My wife and I just watched this video twice. We were amazed how well informed the host was on this subject. She should use that very informative gift of explaining things in teaching or communications. Thank you for posting this.
Thank you! 😊 And I'm happy to encourage gardeners to include more evergreens and conifers in general into their gardens! Otherwise come the Winter (dormant) season, there's nothing!
@Garden Sanity Yes, there's so many beautiful varieties of all shapes, colours and sizes. Also, one big bonus is incredibly fresh and pleasant fragrance that every garden full of conifers have, it reminds me of Greek seaside overladen with pines and cupressus...
@@invinciblecucumber That's a great point about the fresh and pleasant fragrances! And this year, one of our large Cedar trees is covered in beautiful blue berries that the birds are enjoying daily! There are so many berries it looks like the tree is sparkling! 🌲😃
Wow Laura it looks amazing!!!! I really love that look! You have such a good eye for pairing plants! I love the fact you say birds make nests because this year I am turning part of the backyard into a conifer garden for the birds to have shelter and so I can see green in the winter as well. Thank you for sharing this gorgeous view!! 🌷🌷🌷
Thanks Chris! ☺️ I love how many different birds we have now: cardinals, yellow finches, robins, little wrens, house wrens, hummingbirds, bluejays, and a pair of mourning doves that waddle around everywhere together in our front and back yards like an old married couple! (I especially love watching this couple take a leisurely waddle through the garden beds, pausing here and there.) ❤️ When these birds choose our yard to make their nests, I’m so happy because I feel we’ve created a green space for them to enjoy! I love your idea to create a conifer garden! 🌲💚🐦
@@GardenSanity yes!!!! And if you put a little bird bath, the robins will crack you up because they sure bathe in there and splash everywhere!!! I’m going to send you a video in a couple of minutes so you can have a laugh 😂😂
I was just looking at bird baths today! 🐦 The only thing is I’ll need to add a fountain because in still water, mosquitoes (the New Jersey state bird) will breed like crazy. 😳
I have one Emerald Green Arborvitae that I planted back around 2015 about 3.5' tall now is at least 13' tall with no maintenance except for occasional spring fertilizing and some watering during dry summers. Looks great placed at the corner of our house. Here in PA zone 6b, I personally prefer using pine bark for amending our clay soil, this is found at our local Lowe's sold as 'pine bark mulch' (not pellets) as our winters are wet and this helps with drainage then we add a little compost. I make sure to remove the larger pieces of bark as you add it to the soil. Using them by the fence was a great choice!
Hi Carl, I love pine bark mulch! 👍 I have that same mulch in my backyard garden beds and agree it does help with drainage! It took me awhile to get used to the Fall leaves sticking in the bark pieces - harder to clean up - but that quickly became a minor inconvenience. 🙂 Plus it looks really nice!
Great information on these trees. One thing that is really neat about them is the shelter they provide for the birds. Your Prairifire Crabapple Tree is gorgeous. I will be looking for one of these come Spring.
Glad you liked the video! I completely agree with you about the shelter for birds! I have enjoyed watching purple finches set up homes in our arborvitaes - the much older ones we have. It's what I call an "apartment complex" because there are so many of them that go in and out of all the arborvitaes at the same time! I'm looking forward to when this begins happening with these younger trees we planted. Did you find a Prairifire Crabapple this year? I hope so - it's a wonderful tree that birds also enjoy.
I love arborvitaes! Easy to grow if you’re in the right zone. I do think you’ve planted yours too close together. While it looks great when they are small, it will look not so much once full grown like the other wall you have. Plus, they will share the same diseases or issues being so compact. They will grow better with a little more air and sun to circulate between them. Also too close to the fence for the roots. But arborvitaes are hearty and will grow anywhere if established properly. Beautiful!
Thanks so much for your feedback! 👍 These newest arborvitaes are planted three feet away from the fence and three feet apart from each other. This is actually the same spacing we used for our other sections of arborvitaes in the backyard as well as in one of the front yard garden beds -- so far so good, as the mature arborvitaes do look full grown like you observed. 🤞 And yes, it's always in the back of my mind that if one arborvitae gets a disease, it might impact the entire row. I admit I'm taking my chances, but since there are no trees planted above them plus it is a windy "corridor" up that side of the yard -- I'm hoping they will be fine. (Hope isn't always the smartest, but that's what I'm going with!) I appreciate your concern! 😃 🌲
Thank you Tamara! ☺️ I love that you think my garden is welcoming, as that’s such a wonderful compliment to receive! And so, it sounds like your garden is welcoming as well! The best kind of gardens! 😀❤️
We have a younger (3 years old) arb wall & our biggest frustration has been rabbits. Even wrapping them in burlap--rabbits will chew right through it. We had to replace 2 arbs last spring because of them, so now we reinforce with chicken wire!
You're so right Minne -- rabbits love Arborvitaes, as do deer. Usually burlap is enough to deter them, but sounds like you have had some hungry rabbits. I'm sorry that happened, but I'm glad chicken wire is working!
@@GardenSanity You live & learn, right! In the winter here in zone 4b, we get so much snow that often these critters are not able to find food. This past winter was especially bad & most of the shrubs in our neighborhood were ravaged, but not ours--because of videos like yours--so informative! So thank you!
@@JaxBachtle That was us two years ago: so much snow that I think those rabbits were very hungry, plus it seemed like there were many more of them compared to what I'm seeing now. Glad to help, and hopefully they can find other food to munch on! At least that's what I'm hoping. 🤞Meanwhile I just thwarted an attempted nest being made in my low-growing juniper surrounded by daffodils they don't like. 🙂🙃
Hey there, Laura! 👋🏻 My hubby and I have been working on a big garden project ourselves this spring so I’m just now getting caught up on ur recent videos! I think ur project turned out beautifully!! 😍 I’m sure getting this done was a huge weight off ur shoulders, and I can tell ur very happy with the outcome! 😊 My hubby and I decided to build a rose arbor over our front pathway inspired by the David Austin rose gardens in the UK (well, I decided and telling me no wasn’t an option if I’m being honest lol 🤣). Here in west Tx, zone 8a, we have very rocky, sandy soil (imagine desert soil) so digging 18 inches deep for each timber (10 total - 5 on each side) was a FEAT. We also get VERY high winds here so everything has to be concreted in after digging down 18 inches. My hubby dug the holes for the timbers and concreted them in while my job was staining the timbers and planting 10 David Austin climbing roses. It took us almost two months to get it done completely, and we have dragged our dead butts to bed many many nights lol. I did indeed dig all the holes for my climbers, but it was a HUGE effort for me bc I ran into roots that were as big around as my arm (no joke 😳) from diseased trees we took down last summer. I worked on two roots that took me 4 hours each chiseling them out bc I’m not strong enough to lift my hubby’s root breaker. I was determined that I would not ask for help bc I’d agreed to dig the holes for my climbers so while I did complete the task, it took me DAYS to recover lol! Everything is done and all the roses have begun to leaf out, and I’m thrilled! As for planting trees in the spring vs fall, I’ve found (at least here in the HOT desert of west Tx) that planting trees in the fall works best for us so ur advice on knowing ur zone is great advice! We planted two Shumard Red Oak trees last fall to replace the diseased trees we removed (we did that ourselves too bc obviously we r crazy lol), and they sailed thru and r already leafed out. I have plans to plant two more big trees (Bloodgood Japanese Maple and undecided on the second tree) in the backyard this fall, but I’m letting my hubby recover a bit before I tell him I have more plans. Shhh 🤫 Ty as always for sharing ur vast knowledge and tips on gardening adventures! Love seeing ur videos! ❤ (P.S. the rose of Sharon’s r doing very well that u were instrumental in me getting so TYSM! 🥰)
