How to Grow and Care for Arborvitae

In a world of hyper-specialization, a generalist like arborvitae is a breath of fresh air.

Many plants are only fit for one thing, such as growing in water or producing heads of leafy edible greens for artisan salads. But arborvitae? It’s a plant polymath.

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In my landscape design classes at Mizzou, arborvitae was one of my go-to trees when I ran out of ideas.

Whenever I had a blank space in my design that needed filling, there was always a Thuja species or cultivar that would fit perfectly. And most of the time, it was just what the doctor ordered.

Besides its beauty and versatility, arborvitae tolerates air pollution and a variety of different soil conditions.

Add a fascinating history on top of all that, and you have a tree that’s adaptable, enjoyable to look at,and fun to discuss with fellow onlookers.

Of course, before you can enjoy all those benefits, you’ll need to know how to grow and care for these plants properly. Hence, this guide.

Here’s what we’ll cover:

Members of the Cupressaceae – or the cypress family – arborvitaes are a small group of evergreen conifers that belong to the Thuja genus of plants.

Collectively, these are hardy to USDA Zones 3 to 8, and are either native to North America or eastern Asia, hailing from China, Japan, or Korea.

During their infancy, arborvitae seedlings produce juvenile foliage that protrudes from the stem in alternating pairs of thin needles.

After a year or so of growth, the plants produce flattened, scaly, dense, and fan-like sprays of adult leaves.

Most of the time, the leaf color is green, but sometimes it’s