Thuja occidentalis King of Brabant - Eastern White Cedar

The Canadian Arborvitae or Thuja occidentalis 'King of Brabant' is a different form of the well-known variety 'Brabant'. A strongly upright habit distinguishes it, more conical, taller and less narrow, and a bronze colouration of the foliage in winter. It is also undemanding and vigorous. It provides a good hedge subject and an excellent standalone conifer to plant, as the growth of all its shoots is very erect, so the shape is naturally harmonious. Suitable for almost all our regions, its cultivation presents no difficulty and tolerates pruning ideally.

The Thuja occidentalis, the Canadian Arborvitae or Western Red Cedar, is sometimes called the White Cedar of Canada or Broom. It is an evergreen conifer of the cypress family native to northeastern North America. It is distributed over a wide geographical area that perfectly reflects the plasticity of its living conditions, from swamps to cliffs. In nature, it reaches a height of 15 to 20 m, adopting a beautiful conical habit and a trunk covered with decorative bark that peels off in reddish-brown plates. It is a very hardy species, well adapted to temperate climates and poor, moist, or occasionally dry soils. Its almost rot-resistant, lightweight, fragrant, and easily flammable wood lends itself to many uses. More than 300 cultivars have been selected for their ornamental qualities.

The variety 'King of Brabant' reaches 5 to 7 m in height and 2 to 3 m in width at ten years old, with a regular conical habit. When crushed, this extremely resistant conifer reveals particularly aromatic foliage of flattened branches covered with 3 to 5-mm long scales. Overlapping each other, the leaves give the twigs a flat appearance. The young shoots are yellow-green in spring, gradually taking on their definitive colour, a relatively light green. In winter, the foliage takes on a bronze colour. The cones, slender and brown when ripe, are formed by 4 or 5 scales.

The 'King of Brabant' Western Red Cedar harmoniously integrates into various gardens, whether spacious or more modest. Its ease of maintenance, once acclimated, makes it a preferred choice for gardeners looking for simple and practical solutions to enhance their outdoor space. The foliage of this plant brings a touch of dense and vibrant greenery throughout the year, a beautiful backdrop for compositions of perennials and flowering shrubs. Its texture and colour blend perfectly with wilder garden elements, as well as with architectural structures. It proves to be an excellent choice for creating windbreak hedges. Its graphic appearance and structural qualities make it particularly suitable for contemporary gardens. This plant can easily replace species traditionally used to structure the garden, such as trimmed boxwood or holly, allowing for playing with volumes and shades of green to create visually captivating compositions.