@@CeeTee380 Hang in there, my friend! I started my gardening journey in 2020 by redoing my front flower beds completely which included removing some diseased shrubs, installing paver stones/retaining walls, installing irrigation, and planting roses. In 2021, I decided to try my hand at growing some food, and we started clearing out some flower beds in the backyard for yet more roses. In 2022, I created a brand new flower bed on the south side of the house that is 46 feet long and 5 feet wide. I also grew food in 2022, took down 2 diseased trees, planted more roses in my backyard beds, planted trees to replace the diseased trees, slowly started adding plants to the new south bed, etc. In the beginning of 2023, my hubby built me six raised beds for me to expand my fruit and vegetable growing, I installed drip irrigation in those beds, I created a quarter moon bed around the mailbox, and we installed the arbors and climbers. It’s def a journey in which u will cry, u will be so stinking proud of urself, u will be sore, u will question ur sanity, and u will smile with a lot of joy! I wish I could post pics here too although the climbers r only babies since they just got planted several weeks ago. Just don’t give up bc anything worth having takes dedication and hard work, and in the end, u’ll look back and see how far u’ve come! Also take lots of pics documenting ur journey bc when the list of things to do is long, it will get overwhelming at times, and it’s easy to forget just how much u’ve accomplished. When I feel like that, I go thru my pics and then I’m usually pleasantly surprised at how much I’ve gotten accomplished. So, hang in there bc u’ve got this! 💐💕
Hi Lori -- this rose arbor project of yours sound sooooooo beautiful! Congratulations on getting it done! And of course there had to be huge roots to wrestle with, right? We can't ever have anything be easy. 😋 You both are smart to put everything in concrete! We had to have hurricane bolts put on our pergola and have it inspected by the town for approval to make sure it stays put. (And of course my joke is that if the next hurricane takes our house away, the pergola will still be standing in place.) 🤣I also know the feeling of trying to do it yourself without asking for hubby's help, especially if he is already working on another part of the same project. Been there and done that many times! 😂 (If they only knew!) I hope your major projects are done for now, as I see that the temps in Texas are very hot. Again, thanks for sharing your amazing project -- and I look forward to hearing how stunning the roses are when they are climbing and blooming! ❤
@@CeeTee380 Lori gave you great encouragement and advice -- especially the emotions you will go through from joy to crying to happiness to frustration and back again! And taking photos is the best to do from the very beginning because some day you'll look back on those dense thickets you describe and you'll smile as you remember what it was like to remove all of that -- and what an accomplishment it was. If I have anything to add, it is to go slowly. Lori mentioned many projects she's done, but doing them one at a time is what helps. Or, tackle a few projects at the same time, doing a bit on each one as time allows. Everything will take twice as long as you think it will. But, when you get to the part where you can put the plants in -- and then they settle in and begin blooming wonderfully -- oh the pure joy you'll feel! Also -- perennials and shrubs take some time to mature and bloom their hearts out. The first year they creep....(develop roots)...the second year they creep (begin showing new growth above ground with some flowers)...and the third year they burst forth gorgeously in full bloom -- more or less! I hope you'll stick around here because I'm all about keeping our sanity while gardening! ❤
We have "set backs" Ordinances here in Colorado. This looks sooo pretty. But my Neighbors would come unglued if I planted Hedge or Bushes inches from the Fence.
So glad we don't have those ordinances for trees and shrubs here, but I totally understand! 🙂 In this neighborhood, I think all the homeowners like covering up some of the white vinyl fencing with greenery, and being able to go "above" the 6-foot-high fencing is a plus! 🌲🌲🌲
As always you do such a great job explaining all! We have emerald greens arbs too (smaragd I believe they are also named right?) they have done really well for us! BTW, I think you've convinced me NOT to use landscape fabric on my little seated patio... I think I wanted to not deal w/ weeds but I've had fabric a while back and it really does become more of a nightmare (than weeds!-- 🤣 how can that be!?)
Thanks Alexandra! ☺️ Yes, you’re right about the other name. 👍 Oh I hope you don’t use landscape fabric, as the weeds are the worst. Years ago, I removed all the rock and landscape fabric from just one section around our patio. The amount of weeds growing through the fabric was crazy to see, and explained why new weeds were always popping up - I never could pull those darn roots out. Ever since? There are just a few weeds that are easily pulled out! 😀 So now, removing the fabric is an ongoing project. 🥵 How fun to plan a patio! ❤️
Nice job Laura. 💯 agree fences make nice neighbors. 😊👩🏾🌾👍🏾💕. How tall do the Prairie Fire Crabapple trees get? Do you remember the growing zone. Yours is really pretty with that backdrop.
Thanks Renee - and glad you agree about fences! 😀❤️🌲 The Prairifire can grow up to 20 feet tall, and is hardy in zones 3 - 8. We didn’t have as good a bloom this year due to the weather, but if you watch my May flowers garden tour from last year, you can see the tree in perfect, gorgeous color!
🤣 I have no idea where I picked that up from - saying "twenty oh nine" instead of 2009 - but I always say it for the 2000 years. It's funny to think about it, since you pointed it out! 😂
I really enjoyed your informative video!! I'm planting Evergreens this Fall and I'm trying to educate myself about planting and care. I was wondering if your stone edging is real or faux? If faux, where did you purchase them? They look great!! Thank you so much!!😊
Hi Kerri! So glad you enjoyed my video and I hope it was helpful. The stone around the Arborvitaes is river rock and it's real. 😀 We purchased the stone via different landscapers in bulk, over time, as we planted each section of our backyard perimeter. The stone edging is also real, and also was put in by a landscaper years ago that we hired. Enjoy your (soon to be) new Evergreens! 🌲
This is so helpful and informative! One question, did you do anything to manage the "multiple leaders" that develop on the Green Emerald's? Yours turned out so beautifully. We just planted a very similar looking row in a rock bed in front of a white vinyl fence but I noticed that some of them do have the 2nd leader. They are about 6' high and I am wondering if we should prune them or let them be. Thank you!
Hi Stephanie! I always let those multiple leaders remain. As the trees grow up and out (and into each other), these leaders do just fine and don't compete with each other. I hope your Arborvitaes did well this Summer, despite the brutal temps so many of us experienced! 🌲🌲🌲
The best advice for using soaker hoses is to try out a setting and then wait to see how your tree responds. It is impossible to know ahead of time if your plants are receiving too much or too little water from a soaker hose. It literally is a period of trial and error until you find the best setting or length of time for how much water to use. (And this is the same advice even if using a regular hose to hand water them or using a sprinkler system.) Yes, it can be confusing, but don't lose hope as it just takes time to get to know your new shrubs and plants as well as your garden's specific growing conditions. 🙂
Great video. We are in Zone 6 of Michigan and had 20 6ft emerald greens planted in July when it was hot. 😮. We had a soaker line installed and watered our new sod and trees 2x/daily as instructed. They looked lush and green for the 1st month but then started getting brown branches. They appear to have new growth on them but now the insides are turning brown with spotty patches showing on the outside. We are freaking out thinking our large investment is going to completely die and our landscaper keeps brushing us off now telling us the trees are just stressed out a little and will be fine by next spring. We have these trees all around our neighborhood- all lush, thick and green with no sign of problems! Any advice you could give us?
Hi Susan! First off, apologies for my delay in responding to your question. Your landscaper was partly correct, in that yes certain trees and shrubs can show signs of stress after being planted, some more than others. However, when planting in the heat of the Summer, this stress can be magnified especially if there isn't enough water being provided. Even with soaker hoses - which is a smart idea - these trees might need more water as they begin to settle in, have their roots start growing beyond the root ball, and so on. How are they looking this year? Let me know!
Thanks Helen! ☺️ Our property wasn’t graded properly, so nothing drained away, it always stayed moist. Mowing the lawn would often result in a shoe getting stuck in muddy grass, and we couldn’t even walk on either side of our house because it was so swampy. So we hated that aspect. After a few years here, we began to realize we wanted more gardens instead of lawn. We had the grass removed first and everything regraded in the front yard, thinking we’d keep grass in the back. But once we had the garden beds installed in the front, we decided to add gravel to the backyard, where I’m slowly adding new garden beds as the budget allows. 🙂👍 We love it because now we have outdoor space we can use (and walk on 🤣) and enjoy! Plus we have so many interesting birds that have made their homes in our trees. I know many people enjoy having a green lawn, but it just wasn’t for us. 🌲🌳🐦🦋🌸😀❤️
I just planted arbor vitae this past fall in south Jersey. Some of them are a little yellow towards the tips, but the interiors are still vibrant green. Hoping once spring comes around they’ll bounce back. Thinking it may be a water issue.
