Eastern Arborvitae

Eastern arborvitae, American arborvitae, is the narrow, dense, evergreen conifer that has been the default privacy screen and property-line hedge across North America for over a century. The flat, fan-like sprays of scale foliage are bright green to gold depending on the cultivar, and the pyramidal to columnar form provides vertical screening without the spread of broader conifers. It grows twenty to forty feet in the species form. Native from eastern Canada through the Great Lakes and Appalachians, it is one of the most widely planted conifers in the nursery trade.

In Western Washington, eastern arborvitae performs well in full sun with moist, well-drained soil. 'Emerald Green' (Smaragd) is the most popular narrow, columnar form, dense, dark green, and tight enough to fit property lines without consuming the yard. 'Green Giant' (actually Thuja standishii × plicata) is the fast-growing, large-scale screen, not the same species but often grouped with arborvitae in the nursery trade. Several pests are tracked, including bagworms and spider mites. Deer browse is a significant concern, arborvitae is candy for deer, and unprotected plants in deer country will be stripped. For a narrow, dense, evergreen screen in an area without deer pressure, arborvitae is the practical choice.