it is rarely browsed by deer. Bringing a vertical, softening element to the landscape, this relatively fast-growing conifer looks beautiful as an individual specimen or in informal groups. Cultivars of note include yellow-leaved 'Aurea' and 'Stoneham Gold' and narrowly conical 'Fastigiata' and 'Virescens'.
8 - 1
5 - 8
A3, 1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Needled or Scaled Evergreen
Full Sun, Partial Sun
50'-70' / 15.2m - 21.3m
25'-60' / 7.6m - 18.3m
Spring
Northwestern United States, Canada
Acidic, Neutral
Well Drained
Loam
Fast
Average Water
Pyramidal
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Insignificant
Sandy Brown
Dark Green
Dark Green, Bronze
Sienna
No
Yes
Fine
Matte
Exfoliating
Feature Plant, Hedges, Lawns and Turf, Screening / Wind Break
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