Glad you enjoyed the video Erin! Planting at least 3 feet away from the fence is best. The fully mature Arborvitaes I showed in the video are also planted the same way as these newly planted ones (3 feet from the fence) and as you can see those have grown just fine. All of our Arborvitaes are also planted 3 feet apart from each other, as these will grow into each other over time - again, as I showed with the fully mature trees. I hope this helps!
Hi!!! I so wanna do this for our back fence which is about 14 ft - how much did you guys spend on the arborvitae with the stone work etc? Wondering if mulch would be a more cost effective top dress...
Hi Andrew! We had landscapers put in the stone paver edging and river rock many years ago. (And unfortunately they used landscape fabric, as I mentioned in the video, which I don't ever suggest anyone use.) These are Emerald Green Arborvitaes, and we paid slightly less per tree than one would purchase at a nursery or garden center, as they were part of the landscaping contract. While I won't share what the cost of this project was - and I hope you understand - I will share that the bulk of this project was the labor costs. It was a huge labor-intensive project. Planting the trees was the least strenuous part. 🙂 And yes, using wood mulch is a much more cost effective mulch to use around the Arborvitaes. Since we already had the river rock from years ago in that area, we decided to just keep it. In our front yard, I have mulch around those Emerald Green Arborvitaes. (You can see the front yard in other videos here on my channel.) I hope this helps!
Thank you! As for your question, I don’t have a dog so can’t help you there. I imagine you could search for an answer to this on the internet or here on TH-cam. 👍
That looks great! I’m planning to do my garden and I want to know the spacing from your fence to the stones. I am planning 2ft from my fence to the concrete and plant evergreen. Is that enough room? Thank you in advance!
I'm sorry for not replying sooner! 🙂My spacing has always been three feet from the fence and three feet spacing in between each arborvitae. The main thing you want to make sure is that they have enough air circulation around each arborvitae to best prevent any pests or disease.
Not crazy about red tip fontina anywhere near hardscape or houses. I think of it as a privacy plant along a fence line on a very large piece of property.
Yes I agree Janice, Red Tip Photinia makes a wonderful privacy plant! 👍 We love how it gives our patio privacy, and enjoy the year-round evergreen color there. And having some along our white fence (which I'm not fond of at all) really helps with privacy and providing color! Thanks for sharing! 💛
Food for thought: Consider planting other species that are intermingled with your primary screening arborvitae tree. Eventually, some of the arborvitae ( or other tree of choice) will die of bagworms or something else, so if you only plant a single row of one species, you will have major gaps later on as the dead is removed. As a result, landscape architects now design a screening border that is curved ( not straight), and include a variety of species that will grow tall. In short, a soldier straight border like this is recommended still by landscape contractors because it's cheaper and they lack the horticulture knowledge and education to do otherwise. They also don't have the time to search and find the various plant species that make the border interesting. Planting just one species means your area is even more susceptible to spreading a plant disease. On another note, a naturalistic landscape is never straight. 🥴. Btw... Since I made this mistake personally, I can speak about the wisdom in this plan. Lastly, your wooden logs or railroad ties will also rot and attract carpenter ants and termites.
Hi Topaz -- Thanks for your insights! I have several groupings of Emerald Green Arborvitaes throughout our property and they are all doing wonderfully well. If a tree ever needs to be removed, I already have a plan in place as you saw with the Red Tip Photinias, so no worries! I think many landscape contractors and companies would be offended by your comment, as the good ones have not only highly educated horticulturalists on staff but also in many cases a landscape architect as well. A fence providing separation between properties is rarely anything but straight, particularly in planned developments. I appreciate that you don't like it. The treated lumber will last for many years until the Arborvitaes are well established. I also love curved lines, which is why all of my individual garden beds are curved, to provide a nice distinction between the straight lines of the fencing that was put in prior to our moving here. Again, I appreciate your insights! 😀🌲🌲🌲
Thank you! 😊As for leaf spot -- not really. Occasionally if we have a really wet Winter, you'll see some leaf spotting on the leaves, but these are also the leaves that will usually be naturally shed in the early Springtime. These do need a good pruning, but since there's yet another robin's nest in there, I have to wait. Usually with a good pruning, they get a lot of air flow on each side which also helps prevent any fungus issues. A solution if you have this issue? Spray them periodically with Neem Oil. 👍 I hope this helps!
Looks great! Sounds expensive, but you’re saving big on chiropractic visits. 😅 I was just planting a wave a phlox and I hit another slab of buried asphalt. 🤬 Hopefully, the roots don’t need to go down more than 8 inches because I couldn’t get it out. Off topic question. Once your dappled willow cuttings grow roots in water, do you pot them up in pots with holes or without? I know they like it wet. Potting soil or garden soil?
Thanks Will, and yes the money spent was worth saving our backs and muscles and frustration if we had attempted to do that entire project by ourselves. My videos would have been a new video each time we planted another tree. 🤣 Buried asphalt does not sound like fun. As for the cuttings, pot them up with regular potting soil. (Although I’m sure garden soil is fine too, since that’s where they will eventually end up.) I used plastic pots with holes, so that the plastic would keep the moisture in - unlike terra cotta. 🪴
The title is deceiving!!!! I was 12 minutes into the video before I quite watching. I thought it was supposed to be how you CARE for the EXACT trees that my husband and I just planted in 1 day as well!! Putting a whole roll of them things in yourself is no big deal and only a couple of hours. Not sure why the in depth explanation and repeating of “hiring it out” was in a care video?? But it was not a video about caring at all… just a personal garden tour.🤷♀️ Although they were pretty and will continue the quest of searching for care videos to keep ours healthy. Thank you for your garden tour!!!
