American Arborvitae

Thuja occidentalis

Great Hedge, Privacy Screen, or Windbreak
Plant 3' apart for hedge
Narrow, Pyramid Shape
Typically Grows 20'-30' with 12' spread in urban settings
Zones 3 to 7
Can't Ship to: AK, AZ, HI

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Zones 3 - 7

Hardiness Zones: Zones 3 - 7
The American Arborvitae can be expected to grow in the zones shown in color in the arborday.org zone map.VIEW MAP

evergreen

Type of tree:
The American Arborvitae falls into the following type(s): Evergreens

40' - 60' High

Mature Height:
The American Arborvitae grows to be 40' - 60' feet in height.

10' - 15' Spread

Mature Spread:
The American Arborvitae has a spread of about 10' - 15' at full maturity.

Slow to Medium Growth

Growth Rate:
This tree grows at a slow to medium growth rate. [More about this.]

Full Sun

Sun:
This arborvitae does well in full sun.

Various Soils

Soil:
The American Arborvitae grows in acidic, drought tolerant, loamy, moist, rich, sandy, silty loam, well drained, wet, wide range, clay soils.

Pyramidal Shape

Shape:
This arborvitae has pyramidal shape.

More Info

Wildlife Value:
Providing shelter in the winter and nesting sites for grackles, robins and house finches in the summer, this evergreen also provides food in the form of browse for deer, cottontail rabbits, snowshoe hares and occasionally moose. The seeds are eaten by red squirrels, and birds such as pine siskins.

Tall, soft, slender, and luxuriously dense, this elegant evergreen requires almost no care when used as a windbreak, hedge, privacy screen, or landscape specimen. Plant a pair of these hardy trees to accent your door or garden gate, or a single tree to soften a corner of your home. In the wild, this tree can grow to 40'-60' with a spread of up to 15'. In urban settings, you can expect a height of 20'-30' with a 12' spread. If using this conifer as a hedge, plant them three feet apart. (Zones 3-7)

		Spring Shipping		Fall Shipping
Color	Zone	Approximate Ship Dates	Order Deadline	Approximate Ship Dates	Order Deadline
	2	04/15–05/30	05/14	11/01–11/26	11/12
	3	04/15–05/30	05/14	11/01–11/26	11/12
	4	04/15–05/30	05/14	11/01–11/26	11/12
	5	04/15–05/30	05/14	11/01–11/26	11/12
	6	03/19–05/12	05/07	11/01–12/03	11/19
	7	03/11–05/07	04/30	11/05–12/10	11/26
	8	02/26–04/30	04/23	11/05–12/10	11/26
	9	02/26–04/30	04/23	11/05–12/10	11/26
	10	02/26–04/30	04/23	11/05–12/10	11/26

We're sorry, but this tree can't be shipped to AK, AZ, HI , territories, or countries outside the U.S. This is due to the agricultural laws within these locations.

When you order trees from The Arbor Day Foundation, your order is guaranteed to arrive in a good, healthy condition or we'll replace them at no charge. Your trees will be shipped at a suitable time for planting.

Each tree is guaranteed to grow, or we'll replace it at one half the original price, plus shipping and handling.

The benefits of bare-root trees

Our trees are delivered with natural bare roots which have been dipped in hydrating gel prior to shipment to keep the roots moist and healthy. As their abundant, fibrous roots aren't confined by a container, bare-root trees get off to a more vigorous start compared to containerized roots which typically need more time to adjust to transplanting. Bare-root trees typically surpass the size of larger containerized trees in only a few years.

	Standard		Dwarf
	Mature Height	Space Needed	Mature Height	Space Needed
Apple	20' - 25'	35' x 35'	10' **	10' x 10' ++
Peach	20'	20' x 20'	8' - 10'	10' x 10'
Sweet Cherry	30'	20' x 25'	12' - 15'	10' x 10'
Sour Cherry	20'	20' x 20'	8'	10' x 10'
Pear	20'	20' x 20'	12' - 15'	12' x 12'
Apricot	20'	20' x 20'
Plum	20'	20' x 20'	8' - 10'	10' x 10'
			** semi-dwarf 12' - 15' ++ semi-dwarf 12' x 12'

Natural Root and Containerized Trees

Natural root (also called bare root) trees are shipped without soil around their roots. They are shipped when dormant in the spring and fall seasons. We dip the roots in a hydrating gel to keep them moist during shipping.

There are a number of advantages to natural root trees:

They are very affordable.
Their roots re-establish themselves well once they are planted in their permanent location.
They are easy to plant at the correct depth.

The Urban Horticulture Institute at Cornell University has an interesting article about the benefits of planting natural root trees. Look for the PDF entitled Creating the Urban Forest: The Bare Root Method

Potted (also called containerized) trees come in 4" containers.

If you have questions, please call (888) 448-7337 or E-mail Member Services.

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