Thuja western: the best varieties, tips for planting and care

Coniferous plantations are very popular both in the design of private estates and city parks. Among the numerous variety of such trees, western thuja deserves special attention. This evergreen and tall plant will become an original decoration of any landscape design, if properly planted and cared for.

Thuja western is a massive shrub with an elongated crown shaped like a narrow pyramid. It belongs to evergreen crops. Thuja bark can have a gray-brown or reddish tint. A plant native to North America, today there are more than 150 specieswhich are successfully grown all over the world. The height of the thuja depends on its varietal characteristics. So, for example, in dwarf species, it can be up to 2-3 meters, and in tall ones - up to 20 or more.

The root system of the tree is small, it usually does not exceed 1/5 of the trunk length. As for the needles, in this type of thuja it is small, angiosperm and reaches a length of 4 mm. As the needles cover the branches, overlapping each other, an interesting scale effect is created. The needles live, as a rule, for several seasons, then fall off, while not one scale crumbles, but the entire section of the branch. The needles look especially gorgeous in winter, when they acquire a variegated and bright color, while in summer they are light green.

Western thuja blooms in the form of small cones typical for conifers, which contain only two seeds. They are not decorative, which is why many gardeners dislike them.

Thuja western, depending on the type of crown, can be columnar (high, as close as possible to cypresses) and spherical (in the form of a hemisphere). The main feature of the culture is that it has a high frost resistance and, even without winter shelter, successfully withstands temperatures down to -40 degrees. In addition, the main advantages of this type of thuja include:

• the ability to design beautiful and unusual "hedges" anywhere in the backyard;
• quick adaptation to cold weather, which allows the culture to painlessly cope with wintering;
• ease of care and no need for frequent pruning;
• reliable protection of the summer cottage area from wind and smoke with dust;
• high resistance to insects and diseases.

Thuja western today has many different subspecies and may differ not only in the shape of the crown, but also in the color of the foliage, growth and frost resistance. So, for example, there are ornamental shrubs with a cone-shaped and round shape, with light and dark green foliage, full-grown (from 5 m) and small (less than 3 m), adapted for cultivation in the southern regions and the middle zone of the country. Popular frost-resistant varieties include the following.

• Danica. This short shrub reaches a length of only 60 cm. Tui are characterized by frost resistance (ideal for planting in the third climatic zone), but they grow slowly.

• Globosa. Shrubs of this variety have the shape of a sphere and grow in height only up to 2 meters.

• Golden Tuffet. Globular semi-dwarf thuja, which is resistant to harsh climatic conditions. The plant, even with proper care, grows and develops rather slowly.

• "Wagneri". A beautiful tree with a narrow-conical shape and growth up to 3.5 m.If it is provided with abundant watering and timely fertilization, it will grow quickly.

• "Smaragd Variegata". This thuja is characterized by moderate frost resistance and slow growth. This variety is not recommended to be grown in the Urals and Siberia.

• Brabant. It is a tall columnar shrub, which usually reaches a height of 4.5 m. The main feature of this variety is the malachite color of the needles, in winter it changes to brown. This is a fast-growing plant that can lengthen by 0.3 m per year.

Many designers, when decorating personal plots, also prefer the following varieties of western thuja.

• Little Giant. This evergreen mini-shrub is characterized by a compacted spherical crown, reaching a height of 0.8 m and a width of no more than 0.4 m. During the period of active growth of the bush, the needles acquire a contrasting green color, which begins to change to bronze closer to winter. The culture grows too slowly, its shoots are frequent and dense. Such thuja are perfect for landscaping in an oriental style.

• Maloniana. It is one of the varieties of columnar thuja. The tree grows quickly, its branches are covered with deep green needles. Unlike the above varieties, "Maloniana" is a slender and tall plant that usually grows up to 10 m and has a diameter of up to 3 m. The branches of the culture are powerful and short, they are closely spaced to each other, and slightly branch at the ends.

• "Amber". Refers to new varieties, which are characterized by a bright yellow color of the needles, which changes to an amber hue in winter. Thuja of this variety can grow up to 3.5 m. It has a conical crown, regular and dense. The plant takes root well in urban environments.

• "Kuban Emerald". It is a slender tree with a pyramidal crown that has a dense structure. Like all representatives of the thuja genus, "Kuban Emerald" has a pleasant aroma and contains many useful essential oils. She is not whimsical in cultivation and quickly adapts to any climatic conditions.