Hi there! My gardening channel is all about helping fellow gardeners, and showing how to remedy difficulties and make gardening easier. So I was quite shocked to read your comment this morning, as it came across as very angry and irritated. While I always appreciate constructive criticism, this was not constructive but was definitely critical. I sincerely hope you watch the video again with subtitles on, or the volume up. This way you will hear (or read) - starting in the introduction - where I clearly say there are 3 sections to this video, and that the "Care" section will be last. That would have enabled you to fast forward if that was all you wanted to see. You said, "Not sure why the in depth explanation . . ." Well, my channel is all about helping fellow gardeners, so learning how to amend soil and why you might need to amend soil *before* you plant anything is very helpful to learn. " . . . only a couple of hours . . ." Section One focused on why we chose landscapers instead of doing this ourselves. It was way more work than simply planting a row of Arborvitaes "in a couple of hours" as we have done numerous times ourselves - as I showed other rows we previously planted ourselves over the years in the video. The landscapers used a bulldozer to remove soil and rock and dig down several feet in a long trench before adding the soil amendments necessary to correct this sopping wet area before planting could take place. That was the bulk of the work. It was very labor-intensive and took a large team of men to accomplish this over a long day of non-stop work only breaking for lunch. If you listen to what I say in this section, I think you will better understand all of the specific improvements that were necessary before planting could even take place, and why we chose smartly not to attempt to do this ourselves. I'm hoping you just skipped over listening to all of the details, otherwise I don't think you would have written what you did. " . . . just a personal garden tour . . . " 2) The next section of the video showed what the completed project looked like. I guess you could call this a "tour" and it was only 5 minutes-ish long. " . . . I thought it was supposed to be how you CARE for the EXACT trees that my husband and I just planted . . . " 3) The final section of the video was all about the care and growing requirements for Emerald Green Arborvitaes. I mentioned at the start of the video that the "care" section would be last. You could not have watched for 12 minutes and then quit watching, because the "care" section begins at minute 11:34. 😀 I think if you watched as long as you say, once seeing the care and growing requirements section, you would have been very pleased with the thorough information I presented, judging by all of the comments I've received on this video as being helpful to viewers. In the future as you watch TH-cam videos, a helpful thing to know is that many of us have "Chapters" in our videos, that you can click on directly to get to the information you want to watch immediately. If you scroll back up to the Description Box (above these comments), you will see the Chapter links. This is a handy tool I use in 90% of my videos, to help fellow gardeners click on the information they want to see directly. 👍So you could have clicked directly on ""How to Care for your Emerald Green Arborvitae" at minute 11:34 and been quite happy with the information presented. 🌲🌲🌲 This is the longest reply I've ever written to a comment I've received here on Garden Sanity. And I could have chosen to ignore your comment. But instead, I want to make sure you get the information you were looking for, and to correct several of your statements - which I do think were the result of not fully listening (or reading subtitles that can be turned on) which would have helped you and (hopefully) prevented the anger and irritation you displayed in your comment. I wish you a much better day! ❤
Hi! We just planted 7 to create a natural border , we have heavy clay and mixed a small portion of compost in the hole but that’s it and have soaker hoses set up around them. Should we add mulch ring? Or any other tips to keep growing strong??? Thanks😊
Yes, I would add some form of mulch around your Arborvitaes. This will help prevent weeds from forming, keep moisture in the soil which Arborvitaes love, and also break down over time to condition and improve the soil. 👍 The reason we have rocks around ours is because the rocks were already there from when we had the Leyland Cypress trees, and we weren't about to throw away such a large amount of rock. However, in the case of Arborvitaes, as long as they are getting enough moisture, then having river rock around them is just fine, so that's another option if you don't want to use wood mulch. (But whichever you choose, don't use landscape fabric!) 🙃🙂The first season Arborvitaes need lots of water, sometimes more than what soaker hoses can provide. My experience is that the first year, we watered ours a lot. A lot. The second season (this year for these young trees), we only watered them a few times throughout the Summer, mainly because we had so much natural rain. Next year, I imagine they will be fine on their own, as this is a very wet area where they are planted. (And that's the good thing about clay soil, it will hold onto the moisture that Arborvitaes love, rather than letting it easily drain away and/or dry up. Once a year, add some slow-release organic fertilizer like I mentioned in the video, and that's truly it. (You can click on the Care Guide part of this video by scrolling back up to the Description Box, and clicking on that Chapter link to watch it again, if you need to.) I hope this helps!
It's not normal, no. If they are newly planted within the past year or two, it can happen from lack of water (rainfall or snow) during the Winter plus heavy Winter winds hitting them and drying out the needles and tree. That's the usual culprit if your trees are overall turning brown. Look very closely at the tree -- including inside towards the main trunk/stem -- and remove with your gloved hand some of the brown needles which should fall away easily. See if you notice any tiny green needles growing on the empty stems where the brown needles were. Or look for some tiny green needles on the inside trunk/stem itself. If you do see any green, this is a great sign that the tree is still alive and will rebound -- although it will take some time and loving care. Keep me posted!
I only planted mine a year ago, and as of. Now I can see most of my trees the needles are now turning brown and dropping slowly...is this Normal?!?! Also, when will there green recover if so, how soon?
No worries as this is a normal part of evergreens annually shedding their needles. If you scroll back up to the description area underneath the video, there is a link to a video about evergreen needles turning brown and what to do. That should put your mind at ease! 👍
You’re right Alex, I think you’re at the high end of their ability to grow well. We get high heat and humidity too, so I know I’ll be watering these new ones a lot over the next few years while they settle in. 💦🌲🙂
You're welcome! 🙂 It's not often, but sometimes Emerald Green Arborvitaes do develop tiny cones, so it's nothing to worry about. As for your arborvitae not being as lush green as you would like -- the reasons can depend upon your growing zone and climate so it is hard to give you a definitive answer. However, there are several things you can do, that I mention in the video in the section which begins at 11:34 regarding sun, water, and fertilizer. Too much shade, and arborvitaes won't be as lush. As for fertilizer, you can find a link to it above in the description area. Use a slow-release organic fertilizer once a year, sprinkling it around the drip line of the tree, then water it in well, or sprinkle it around just before it rains then you won't have to water it in -- Mother Nature will. Making sure the soil has nutrients is important as these trees become established in your landscape, as will providing enough water and sun. I hope this -- and the section of the video I mentioned -- helps! 🌲
Any split branch should be pruned off, as branch that is split open allows insects and disease to get "into" the tree. A split branch also makes it nearly impossible for any water or nutrients to get to those needles on that branch, which is why they are turning brown. I hope this helps!
Hi Adele, I can’t remember the name of the gravel, but I do know that it is no longer sold as apparently this type of stone has become too expensive since we got it back in 2014. 🤑 So, we are starting to think about what kind of “new” gravel we can add when needed, that we can easily mix in so it looks ok and matches the existing gravel. (It figures what we used has been discontinued.) 😟😀
@@GardenSanity Thanks for getting back to me. Love the gravel which I think looks like the type used in English gardens. Too bad it is no longer available. I will keep looking.
@@adelegargano3831 There’s a really nice type of gravel called pea gravel - with more rounded tiny stones - that is also lovely. That might be an option for you.
Thanks for asking! It's not uncommon to see gravel yards in coastal areas near the shore. Over time, we have been adding garden beds to this back yard! (This video didn't show the other garden beds, but I have several videos that do.) In fact, we've added 2 additional garden areas since this video was filmed. Our goal is to have a backyard filled with garden beds, and the gravel will mainly be there as the paths around the beds. 👍 Our front yard consists of 6 garden beds of varying sizes, with paver paths around the garden beds. The amount of birds and pollinators has been so welcoming, and we are so happy we got rid of our lawn 10 years ago!
Yes indeed: measured from the center of one tree to the next is 3 feet apart. In some cases it might be a few inches more or less. At least that's how it looks now as they begin to grow fuller. 😀
How far away from the fence did you plant that row of arborvitaes? Would the trees ever get too close to the fence, affecting the growth of the trees? We would like to plant a row of small emerald green arborvitaes against a PVC fence similar to what you did. The guidance we received was to plant no closer than 3 feet away from the fence.
Yes, you received great advice: planting them 3 feet away from the fence is best. 👍 The fully mature Arborvitaes I showed in the video are also planted the same way (3 feet from the fence) and as you can see those have grown just fine. All of our Arborvitaes are also planted 3 feet apart from each other, as these will grow into each other over time - again, as I showed with the fully mature trees. I hope this helps! 🌲
Hi there. I cover watering in the video above at minute 13:55. It is truly impossible for me to suggest how much water yours will need, as it depends on your existing soil, the climate, type of mulch, gardening zone, and so much more. The best I can suggest is what I shared in the video. How did your arborvitae do over the hot Summer months? 🌲
Hi there. I cover watering in the video above at minute 13:55. It is truly impossible for me to suggest how much water yours will need, as it depends on your existing soil, the climate, type of mulch, gardening zone, and so much more. The best I can suggest is what I shared in the video, not only for the Summer, but also what I shared for the Fall and Winter too. 🌲🙂
The roots of Emerald Green Arborvitaes are both deep and shallow. As smaller trees newly planted, they will be fine, however once the trees develop and mature, you will get larger roots seeking out water. I would err on the side of caution and not plant them too close to any electrical boxes or other items you're worried about. I hope this helps!
Hi Cathy, Sort of. It’s not pea gravel, but a slightly larger gravel size. The front yard is a mix of paver paths with garden beds and trees, and the side yard is stepping stones with gravel plus trees and shrubs. The backyard is mostly gravel with garden beds and I’m adding more garden beds over time to increase the green space and decrease the gravel space. 😀 (See my answer to Helen’s question here too for more details.) 👍🌲🌳🦋🐦🌸
I find the pronunciations curious. Vitae is Vee-Tay' yet with arbor your'e saying it differently. Leyland sounds like Lee'-land as in the name, and you're saying that lay-land.
