jeudi 12 janvier 2017

Instant Gratification With Thuja Green Giants

By Scott Bailey


If you need a dense privacy hedge, an attractive windbreak, or a formal border along your drive or boundary line, there is the perfect answer in a new hybrid ornamental. Thuja Green Giants are perhaps the fastest growing of the cypresses. With a graceful and amazingly uniform shape, a growth rate of up to five feet a year, and exceptionally beautiful foliage, this marvel is also virtually care free.

Planted a minimum of five or six feet apart, these giants grow so uniformly and so fast that they soon form an unbroken line of green. Their uniformity gives them a formal look which requires no shaping. As a privacy hedge they are unequaled, and A tall procession of thujas along an estate drive has to be seen to be appreciated.

They require room. Growers say they should be planted at least four feet from a fence or property line. Their spreading roots reach out farther than their branches, which will spread at least eight feet. They should be no closer than fifteen feet to septic fields. Planted as a single specimen, they can reach forty feet in height and twenty-five feet in width. Their soft foliage is easy to prune, if you want to limit their height more than close planting does.

The thuja is a member of the cypress family; the name arborvitae may be more familiar. These hybrids combine the hardiness of a tree native to the northern half of the west coast United States and the speedy growth of an Asian variety. They are not attractive to deer or bugs - even bagworms - so never require spraying. Soil type does not seem to matter, and they don't need fertilizer to grow rapidly. Hardy and heat tolerant, they do need regular watering in very dry areas. Trees started from cuttings share the same gracefully tapered shape, height, and width.

A seamless row of Green Giants will do more than make a privacy screen or windbreak. They are an effective sound barrier, muting noise of neighbors and traffic. They can also shield your garden from air pollution. If you're near a busy street, heavy metals from car exhaust may contaminate herbs and vegetables you grow for food. A dense hedge can cut pollution down to safe levels.

With their cross-bred nature, the giants are left alone by deer and insect pests. Hardy to -20 degrees Fahrenheit but heat tolerant, too, they can thrive in planting zones 5 to 9. Check optimal planting times for Georgia; planting at the right time of year helps new trees get established and start their extraordinary growth. Browse online sites for information on size, price, shipping costs, and guarantees. You'll also get tips on thuja culture.

By buying direct from a grower, you may find both the best price and the most vigorous trees. Ones sold in containers are advertised as better than ones with burlap-wrapped root balls or sold as 'bare root'. The size of the container caries from nursery to nursery; a six-foot tree can come in a one gallon pot or a seven gallon one. Buying multiple trees cuts the price down, and some sites offer free shipping.

Of course, you can save big if you find a local grower and can pick stock up. But it's true that you can have trees taller than you shipped to your door. In three or four years you can have a magnificent, green, living barrier to whatever you'd like to keep out.




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