Today, the cultivation of coniferous plants in the garden, office and home is becoming increasingly popular. People are fed up with violets and hydrangeas, they want to decorate their home with a majestic cedar or a delicate, evergreen shrub called thuja. It is about her that we will talk today. At the same time, varieties of thuja leave a huge number of options for decorating. Its evergreen needles will delight you and fill the house with life and beauty. At the same time, the plant cannot be called capricious, it survives in the most difficult conditions.
General Description
Practically everyone loves the fresh, spicy scent this tree exudes. It beckons to take a break from everyday work. All varieties of thuja are highly resistant to decay, they are winter-hardy and heat-resistant, that is, your tree will survive even in a greenhouse, even in a garden. This plant belongs to the cypress family. In nature, thuja is a tree, its average heightreaches 12-18 meters (sometimes they grow up to 75 meters), or a shrub of a wide variety of forms. The needles of these plants are very interesting, scaly, and needle-shaped in young plants. Varieties of thuja allow you to decorate 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 will not be able to describe all varieties of thuja, 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 - usually used in rockeries and rock gardens.
- The bushy varieties are used for planting hedges.
- Solitary thuja are beauties designed for a single landing.
Today, five types of arborvitae and dozens of their various forms and varieties are known. Thuja occidentalis 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 Japanese thuja. 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 arborvitae are frost-resistant, unpretentious in care, they can do without water for quite a long time.
Thuja folded grows in central Russia. It does not tolerate winter so well, young shoots freeze slightly during severe frosts, but the plant can recover quickly. thujathe eastern one is distinguished by fan-shaped branches. In the middle lane, it grows only under cover. Finally, Korean thuja is a shrub with spreading 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 thuja 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 a sufficient amount of 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 also enjoy the landing. The columnar thuja propagates by rooting cuttings. This is the most popular coniferous tree in Russian gardens.
The diameter of the crown of this plant reaches 5 meters, this must be taken into account when choosing a place to plant. Of course, this is too large a plant for a room or a winter garden, but in the garden it will become a luxurious decoration. A young tree has exactly a pyramidal shape, and older trees have an ovoid crown. The needles of the tree are in the form of scales, dark green in color, in winter it takes on a brown hue.
Features of growth and development
Do you know what this huge tree grows out of? If we do not take into account reproduction using cuttings and shoots in a nursery, then these are seeds. Of course, thuja seedlings will become full-fledgedtrees much faster than seeds. Tui 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 breed has a reddish tint, it is quite soft. The resin of this tree does not stand out, however, due to essential oils, it exudes a pleasant aroma. The roots are compact and do not grow.
This thuja grows best in the country or on a plot at 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 at all necessary for her, the plant feels best on clay soils, grows well on light, sandy soil. It can grow even in lowlands where the soil is moist. The tree is not considered finicky at all. Mature trees perfectly tolerate both heat and cold, feel good in urban environments.
Thuja pyramidalis
This is another wonderful look that is great for decorating a garden. This thuja will calmly endure even the most severe colds in winter, which means it can be used to decorate the garden. It 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 become perfectdecoration for your garden.
Thuja pyramidalis grows rapidly, up to 20 cm per year. It is undemanding to soils, but feels best on moderately fertile soils of medium moisture. It tolerates drought very poorly, as well as full shade. It is best to choose slightly shaded areas. Trees with regular pruning have an ideal shape, they can be used to form high (up to 4 meters), shaped and free-growing hedges.
Thuya Sunkist
Giant trees are not always needed 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 the entrance to the gazebo. Its height is 3-5 meters, crown diameter is 1-2 meters. The crown is conical, slightly ruffled, with densely branched branches. She hails from Canada. The needles of these plants are very elegant. In young plants, it is golden yellow, with age it changes to a brighter, lemon yellow. In mature 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 variety Sunkist is not demanding on soil conditions. She is light-requiring and perfectly tolerates a haircut. Winter colds are easily experienced, except for very strong ones. This shrub is recommended for colorful, mixed arrangements and also looks great as an individual planting. Prefers moist, fertile soils, and drought is difficult to tolerate. If a long, dry and hot period has fallen, and you do not have the opportunity to irrigate, the thuja will enter the phase of mass seeding. This leads to a loss of decorativeness.
Tuja Wagneri
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 particular plant for yourself. The next species is a small, decorative tree, up to 3.5 meters high and up to 1.5 meters wide. In a pot, it usually grows much more compactly. Attractive ovoid, dense crown, with numerous thin, vertically arranged shoots. The needles are gray-green, in winter it acquires a copper tint. 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 distinguished by high frost resistance. The original shape of the crown makes thuja the most attractive option for solitary plantings and container growing. That is, this is the best indoor thuja, homemade or grown in flowerpots, which are put out in the garden in the summer, in the fresh air.
Thuya Globoza
Another relatively small species that is great for container content. It is a shrub of spherical shape, up to 2 meters high. The needles are light green, with the onset of winter it becomes brownish. The shoots are straight and flat, rising vertically upwards. It grows very slowly, in about ten years the bush will reachheight 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. Needs more frequent watering, if 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 arborvitae. We hope that we were able to interest you, and you will definitely try to plant this evergreen plant in your country house or near your house, because there is nothing complicated in caring for it.
