If you need a strong, fast-growing tree for year-round color and privacy, the Thuja Green Giant—also called Green Giant Arborvitae—is a perfect choice. This hardy evergreen forms a lush, natural barrier in just a few years.
Check out our guide to learn everything about Thuja Green Giant trees, including their appearance, lifespan, and the best growing zones.
Thuja Green Giants at a Glance
- Rapid growth to up to 60 feet – This tree grows 3 to 5 feet per year, reaching a mature height of 40 to 60 feet. It’s a great choice for quickly creating privacy hedges, windbreaks, or natural barriers.
- Green year-round – Thuja Green Giant keeps its rich green color in every season, unlike deciduous trees that shed their leaves. Its dense foliage provides consistent beauty and coverage, even in winter.
- Low-maintenance – Once established, this tree requires little upkeep. It adapts well to different soil types, needs only occasional watering, and grows well without frequent care, making it a great option for homeowners who want an easy-to-manage landscape.
- Tolerant of insects, disease, and adverse weather conditions – Naturally resistant to most pests and diseases, this tree requires minimal treatment to stay healthy. It also withstands strong winds, heat, humidity, and mild drought, making it a hardy choice for various climates.
- No need to prune – Thuja Green Giant naturally grows in an attractive, uniform shape, so it doesn’t require regular trimming. While optional pruning can refine its look, it will maintain its structure without shaping.
- Salt-sensitive – This tree does not tolerate high salt levels in the soil or air, making it less suitable for coastal areas or locations with heavy road salt use in winter. If planted near roads, using protective barriers can help reduce salt exposure.
Appearance
The Thuja Green Giant is aptly named. These trees can grow up to 3 feet per year until maturity in ideal growing conditions. Their ultimate height is 50–60 feet tall and their width can be up to 12–20 feet. Thuja Green Giants grow in a uniform, columnar shape, without homeowners having to worry about pruning or shearing.
Thuja Green Giants are large, dense, and pyramidal with a rich green hue in spring and summer and a darker, bronzer shade in winter. Their tiny, glossy, scale-like leaves are packed tightly together and overlap, creating a fan of foliage.
Thuja Green Giant Characteristics
Thuja Giant Trees can either be planted as “specimen” trees—as individual plants to accent a yard—or in clusters to create a dense hedge. You can plant one every 5–6 feet to create a natural fence, shielding you from neighbors, busy streets, or unsightly views. Another option is two staggered rows of trees spaced 10 feet apart to help reduce noise. This large, living privacy screen can also act as a wind-break.
| Characteristics | Details |
|---|---|
|
Appearance |
Pyramidal with glossy, scale-like leaves |
|
Height |
50–60 feet tall, 12–20 feet wide |
|
Hardiness Zones |
5–9 |
|
Type of tree |
Evergreen |
|
Sunlight requirements |
Full sun to partial shade, minimum of four hours of direct sunlight per day |
|
Soil composition |
Acidic or alkaline, heavy clay or sandy |
|
Lifespan |
Up to 40 years |
Ideal Hardiness Zones
USDA Hardiness Zones indicate the areas where plants thrive. There are 11 Zones total, and each growing Zone is 10 degrees Fahrenheit colder or warmer each winter than the adjacent one. These tools can help gardeners decide the best plants for their area.
Thuja Green Giants thrive in Hardiness Zones 5–9, predominantly in the Southeastern states. Within that area, they perform best in Hardiness Zones 6–8. In the image below, these are the zones that are between light green and light yellow.
How to Plant a Thuja Green Giant Tree
The best time to plant Thuja Green Giants is spring or fall, when the weather is cool but not cold. That way, the trees can grow roots before the cold of winter or heat of summer, which can cause stress and hinder growth. To plant your Thuja Green Giant, follow this process:
- Start by removing any weeds or turfgrass and clearing debris.
- Loosen the soil with a spade. When you’re ready to dig the hole, be careful not to dig too deep—that can cause the soil beneath the tree to settle after you water, making your tree sink. You want the hole to be twice as wide as the root ball of the tree, but only as deep as the root ball’s height.
- Remove the root ball from the container and tease it apart before setting it upright in the hole.
- Backfill the hole, and lightly tamp the soil to firm it up.
- Give the area about 1 inch of water, and apply 2–3 inches of mulch.
Growing Conditions
Before you decide whether you’d like to invest in one or several Thuja Green Giants, you should learn about the best ways to plant and grow them.
- Sun and shade: Thuja Green Giants are highly adaptable and can grow well in the spectrum from full sun to partial shade. These trees do best with a minimum of four hours of direct and unfiltered sunlight per day.
- Soil: Thuja Green Giants are not picky when it comes to soil. They can tolerate a wide variety of soils—adapting easily to heavy clay or sandy garden soils, and both alkaline and acidic soils. However, they are fairly sensitive to salt, and as such should not be planted near roads that get a lot of traffic.
- Watering: Moist soil is ideal for Thuja Green Giants, but people must be careful to not let the soil get soggy. Thuja Green Giants require deep, irregular waterings of about 1 inch per week. Consider laying a 2–3 inch layer of mulch over the soil to help retain moisture and protect the roots from temperature fluctuations.
- Lifespan: On average, Thuja Green Giants live for up to 40 years in ideal growing conditions.
Tolerance
Thuja Green Giants are strong, resilient trees that resist many common problems, including pests like bagworms. They can withstand drought, disease, and fungal infections, making them a low-maintenance choice for homeowners. These trees also tolerate harsh weather conditions, including extreme heat, humidity, strong winds, ice, and snow, allowing them to thrive in a variety of climates.
FAQ About Thuja Green Giant Trees
Do Thuja Green Giants turn brown in winter?
No, these evergreens stay green year-round, but do take on a deeper, bronzer hue in the winter.
Are Thuja Green Giant roots invasive?
Thuja Green Giant roots are not known to be invasive or aggressive.
Can Thuja Green Giants grow in shade?
Thuja Green Giants can grow in a range from full sun to partial shade. They need at least four hours of direct, unfiltered sunlight per day.
Do Thuja Green Giant trees attract wildlife?
Thuja Green Giants have been known to attract deer, although not as much as other evergreens. If you live in a rural area, you might want to consider putting up temporary deer fencing until the trees have time to grow over 8 feet. Additionally, birds may nest in them in the spring and summer and feed on the seeds and foliage.
How does caring for a Thuja Green Giant differ from other trees?
Caring for a Thuja Green Giant is easier than many other trees because it grows quickly, requires little pruning, resists pests and disease, and thrives in various climates with minimal maintenance. Learn more on our other tree guide pages: