Thuja occidentalis Smaragd - Canadian Arborvitae

The Thuja occidentalis 'Smaragd' is a small coniferous bush-shaped plant, covered in fine-textured foliage of a beautiful emerald green colour. Its rather slow growth, small size, and neat appearance allow for many uses, in a hedge, as a standalone plant, in a bed with perennials or bushes, or even in a large pot on the terrace. It is a very hardy conifer, not fussy about the nature of the soil, whose cultivation presents no difficulty in well-drained but rather moist soil, in a sunny exposure.

The Thuja occidentalis, the Canadian cedar 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 diversity of its living conditions. In nature, it reaches a height of 15 to 20m (65.6ft), adopting a beautiful conical habit, and a trunk covered with a very decorative bark. It is a perfectly hardy species, very well adapted to temperate climates and poor, moist, or occasionally dry soils. Its almost rot-resistant wood, light, fragrant, and easily flammable, lends itself to many uses. 

 The variety 'Smaragd', which is translated as 'Emerald', is distinguished by its small size, narrow cone-shaped habit, and intense green, fine foliage. Its growth is quite slow, so it will reach an average height of 4m (13.1ft) and a spread of 2m (6.6ft) at maturity, after many years. Its growth is about 3cm (11.8in) per year after the two or three years necessary for its establishment. This conifer has particularly fine foliage, almost feathery, aromatic when crushed, made up of flattened twigs arranged in planes, and covered with scale-like leaves 3 to 5 mm in length. Imbricated with each other, the leaves give the twigs a flat appearance. The foliage is a light and vibrant green from spring to summer, then it takes on more yellow to orange shades in autumn and winter. The decorative, slender cones which are green then brown at maturity, 8 to 12mm (0.5in) long and 4 to 5mm (0.2in) wide, are formed from 4 or 5 scales.

The Emerald Cedar will find its place in a small garden, in a large rockery, grouped in a small natural screen, or planted in groups of three near an entrance. It can also be installed in a beautiful container on the terrace or balcony. It goes well with more loose bushes, large stones, geometric lines of swimming pools or buildings, and walls. It can be grouped with complementary grasses or prostrate dwarf conifers (Juniperus horizontalis Blue Chip), rounded (Picea abies Little Gem), or even the indestructible Microbiota decussata whose autumn colour matches. The real architectural qualities of conifers naturally impose themselves in the design of a contemporary garden, which prefers the aesthetics of shapes, silhouettes, and textures to flowers. These perennial plants with reassuring permanence durably structure a bed, mark the pathways or border the terrace, easily replacing the strong presence of trimmed boxwood or holly. The key is to play with volumes and colours.