It's fun to dig down into pronunciations of plants and where they originated from! 😃 In the UK, Vitae is commonly pronounced Vee-Tie...and here in the US, Vitae is commonly pronounced Vie-tee. And in different parts of the US, you will get variations as well -similar to how some gardeners say Hy-drain-ja for Hydrangea, versus other gardeners saying Hy-drann-ja. TomAto versus TomAHto! 🤣
Hi Jane, the landscapers are able to get wholesale bulk prices for soil, compost and even the trees. 👍 The amendments were in 36-pound bags bought at a local nursery - I estimated how much would be needed ahead of time. I hope that helps? 🌲🙂
@@GardenSanity Yes it does. Thank you! I love Leyland Cypress but now I'm a little scared to plant any. Maybe I'll do one and see how it fares. Happy Gardening, Laura!
@@JaneDoe-vi5yc You’re welcome! That’s actually a great idea to try on Leyland Cypress first. My experience is just mine, so please take my own sentiments with a grain of salt. Every gardener has different climates, soil, sun versus shade and so on, so you may fare much better than I did with the Leylands. And I hope you do! 💚🙂
It's the same away we planted all of our previous hedges of Arborvitaes, and they all are doing wonderfully well -- especially the ones planted back in 2009. There's still room between them and the fence and each other, even though they are nicely blended into each other. But I appreciate your concern!
The best soil for Arborvitaes will be loamy soil that drains well. Too many rocks and they may not get enough nutrients. In that case, you may want to dig a special planting area and work on improving the soil before adding any plants, shrubs or digging a hole for your Arborvitae. 🌲👍
My wife and I just watched this video twice. We were amazed how well informed the host was on this subject. She should use that very informative gift of explaining things in teaching or communications. Thank you for posting this.
Why thank you both so much! I sincerely appreciate your feedback! 😊🌲
"Good fences make good neighbors." So true!
It really is! 😀
One of the best informational videos I’ve seen about arborvitae’s! Thank you so much
Well, thank you so much for your feedback - I really appreciate it! 🌲😀
Absolutely gorgeous.
I'm so glad to see Americans incorporating more arborvitae in their gardens.
Thank you! 😊 And I'm happy to encourage gardeners to include more evergreens and conifers in general into their gardens! Otherwise come the Winter (dormant) season, there's nothing!
@Garden Sanity Yes, there's so many beautiful varieties of all shapes, colours and sizes.
Also, one big bonus is incredibly fresh and pleasant fragrance that every garden full of conifers have, it reminds me of Greek seaside overladen with pines and cupressus...
@@invinciblecucumber That's a great point about the fresh and pleasant fragrances! And this year, one of our large Cedar trees is covered in beautiful blue berries that the birds are enjoying daily! There are so many berries it looks like the tree is sparkling! 🌲😃
Wow Laura it looks amazing!!!! I really love that look! You have such a good eye for pairing plants! I love the fact you say birds make nests because this year I am turning part of the backyard into a conifer garden for the birds to have shelter and so I can see green in the winter as well. Thank you for sharing this gorgeous view!! 🌷🌷🌷
Thanks Chris! ☺️ I love how many different birds we have now: cardinals, yellow finches, robins, little wrens, house wrens, hummingbirds, bluejays, and a pair of mourning doves that waddle around everywhere together in our front and back yards like an old married couple! (I especially love watching this couple take a leisurely waddle through the garden beds, pausing here and there.) ❤️ When these birds choose our yard to make their nests, I’m so happy because I feel we’ve created a green space for them to enjoy! I love your idea to create a conifer garden! 🌲💚🐦
@@GardenSanity yes!!!! And if you put a little bird bath, the robins will crack you up because they sure bathe in there and splash everywhere!!! I’m going to send you a video in a couple of minutes so you can have a laugh 😂😂
I was just looking at bird baths today! 🐦 The only thing is I’ll need to add a fountain because in still water, mosquitoes (the New Jersey state bird) will breed like crazy. 😳
You have such a calm demeanor. Lovely backyard.
Why thank you so much Jackie! 😊 I really appreciate your feedback!
I have one Emerald Green Arborvitae that I planted back around 2015 about 3.5' tall now is at least 13' tall with no maintenance except for occasional spring fertilizing and some watering during dry summers. Looks great placed at the corner of our house. Here in PA zone 6b, I personally prefer using pine bark for amending our clay soil, this is found at our local Lowe's sold as 'pine bark mulch' (not pellets) as our winters are wet and this helps with drainage then we add a little compost. I make sure to remove the larger pieces of bark as you add it to the soil. Using them by the fence was a great choice!
Hi Carl, I love pine bark mulch! 👍 I have that same mulch in my backyard garden beds and agree it does help with drainage! It took me awhile to get used to the Fall leaves sticking in the bark pieces - harder to clean up - but that quickly became a minor inconvenience. 🙂 Plus it looks really nice!
Great information on these trees. One thing that is really neat about them is the shelter they provide for the birds. Your Prairifire Crabapple Tree is gorgeous. I will be looking for one of these come Spring.
Glad you liked the video! I completely agree with you about the shelter for birds! I have enjoyed watching purple finches set up homes in our arborvitaes - the much older ones we have. It's what I call an "apartment complex" because there are so many of them that go in and out of all the arborvitaes at the same time! I'm looking forward to when this begins happening with these younger trees we planted. Did you find a Prairifire Crabapple this year? I hope so - it's a wonderful tree that birds also enjoy.
I love arborvitaes! Easy to grow if you’re in the right zone.
I do think you’ve planted yours too close together. While it looks great when they are small, it will look not so much once full grown like the other wall you have. Plus, they will share the same diseases or issues being so compact. They will grow better with a little more air and sun to circulate between them. Also too close to the fence for the roots. But arborvitaes are hearty and will grow anywhere if established properly. Beautiful!
Thanks so much for your feedback! 👍 These newest arborvitaes are planted three feet away from the fence and three feet apart from each other. This is actually the same spacing we used for our other sections of arborvitaes in the backyard as well as in one of the front yard garden beds -- so far so good, as the mature arborvitaes do look full grown like you observed. 🤞 And yes, it's always in the back of my mind that if one arborvitae gets a disease, it might impact the entire row. I admit I'm taking my chances, but since there are no trees planted above them plus it is a windy "corridor" up that side of the yard -- I'm hoping they will be fine. (Hope isn't always the smartest, but that's what I'm going with!) I appreciate your concern! 😃 🌲
Great information to know and awesome video. Your cypress are beautiful
Thanks for your feedback Kimmi -- I appreciate it!
Great video about Arborvitae trees care!
Thanks so much Shiryn! I appreciate your feedback! 🌲🙂
Great video!! Thank you so much. You garden looks like mine. It's so welcoming.
Thank you Tamara! ☺️ I love that you think my garden is welcoming, as that’s such a wonderful compliment to receive! And so, it sounds like your garden is welcoming as well! The best kind of gardens! 😀❤️
Very good information one of the better videos Thankyou
You're welcome Julie . . . and thank you for your feedback - I'm so glad you enjoyed it! 😊
Very good information
Glad it was helpful Sabrina!
We have a younger (3 years old) arb wall & our biggest frustration has been rabbits. Even wrapping them in burlap--rabbits will chew right through it. We had to replace 2 arbs last spring because of them, so now we reinforce with chicken wire!
You're so right Minne -- rabbits love Arborvitaes, as do deer. Usually burlap is enough to deter them, but sounds like you have had some hungry rabbits. I'm sorry that happened, but I'm glad chicken wire is working!
@@GardenSanity You live & learn, right! In the winter here in zone 4b, we get so much snow that often these critters are not able to find food. This past winter was especially bad & most of the shrubs in our neighborhood were ravaged, but not ours--because of videos like yours--so informative! So thank you!
😱
@@JaxBachtle That was us two years ago: so much snow that I think those rabbits were very hungry, plus it seemed like there were many more of them compared to what I'm seeing now. Glad to help, and hopefully they can find other food to munch on! At least that's what I'm hoping. 🤞Meanwhile I just thwarted an attempted nest being made in my low-growing juniper surrounded by daffodils they don't like. 🙂🙃
Excellent video!
