Thuja, Arborvitae 'Highlights™'

Highlights™ Arborvitae | Thuja occidentalis 'Janed Gold'

Height:  20 feet

Spread:  5 feet

Sunlight: full sun to part shade

Hardiness Zone:  3a

Other Names:  Eastern White Cedar, Janed Gold, Jantar

Description:

A tightly pyramidal evergreen for home landscape use, featuring yellow juvenile foliage that turns gold in winter; excellent for vertical emphasis, hardy and adaptable, takes pruning well; best with some sun, protect from drying winds

Ornamental Features

Highlights™ Arborvitae is primarily valued in the landscape for its distinctively pyramidal habit of growth. It has yellow evergreen foliage. The scale-like sprays of foliage turn gold in the fall, which persists throughout the winter.

Landscape Attributes

Highlights™ Arborvitae is a dense multi-stemmed evergreen tree with a distinctive and refined pyramidal form. Its relatively fine texture sets it apart from other landscape plants with less refined foliage.

This is a relatively low maintenance tree. When pruning is necessary, it is recommended to only trim back the new growth of the current season, other than to remove any dieback. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Highlights™ Arborvitae is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Shade
• Vertical Accent
• Hedges/Screening

Planting & Growing

Highlights™ Arborvitae will grow to be about 20 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 5 feet. It has a low canopy with a typical clearance of 1 foot from the ground, and is suitable for planting under power lines. It grows at a slow rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 50 years or more.

This tree does best in full sun to partial shade. It prefers to grow in average to moist conditions, and shouldn't be allowed to dry out. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution, and will benefit from being planted in a relatively sheltered location. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone in winter to protect it in exposed locations or colder microclimates. This is a selection of a native North American species.