It's time to show arborvitae some love

Like many plants, arborvitae prefer a moist well-drained soil, but once established, can tolerate some drought. Many have flat sprays of scale-like foliage rather than the needles typical of most evergreens. They are relatively disease- and pest-free, with bag worms being the most common pest problem. There are numerous cultivars available, ranging from 2- to 3-foot tall shrubs to trees 25 feet or taller.

With all this going for them, arborvitae should be flying out the doors of the local garden centers. But…

"I hate 'em" is a common response to a suggestion that an arborvitae might be an appropriate plant for a particular situation. When pressed to give a reason way, many people respond with a less than helpful "I dunno … I just don't like 'em."

Now through the marvels of modern technology, we are able to delve into the brains of these Thuja haters. Please, keep your hands and feet inside the brain at all times.

Ahh … this brain is remembering the arborvitae that a neighbor planted alongside that busy road. In spring, they didn't look so good on the side facing the street. Yes it's true, Thuja don't like salt spray or salt in the soil.

Our second brain is picturing the arborvitae hedge planted at her neighborhood park. It looked great when it was planted. Now two years down the road, the plants look thin and sparse. But those oak trees that are growing right above the hedge look great. Arborvitae like full sun. Some varieties claim to be tolerant of light shade, but it had better be the lightest possible shade you can imagine.

The next brain is picturing that March snowstorm. Heavy wet snow caused her friends' arborvitae to splay open until some of the branches were almost horizontal. Of course, they did straighten up pretty well. This can be a problem with arborvitae because they tend to have multiple stems. If you're just trying to grow a 6-foot hedge, don't select a variety that grows 30 feet tall. Shorter varieties should stay more upright in the winter and require a heck of a lot less pruning.

Pruning is exactly what our last brain is thinking about. He's picturing how brown his Thuja were after he got done pruning on that hot August weekend. Although Thuja respond well to pruning, it's best done in early spring before the new growth emerges.

Now, let's change course. We'll dive into the brain of the knowledgeable garden center employee to see what arborvitae varieties are available. Wow, there are almost 100 cultivars … oh, many aren't grown much. Look over there. Tall ones!

This one gets about 12 to 15 feet tall. It looks like it's about 6 to 8 feet wide. Fairly dark green, "typical" arborvitae foliage. Let's look at the tag. No, wait -- this is a horticulturist's brain. It knows this is Techny or Mission arborvitae.

Look over there. That one is brighter green and much narrower, only about 3 to 4 feet wide. It's about 10 feet, no, 12 feet -- no, it's growing. OK, 15 feet tall. It must be Emerald Green. In the time since its introduction, the mature size seems to have grown somewhat.

And this dark green one must be Nigra. It can get to 20 to 30 feet tall and spread anywhere from five to 10 feet wide. Hey, it's getting chilly in here. It's snowing! And look ... all these varieties keep their color even in winter.

Who's that standing in the corner? That's a cousin, Thuja plicata or Western arborvitae. This one is known as Spring Grove. It's fast growing and not as dense, getting to be about 20 to 30 feet tall or even a little taller, and spreading about three to 6 feet.

Now were getting to some shorter ones. Twisted foliage, about eight to 10 feet tall and three to five feet wide. Our intrepid horticultural brain identifies it as Degroot's Spire. Next to it is a chubby little arborvitae, four to five feet tall or larger but very narrow, only about two feet wide. That's Holmstrup.

Technito is next in line. It has the same green color as Techny and also keeps its color through the winter, but it's only six feet tall and 2½ feet wide.

Oops! This one must have got mixed in here by mistake. It has very feathery foliage unlike most arborvitae. No wait, that's Sherwood Moss. It spreads about four feet and gets four to six feet tall.

Look at those short ones over there. This dense globe-shaped arborvitae is Hetz Midget. It's almost round, two feet by two- to three-feet tall. Right next to it, and about the same size, is another one with that feathery foliage. Hold on, our brain is shaking! Oh no, our horticulturist is just laughing at the name, Mr. Bowling Ball.

This last one is the tiniest one we've seen. It would be perfect in a rock garden. It has finely textured foliage and is only about a foot tall by two feet wide. Its name is Teddy.

Sadly, we must now return to our own brain. Everyone OK? All who survived this brain adventure should certainly be adventurous enough to try an arborvitae of their own.