• "Europe Gold". Thuja of this variety is distinguished by densely spaced vertical short shoots. Its annual growth is up to 10 cm in height and up to 5 cm in width. The main feature of this thuja is that it has thick and delicate needles that do not change color throughout the year. The plant loves well-lit areas and abundant watering.

They have proven themselves well with decorative data, unpretentiousness and frost resistance. such varieties as "Mickey", "Tiny team", "Miriam", "Rekurva Nana", "Degrut Spire", "Filiformis", "Little Champion"... They do not need pruning; if desired, the shrubs can be given their original shape. In addition, the thuja of the above varieties are less susceptible to various diseases.

The western thuja can be planted in open soil any month of the year, from early spring to late autumn. But experts recommend giving preference to the period from late April to mid-August, when its root system is strengthened. Before proceeding with the direct planting of seedlings, you need to choose the right site, it must be protected from strong winds. Places located in partial shade are well suited for thujas, so they will be isolated from the negative effects of direct sunlight.

In addition, it is not recommended to plant thuja of this type in places where water from melted snow, rain constantly accumulates, or groundwater passes nearby. The plant adapts well to light and moderately moist soil, but on dry and clayey soil, the needles will quickly turn yellow and dry. Coniferous shrubs should not be planted next to massive fruit trees, since they will not be able to receive the required amount of nutrients from the soil.

In the event that it is planned to create a "hedge" in one row, then it is advisable to make the distance between the seedlings in 1 m, with a two-row planting, a distance of 2 m is observed, and a distance of up to 5 m is allowed between thujas of overall varieties. The holes for planting are made shallow (70-80 cm). This size is enough for the root collar outside to be slightly sprinkled with soil, but not buried. Before placing the seedling in the planting hole, experienced gardeners recommend adding the following mixture to it:

• 1 part of peat and river sand;
• 2 parts of turf or a choice of leafy land;
• 3 parts cow humus;
• up to 100 g of nitroammofoska.

After the hole is covered with the prepared mixture, the seedling itself is planted. It is poured abundantly with water, even if it rains. This is necessary in order for the earth to compact well. In the dry season, planted thuja should be watered regularly every 3-4 days, consuming 20 liters of water per tree. To retain moisture in the soil, cover the trunk circles with peat, dry wood chips, painted pebbles or small bark. In the fall, the mulch should be replaced with spruce branches, this will reduce the risk of mice.

At the same time, there is the possibility of reproduction by seeds, but this is not practiced for all varieties. So, for example, the Danika variety can only be propagated by cuttings. "Malonyana" and "Vareana" in this case perfectly retain all varietal characteristics. Planting with cuttings is very quick and easy, even a novice gardener can handle it. To do this, you should first cut off the branches and root them (it is best to do this in November, if the autumn is not early, or in December, if it is protracted).

The cuttings are rooted in a room greenhouse, where the air temperature is from +22 to +24 degrees, the humidity of the earth should be high. If it is not possible to root the branches in the greenhouse, they can be placed in a zip bag and hung on the window. As soon as the first roots appear, you can start planting them directly in the open field. After that, the cutting should be watered abundantly and carefully prepared for wintering, insulated with protective material.

Like all ornamental crops, western thuja is demanding in care, especially for the very first times after planting it on open ground.

Watering young shrubs should be done in the morning or in the evening, this will allow the rhizomes to fully saturate with moisture before the onset of heat. For several years after planting the thujas, fertilization is not required, since they received all the necessary trace elements at the time of planting. Then decorative plantings need to be fed with special elements intended for conifers.

Loosening of the soil is also important in the care of this type of thuja., which is mainly carried out to improve aeration of the surface between planted plants and near-stem areas. The soil is loosened after rain or watering, as well as when fertilizing plants. To do this, the soil is loosened to a depth of 10 cm, it is not necessary deeper, since the thuja have a well-developed surface root system. After loosening, the soil around the trunk must be mulched with pine nut shells, peat, bark, pouring a layer of 7 cm.Thanks to this, in summer, the roots of the plant will be protected from drying out, and in winter from rapid freezing. Mulching also prevents weeds from growing.

The first 2-3 years of thuja must be protected from the scorching rays of the sun, for this they are covered with an awning and sprinkling is carried out. Pruning is also considered important, which is subdivided into sanitary and corrective. The first type of pruning is usually done in early April and involves removing diseased, dry and yellowed branches. Thanks to this procedure, air circulation in the crown improves and the development of diseases is prevented. As for decorative pruning, it is necessary to correct the growth of thuja and form its original shape.

