FEATURESTORY
by Mike McGroarty
Emerald Green Arborvitae – Thuga
occidentalis ‘Smaragd’
All pyramidal Arborvitae are not created
equal! Some look similar but they grow and per-
form over time very differently. There are two upright,
pyramidal Arborvitae that I really like because the
look great, and over time they perform exactly as you
expect them to. They are very different and should be
used in different situations. One is Techney arborvi-
tae, also known as Mission Arborvitae but I’m going
to discuss Emerald Green Arborvitae, also known as
‘Smaragd’
Emerald Green Arborvitae is an excellent plant
and is a great choice when you are looking for a nar-
row, upright evergreen that doesn’t get too tall. This
evergreen has an interesting color. Instead of the re-
ally dark green color that many arborvitaes have, this
plant is a lighter green with what appears to be a bit
of a gold tinge to the foliage.
Many upright arborvitae grow so fast and so tall
that before long they are hooping over and grow-
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46
ing away from the
house. During the winter
months when the snow
clings it will pull them
almost to the ground. If
they are grown with
multiple leaders as many
are, they open up, spread
apart and look absolutely
terrible.
I’ve never seen Emer-
ald Green do that. It just
doesn’t get tall enough
for that to happen. Even
plants that are over 15
years old are normally
only about 10’ tall. That’s
what makes Emerald
Green unique to so many other upright arborvitaes.
Emerald Green Arborvitae are narrow and the
closer to the top the narrower they get. If they are
planted in a single row you need to plant them about
24� on center to get a nice, full hedge. Even then
because they are quite narrow at the top, it still is
not likely to be a complete screen that can’t be seen
through. For a thicker hedge you can plant them in
a double row and staggered, about 30� to 36� apart,
then plant the back row with the same spacing but
is stagger it to fi ll in the gaps. This makes for a very
tight screen that you cannot see through.
For about 20 years I spent a great deal of time
re-landscaping over 500 homes. I can’t even begin to
tell you how many times we removed really tall ar-
borvitae that were completely concealing the front of
the house, leaning over and just plain looking bad. In
almost every case inside of the plants we found fence
posts and wire holding the plants together and the
stakes attempting to hold the plants upright. That’s
why I am very picky about which arborvitae that I will
use in or recommend for a landscape.
Emerald Green Arborvitae is also easy to propa-
gate and easy to grow. You can root cuttings and sell
them as soon as they are rooted. This is a great plant
to grow at home and sell at a small size. GG
Mike McGroarty is the owner of McGroarty Enterprises and the au-
thor of several books. You can visit his website at FreePlants.com
and read his blog at MikeBackYardNursery.com.
MikeBackYardNursery.com.
www.GardenandGreenhouse.net
August 2017