Thanks Angela! 🌲
Hey there, Laura! 👋🏻 My hubby and I have been working on a big garden project ourselves this spring so I’m just now getting caught up on ur recent videos! I think ur project turned out beautifully!! 😍 I’m sure getting this done was a huge weight off ur shoulders, and I can tell ur very happy with the outcome! 😊 My hubby and I decided to build a rose arbor over our front pathway inspired by the David Austin rose gardens in the UK (well, I decided and telling me no wasn’t an option if I’m being honest lol 🤣). Here in west Tx, zone 8a, we have very rocky, sandy soil (imagine desert soil) so digging 18 inches deep for each timber (10 total - 5 on each side) was a FEAT. We also get VERY high winds here so everything has to be concreted in after digging down 18 inches. My hubby dug the holes for the timbers and concreted them in while my job was staining the timbers and planting 10 David Austin climbing roses. It took us almost two months to get it done completely, and we have dragged our dead butts to bed many many nights lol. I did indeed dig all the holes for my climbers, but it was a HUGE effort for me bc I ran into roots that were as big around as my arm (no joke 😳) from diseased trees we took down last summer. I worked on two roots that took me 4 hours each chiseling them out bc I’m not strong enough to lift my hubby’s root breaker. I was determined that I would not ask for help bc I’d agreed to dig the holes for my climbers so while I did complete the task, it took me DAYS to recover lol! Everything is done and all the roses have begun to leaf out, and I’m thrilled! As for planting trees in the spring vs fall, I’ve found (at least here in the HOT desert of west Tx) that planting trees in the fall works best for us so ur advice on knowing ur zone is great advice! We planted two Shumard Red Oak trees last fall to replace the diseased trees we removed (we did that ourselves too bc obviously we r crazy lol), and they sailed thru and r already leafed out. I have plans to plant two more big trees (Bloodgood Japanese Maple and undecided on the second tree) in the backyard this fall, but I’m letting my hubby recover a bit before I tell him I have more plans. Shhh 🤫 Ty as always for sharing ur vast knowledge and tips on gardening adventures! Love seeing ur videos! ❤ (P.S. the rose of Sharon’s r doing very well that u were instrumental in me getting so TYSM! 🥰)
@@CeeTee380 Hang in there, my friend! I started my gardening journey in 2020 by redoing my front flower beds completely which included removing some diseased shrubs, installing paver stones/retaining walls, installing irrigation, and planting roses. In 2021, I decided to try my hand at growing some food, and we started clearing out some flower beds in the backyard for yet more roses. In 2022, I created a brand new flower bed on the south side of the house that is 46 feet long and 5 feet wide. I also grew food in 2022, took down 2 diseased trees, planted more roses in my backyard beds, planted trees to replace the diseased trees, slowly started adding plants to the new south bed, etc. In the beginning of 2023, my hubby built me six raised beds for me to expand my fruit and vegetable growing, I installed drip irrigation in those beds, I created a quarter moon bed around the mailbox, and we installed the arbors and climbers. It’s def a journey in which u will cry, u will be so stinking proud of urself, u will be sore, u will question ur sanity, and u will smile with a lot of joy! I wish I could post pics here too although the climbers r only babies since they just got planted several weeks ago. Just don’t give up bc anything worth having takes dedication and hard work, and in the end, u’ll look back and see how far u’ve come! Also take lots of pics documenting ur journey bc when the list of things to do is long, it will get overwhelming at times, and it’s easy to forget just how much u’ve accomplished. When I feel like that, I go thru my pics and then I’m usually pleasantly surprised at how much I’ve gotten accomplished. So, hang in there bc u’ve got this! 💐💕
Hi Lori -- this rose arbor project of yours sound sooooooo beautiful! Congratulations on getting it done! And of course there had to be huge roots to wrestle with, right? We can't ever have anything be easy. 😋 You both are smart to put everything in concrete! We had to have hurricane bolts put on our pergola and have it inspected by the town for approval to make sure it stays put. (And of course my joke is that if the next hurricane takes our house away, the pergola will still be standing in place.) 🤣I also know the feeling of trying to do it yourself without asking for hubby's help, especially if he is already working on another part of the same project. Been there and done that many times! 😂 (If they only knew!) I hope your major projects are done for now, as I see that the temps in Texas are very hot. Again, thanks for sharing your amazing project -- and I look forward to hearing how stunning the roses are when they are climbing and blooming! ❤
@@loricawley54 Great encouragement and advice Lori! I couldn't have said it better myself! ❤
@@CeeTee380 Lori gave you great encouragement and advice -- especially the emotions you will go through from joy to crying to happiness to frustration and back again! And taking photos is the best to do from the very beginning because some day you'll look back on those dense thickets you describe and you'll smile as you remember what it was like to remove all of that -- and what an accomplishment it was. If I have anything to add, it is to go slowly. Lori mentioned many projects she's done, but doing them one at a time is what helps. Or, tackle a few projects at the same time, doing a bit on each one as time allows. Everything will take twice as long as you think it will. But, when you get to the part where you can put the plants in -- and then they settle in and begin blooming wonderfully -- oh the pure joy you'll feel! Also -- perennials and shrubs take some time to mature and bloom their hearts out. The first year they creep....(develop roots)...the second year they creep (begin showing new growth above ground with some flowers)...and the third year they burst forth gorgeously in full bloom -- more or less! I hope you'll stick around here because I'm all about keeping our sanity while gardening! ❤
Good video. Very informative.
Thank you Sandy! I appreciate it!
We have "set backs" Ordinances here in Colorado. This looks sooo pretty. But my Neighbors would come unglued if I planted Hedge or Bushes inches from the Fence.
So glad we don't have those ordinances for trees and shrubs here, but I totally understand! 🙂 In this neighborhood, I think all the homeowners like covering up some of the white vinyl fencing with greenery, and being able to go "above" the 6-foot-high fencing is a plus! 🌲🌲🌲
Great video thanks for the info!
You're welcome Braden! 🌲
As always you do such a great job explaining all! We have emerald greens arbs too (smaragd I believe they are also named right?) they have done really well for us! BTW, I think you've convinced me NOT to use landscape fabric on my little seated patio... I think I wanted to not deal w/ weeds but I've had fabric a while back and it really does become more of a nightmare (than weeds!-- 🤣 how can that be!?)
Thanks Alexandra! ☺️ Yes, you’re right about the other name. 👍 Oh I hope you don’t use landscape fabric, as the weeds are the worst. Years ago, I removed all the rock and landscape fabric from just one section around our patio. The amount of weeds growing through the fabric was crazy to see, and explained why new weeds were always popping up - I never could pull those darn roots out. Ever since? There are just a few weeds that are easily pulled out! 😀 So now, removing the fabric is an ongoing project. 🥵 How fun to plan a patio! ❤️
How many times a week should you water the thuja tree?
Nice job Laura. 💯 agree fences make nice neighbors. 😊👩🏾🌾👍🏾💕. How tall do the Prairie Fire Crabapple trees get? Do you remember the growing zone. Yours is really pretty with that backdrop.
Thanks Renee - and glad you agree about fences! 😀❤️🌲 The Prairifire can grow up to 20 feet tall, and is hardy in zones 3 - 8. We didn’t have as good a bloom this year due to the weather, but if you watch my May flowers garden tour from last year, you can see the tree in perfect, gorgeous color!
It's the best video I've ever seen thanks ❤
Thank you so much Rossi -- I really appreciate it! 🌲😊
twenty oh nine? Lol i've never heard anyone say it like that. Arbs look great !
🤣 I have no idea where I picked that up from - saying "twenty oh nine" instead of 2009 - but I always say it for the 2000 years. It's funny to think about it, since you pointed it out! 😂
I really enjoyed your informative video!! I'm planting Evergreens this Fall and I'm trying to educate myself about planting and care. I was wondering if your stone edging is real or faux? If faux, where did you purchase them? They look great!! Thank you so much!!😊
Hi Kerri! So glad you enjoyed my video and I hope it was helpful. The stone around the Arborvitaes is river rock and it's real. 😀 We purchased the stone via different landscapers in bulk, over time, as we planted each section of our backyard perimeter. The stone edging is also real, and also was put in by a landscaper years ago that we hired. Enjoy your (soon to be) new Evergreens! 🌲
This is so helpful and informative! One question, did you do anything to manage the "multiple leaders" that develop on the Green Emerald's? Yours turned out so beautifully. We just planted a very similar looking row in a rock bed in front of a white vinyl fence but I noticed that some of them do have the 2nd leader. They are about 6' high and I am wondering if we should prune them or let them be. Thank you!