To prevent this, a special strapping of the trunks will help, which is carried out using a soft material (nylon tights are perfect for this - they do not rot). At the same time, it is important to pay attention to the fact that the crown is not very tightly tied, otherwise the needles from the inside will begin to flutter. Small seedlings (up to 1.5 m high) are not recommended to be tied, they are best protected with a hut made of white lutasin, burlap and ordinary slats.

Despite the fact that western thuja is highly resistant to diseases and damage by insects, there are still cases when the needles begin to turn yellow and fall off. The main reason for this is the thuja aphid, which settles in the branches of the plant and actively reproduces. These pests are grayish in color and have a silvery waxy coating. As a rule, aphids settle on the lower part of young shoots and damage them. You can save yourself from it by spraying with Karbofos.

The speckled moth can also spoil the decorative appearance of the shrub. It is a small butterfly up to 4 mm in size, which flies out in early summer. The appearance of this parasite on the thuja can be seen from the brown tops and dying tops of the shoots. If you look at the damaged needles in the light, you can see the gnawed holes. To prevent the appearance of moth moths, shrubs need to be periodically treated with drugs that include pyrethroids. This is done at the end of July in two stages, observing an interval of one week.

The false shield is also considered a dangerous insect for the western thuja. Adult parasites are up to 3 mm in size and are colored yellow-brown. At the same time, not only adult parasites do great harm to thujas, but also their larvae, hibernating under the bark of the processes. They are most often populated where shrubs are planted in the form of a "hedge". To get rid of insects forever, you need to spray the plants with special preparations. ("Actellic", "Karbofos"). Processing, as a rule, is carried out during the mass appearance of larvae (this is observed before budding on deciduous trees).

The click beetle, which feeds only on rhizomes, deserves special attention. When this insect appears, the growth and development of the shrub is weakened, the needles and branches separately begin to fall off. Beetles of dark brown color, reaching a size of 13 mm, can settle en masse on thuja. These pests have one feature - when overturning on their backs, they easily turn over and, standing on their paws, emit a characteristic sound in the form of a click. The insect larvae are light brown in color and gnaw mainly on the thin roots of the plant.

Since the click beetle often settles in areas with acidic soil and high humidity, such places for planting thuja should be avoided. If on the site it is not possible to pick up another territory, then deoxidation and drainage of the land will help prevent the appearance of these parasites. In addition, in the fall, it is imperative to dig in the area and, if a large number of beetles are found, to introduce diazonin-based preparations into the ground.

Western thuja can also be affected by the following diseases.

• Phytophthora. It is a fungal infection of the plant, which is considered the most dangerous. First of all, the root system of the shrub is affected, then the destruction of the upper layer of the needles occurs. As a result, the crown begins to acquire a gray color, the trunk below becomes soft and the tree withers. A change in the color of the tissue occurs under the bark. A specific plaque appears at the bottom of the trunk and smells like rot from the root.

  A similar disease usually appears in those places where the soil is not drained and moisture constantly stagnates on it.

• Brown shoots. A similar manifestation is usually observed in early spring. On the branches of an ornamental plant, yellow scales begin to be observed. If you do not take any measures, then the shoots will first turn brown, then die off. Thuja are treated in this case by cutting out the affected shoots, then they are fed with fertilizers and covered with limestone, and from mid-summer to the end of September, the shrubs are treated with Fundazol.

  It should be noted that a change in the color of the tops on the shrub can be caused not only by disease, but also by a violation of the access of the roots to the receipt of nutrients. In such situations, it is necessary to pour the Fundazol solution under the root, you can also spray the crown with it. Periodic treatment with "Zircon" will help to correct the situation, which will increase the plant's resistance to fungal diseases.

• Root lock. This is observed in areas with stagnant moisture or near groundwater. A similar fungal infection is manifested by darkening of the needles and its subsequent fall. Infection occurs in the spring, but the spread of the fungus is observed all year round. Young thuja are most often affected. For prevention, it is recommended to cut and burn diseased branches. This will prevent the spread of the disease to other conifers.

  In addition, the affected plants should be treated with medicinal preparations; Hom powder is well suited for this. It is bred in water and sprayed on all plants, starting in May and continuing until the end of summer.

Additionally, they also destroy the infection in the soil itself, for this it is spilled with "Fundazol". Affected plants can also be sprayed with Topsin-M (15 g of the drug is diluted in 10 liters of water, which is enough to process one shrub).

For what novice gardeners need to know about the western thuja, see the next video.