Thuja occidentalis Fire Chief - Canadian Arborvitae

The  Thuja occidentalis 'Fire Chief' is a very graphic small conifer that naturally forms a pretty, rounded mass and compact appearance, without the need for any pruning. Its quite fine foliage is very structured, yellow in spring, turning green in summer, before taking on a rich warm coppery hue in autumn. Evergreen, it is decorative in all seasons. Its slow growth and small size allow for many uses, in a rockery, as a standalone plant, in a border with shrubs, or even in a large pot near an entrance.

The Thuja occidentalis, also known as Eastern Arborvitae or White Cedar, is sometimes called Eastern White Cedar or Broom. It is an evergreen conifer of the Cupressaceae family native to the northeastern North America. It is distributed over a wide geographic area that perfectly reflects the plasticity of its living conditions, from swamps to cliffs, all hostile environments that discourage many other competing species. In nature, it reaches a height of 15 to 20 m (49 to 66ft), adopting a beautiful conical habit, and a trunk covered with a very decorative, reddish-brown peeling bark. It is a very hardy species, well adapted to temperate climates and poor, moist or occasionally dry soils. Its almost non-decaying, light, fragrant and easily flammable wood lends itself to many uses. It has given rise to more than 300 cultivars that have been selected for their ornamental qualities. The dwarf and compact forms are more water-efficient.

The variety 'Fire Chief' is a mutation derived from the famous variety 'Rheingold', a star among the Arborvitaes. It is distinguished by its smaller size and its very regular spherical habit. Its growth is slow, so it will reach about 70 cm in all directions at the age of ten years and 1 m (33 and 3ft) at maturity. The foliage is golden yellow in spring, then the new shoots turn green and take on warm coppery colors, or even dark red in autumn. Far from the monotony that conifers are sometimes criticized for, this evergreen and changing foliage is decorative all year round. Moreover, this miniature conifer is easy to grow. It grows in most soils, neutral to slightly calcareous, ideally moist, although it tolerates relative drought. Extremely hardy, it withstands -30 °C in well-drained soil.

The 'Fire Chief' Western Arborvitae will find its place in a small garden and a not too arid rockery or even in a beautiful container on the terrace or balcony. In this case, it will need to be regularly watered to prevent the substrate from drying out and the roots from suffering. It will create a permanent spectacle with the small Cotinus coggygria Young Lady, a miniature smoke bush with also changing foliage colors, and abundant pale pink feathery flowering. This small conifer loves large stones, the geometric lines of pools or buildings, and masonry works. It can also be associated with grasses, which are very complementary, as well as with other small conifers with colorful foliage, such as the delightful Picea sitchensis Silberzwerg with its bluish-gray needles and silvery undersides. Our little Fire Chief will also elegantly contrast with the astonishing Abies koreana Kohout's Icebreaker®, a dwarf Korean fir with a unique appearance with its silvery needle undersides.