Hi Stephanie! I always let those multiple leaders remain. As the trees grow up and out (and into each other), these leaders do just fine and don't compete with each other. I hope your Arborvitaes did well this Summer, despite the brutal temps so many of us experienced! 🌲🌲🌲
Beautiful yard and plant placement. I am doing same. I am trying to find out about soaker hose placement and timing . It is getting very confusing.
The best advice for using soaker hoses is to try out a setting and then wait to see how your tree responds. It is impossible to know ahead of time if your plants are receiving too much or too little water from a soaker hose. It literally is a period of trial and error until you find the best setting or length of time for how much water to use. (And this is the same advice even if using a regular hose to hand water them or using a sprinkler system.) Yes, it can be confusing, but don't lose hope as it just takes time to get to know your new shrubs and plants as well as your garden's specific growing conditions. 🙂
Great video. We are in Zone 6 of Michigan and had 20 6ft emerald greens planted in July when it was hot. 😮. We had a soaker line installed and watered our new sod and trees 2x/daily as instructed. They looked lush and green for the 1st month but then started getting brown branches. They appear to have new growth on them but now the insides are turning brown with spotty patches showing on the outside. We are freaking out thinking our large investment is going to completely die and our landscaper keeps brushing us off now telling us the trees are just stressed out a little and will be fine by next spring. We have these trees all around our neighborhood- all lush, thick and green with no sign of problems! Any advice you could give us?
Hi Susan! First off, apologies for my delay in responding to your question. Your landscaper was partly correct, in that yes certain trees and shrubs can show signs of stress after being planted, some more than others. However, when planting in the heat of the Summer, this stress can be magnified especially if there isn't enough water being provided. Even with soaker hoses - which is a smart idea - these trees might need more water as they begin to settle in, have their roots start growing beyond the root ball, and so on. How are they looking this year? Let me know!
Looks really nice. You may have addressed it at some point but I haven’t heard, why no grass?
Thanks Helen! ☺️ Our property wasn’t graded properly, so nothing drained away, it always stayed moist. Mowing the lawn would often result in a shoe getting stuck in muddy grass, and we couldn’t even walk on either side of our house because it was so swampy. So we hated that aspect. After a few years here, we began to realize we wanted more gardens instead of lawn. We had the grass removed first and everything regraded in the front yard, thinking we’d keep grass in the back. But once we had the garden beds installed in the front, we decided to add gravel to the backyard, where I’m slowly adding new garden beds as the budget allows. 🙂👍 We love it because now we have outdoor space we can use (and walk on 🤣) and enjoy! Plus we have so many interesting birds that have made their homes in our trees. I know many people enjoy having a green lawn, but it just wasn’t for us. 🌲🌳🐦🦋🌸😀❤️
I just planted arbor vitae this past fall in south Jersey. Some of them are a little yellow towards the tips, but the interiors are still vibrant green. Hoping once spring comes around they’ll bounce back. Thinking it may be a water issue.
in the video. she pointed out. yellowish = too much water.
Hi Dylan! How are your Arborvitaes looking this year, after being in the ground for almost a year? Let me know!
So informative! How far from the fence do you recommend to plant them?
Glad you enjoyed the video Erin! Planting at least 3 feet away from the fence is best. The fully mature Arborvitaes I showed in the video are also planted the same way as these newly planted ones (3 feet from the fence) and as you can see those have grown just fine. All of our Arborvitaes are also planted 3 feet apart from each other, as these will grow into each other over time - again, as I showed with the fully mature trees. I hope this helps!
Hi!!! I so wanna do this for our back fence which is about 14 ft - how much did you guys spend on the arborvitae with the stone work etc? Wondering if mulch would be a more cost effective top dress...
Hi Andrew! We had landscapers put in the stone paver edging and river rock many years ago. (And unfortunately they used landscape fabric, as I mentioned in the video, which I don't ever suggest anyone use.) These are Emerald Green Arborvitaes, and we paid slightly less per tree than one would purchase at a nursery or garden center, as they were part of the landscaping contract. While I won't share what the cost of this project was - and I hope you understand - I will share that the bulk of this project was the labor costs. It was a huge labor-intensive project. Planting the trees was the least strenuous part. 🙂 And yes, using wood mulch is a much more cost effective mulch to use around the Arborvitaes. Since we already had the river rock from years ago in that area, we decided to just keep it. In our front yard, I have mulch around those Emerald Green Arborvitaes. (You can see the front yard in other videos here on my channel.) I hope this helps!
Excellent video. How do you treat black leaves from dog’s urine?
Thank you! As for your question, I don’t have a dog so can’t help you there. I imagine you could search for an answer to this on the internet or here on TH-cam. 👍
That looks great! I’m planning to do my garden and I want to know the spacing from your fence to the stones. I am planning 2ft from my fence to the concrete and plant evergreen. Is that enough room? Thank you in advance!
I'm sorry for not replying sooner! 🙂My spacing has always been three feet from the fence and three feet spacing in between each arborvitae. The main thing you want to make sure is that they have enough air circulation around each arborvitae to best prevent any pests or disease.
Not crazy about red tip fontina anywhere near hardscape or houses. I think of it as a privacy plant along a fence line on a very large piece of property.
Yes I agree Janice, Red Tip Photinia makes a wonderful privacy plant! 👍 We love how it gives our patio privacy, and enjoy the year-round evergreen color there. And having some along our white fence (which I'm not fond of at all) really helps with privacy and providing color! Thanks for sharing! 💛
Food for thought: Consider planting other species that are intermingled with your primary screening arborvitae tree. Eventually, some of the arborvitae ( or other tree of choice) will die of bagworms or something else, so if you only plant a single row of one species, you will have major gaps later on as the dead is removed. As a result, landscape architects now design a screening border that is curved ( not straight), and include a variety of species that will grow tall. In short, a soldier straight border like this is recommended still by landscape contractors because it's cheaper and they lack the horticulture knowledge and education to do otherwise. They also don't have the time to search and find the various plant species that make the border interesting. Planting just one species means your area is even more susceptible to spreading a plant disease. On another note, a naturalistic landscape is never straight. 🥴. Btw... Since I made this mistake personally, I can speak about the wisdom in this plan. Lastly, your wooden logs or railroad ties will also rot and attract carpenter ants and termites.
Hi Topaz -- Thanks for your insights! I have several groupings of Emerald Green Arborvitaes throughout our property and they are all doing wonderfully well. If a tree ever needs to be removed, I already have a plan in place as you saw with the Red Tip Photinias, so no worries! I think many landscape contractors and companies would be offended by your comment, as the good ones have not only highly educated horticulturalists on staff but also in many cases a landscape architect as well. A fence providing separation between properties is rarely anything but straight, particularly in planned developments. I appreciate that you don't like it. The treated lumber will last for many years until the Arborvitaes are well established. I also love curved lines, which is why all of my individual garden beds are curved, to provide a nice distinction between the straight lines of the fencing that was put in prior to our moving here. Again, I appreciate your insights! 😀🌲🌲🌲
Your yard looks amazing, I'm curious though, do you have to deal with leaf spot fungus on the photinias?
Thank you! 😊As for leaf spot -- not really. Occasionally if we have a really wet Winter, you'll see some leaf spotting on the leaves, but these are also the leaves that will usually be naturally shed in the early Springtime. These do need a good pruning, but since there's yet another robin's nest in there, I have to wait. Usually with a good pruning, they get a lot of air flow on each side which also helps prevent any fungus issues. A solution if you have this issue? Spray them periodically with Neem Oil. 👍 I hope this helps!
Looks great! Sounds expensive, but you’re saving big on chiropractic visits. 😅 I was just planting a wave a phlox and I hit another slab of buried asphalt. 🤬 Hopefully, the roots don’t need to go down more than 8 inches because I couldn’t get it out. Off topic question. Once your dappled willow cuttings grow roots in water, do you pot them up in pots with holes or without? I know they like it wet. Potting soil or garden soil?
Thanks Will, and yes the money spent was worth saving our backs and muscles and frustration if we had attempted to do that entire project by ourselves. My videos would have been a new video each time we planted another tree. 🤣 Buried asphalt does not sound like fun. As for the cuttings, pot them up with regular potting soil. (Although I’m sure garden soil is fine too, since that’s where they will eventually end up.) I used plastic pots with holes, so that the plastic would keep the moisture in - unlike terra cotta. 🪴
The title is deceiving!!!! I was 12 minutes into the video before I quite watching. I thought it was supposed to be how you CARE for the EXACT trees that my husband and I just planted in 1 day as well!! Putting a whole roll of them things in yourself is no big deal and only a couple of hours. Not sure why the in depth explanation and repeating of “hiring it out” was in a care video?? But it was not a video about caring at all… just a personal garden tour.🤷♀️ Although they were pretty and will continue the quest of searching for care videos to keep ours healthy. Thank you for your garden tour!!!
Hi there! My gardening channel is all about helping fellow gardeners, and showing how to remedy difficulties and make gardening easier. So I was quite shocked to read your comment this morning, as it came across as very angry and irritated.
While I always appreciate constructive criticism, this was not constructive but was definitely critical.
I sincerely hope you watch the video again with subtitles on, or the volume up. This way you will hear (or read) - starting in the introduction - where I clearly say there are 3 sections to this video, and that the "Care" section will be last. That would have enabled you to fast forward if that was all you wanted to see.
You said, "Not sure why the in depth explanation . . ." Well, my channel is all about helping fellow gardeners, so learning how to amend soil and why you might need to amend soil *before* you plant anything is very helpful to learn.
" . . . only a couple of hours . . ."
Section One focused on why we chose landscapers instead of doing this ourselves. It was way more work than simply planting a row of Arborvitaes "in a couple of hours" as we have done numerous times ourselves - as I showed other rows we previously planted ourselves over the years in the video. The landscapers used a bulldozer to remove soil and rock and dig down several feet in a long trench before adding the soil amendments necessary to correct this sopping wet area before planting could take place. That was the bulk of the work. It was very labor-intensive and took a large team of men to accomplish this over a long day of non-stop work only breaking for lunch. If you listen to what I say in this section, I think you will better understand all of the specific improvements that were necessary before planting could even take place, and why we chose smartly not to attempt to do this ourselves. I'm hoping you just skipped over listening to all of the details, otherwise I don't think you would have written what you did.
" . . . just a personal garden tour . . . "
2) The next section of the video showed what the completed project looked like. I guess you could call this a "tour" and it was only 5 minutes-ish long.
" . . . I thought it was supposed to be how you CARE for the EXACT trees that my husband and I just planted . . . "
3) The final section of the video was all about the care and growing requirements for Emerald Green Arborvitaes. I mentioned at the start of the video that the "care" section would be last. You could not have watched for 12 minutes and then quit watching, because the "care" section begins at minute 11:34. 😀 I think if you watched as long as you say, once seeing the care and growing requirements section, you would have been very pleased with the thorough information I presented, judging by all of the comments I've received on this video as being helpful to viewers.
In the future as you watch TH-cam videos, a helpful thing to know is that many of us have "Chapters" in our videos, that you can click on directly to get to the information you want to watch immediately. If you scroll back up to the Description Box (above these comments), you will see the Chapter links. This is a handy tool I use in 90% of my videos, to help fellow gardeners click on the information they want to see directly. 👍So you could have clicked directly on ""How to Care for your Emerald Green Arborvitae" at minute 11:34 and been quite happy with the information presented. 🌲🌲🌲
This is the longest reply I've ever written to a comment I've received here on Garden Sanity. And I could have chosen to ignore your comment. But instead, I want to make sure you get the information you were looking for, and to correct several of your statements - which I do think were the result of not fully listening (or reading subtitles that can be turned on) which would have helped you and (hopefully) prevented the anger and irritation you displayed in your comment. I wish you a much better day! ❤
Hi! We just planted 7 to create a natural border , we have heavy clay and mixed a small portion of compost in the hole but that’s it and have soaker hoses set up around them. Should we add mulch ring? Or any other tips to keep growing strong??? Thanks😊
Yes, I would add some form of mulch around your Arborvitaes. This will help prevent weeds from forming, keep moisture in the soil which Arborvitaes love, and also break down over time to condition and improve the soil. 👍 The reason we have rocks around ours is because the rocks were already there from when we had the Leyland Cypress trees, and we weren't about to throw away such a large amount of rock. However, in the case of Arborvitaes, as long as they are getting enough moisture, then having river rock around them is just fine, so that's another option if you don't want to use wood mulch. (But whichever you choose, don't use landscape fabric!) 🙃🙂The first season Arborvitaes need lots of water, sometimes more than what soaker hoses can provide. My experience is that the first year, we watered ours a lot. A lot. The second season (this year for these young trees), we only watered them a few times throughout the Summer, mainly because we had so much natural rain. Next year, I imagine they will be fine on their own, as this is a very wet area where they are planted. (And that's the good thing about clay soil, it will hold onto the moisture that Arborvitaes love, rather than letting it easily drain away and/or dry up. Once a year, add some slow-release organic fertilizer like I mentioned in the video, and that's truly it. (You can click on the Care Guide part of this video by scrolling back up to the Description Box, and clicking on that Chapter link to watch it again, if you need to.) I hope this helps!
Hello is it normal for my Arborvitae trees to be turning brown ? I’m in Illinois ..
It's not normal, no. If they are newly planted within the past year or two, it can happen from lack of water (rainfall or snow) during the Winter plus heavy Winter winds hitting them and drying out the needles and tree. That's the usual culprit if your trees are overall turning brown. Look very closely at the tree -- including inside towards the main trunk/stem -- and remove with your gloved hand some of the brown needles which should fall away easily. See if you notice any tiny green needles growing on the empty stems where the brown needles were. Or look for some tiny green needles on the inside trunk/stem itself. If you do see any green, this is a great sign that the tree is still alive and will rebound -- although it will take some time and loving care. Keep me posted!
I only planted mine a year ago, and as of. Now I can see most of my trees the needles are now turning brown and dropping slowly...is this Normal?!?!
Also, when will there green recover if so, how soon?
No worries as this is a normal part of evergreens annually shedding their needles. If you scroll back up to the description area underneath the video, there is a link to a video about evergreen needles turning brown and what to do. That should put your mind at ease! 👍
They sell them all over south, GA zone 8b but they don’t do well here. I’m thinking the high humidity and heat gets to them
You’re right Alex, I think you’re at the high end of their ability to grow well. We get high heat and humidity too, so I know I’ll be watering these new ones a lot over the next few years while they settle in. 💦🌲🙂
Thank you for the video! My Emerald Green Arborvitae is somehow full of tiny brown cones... and not very lush green. Any ideas why?
You're welcome! 🙂 It's not often, but sometimes Emerald Green Arborvitaes do develop tiny cones, so it's nothing to worry about. As for your arborvitae not being as lush green as you would like -- the reasons can depend upon your growing zone and climate so it is hard to give you a definitive answer. However, there are several things you can do, that I mention in the video in the section which begins at 11:34 regarding sun, water, and fertilizer. Too much shade, and arborvitaes won't be as lush. As for fertilizer, you can find a link to it above in the description area. Use a slow-release organic fertilizer once a year, sprinkling it around the drip line of the tree, then water it in well, or sprinkle it around just before it rains then you won't have to water it in -- Mother Nature will. Making sure the soil has nutrients is important as these trees become established in your landscape, as will providing enough water and sun. I hope this -- and the section of the video I mentioned -- helps! 🌲
What do u do if one starts turning brown from a split branch?
same, but you need to watering more. ex. 5mins go for 10 mins.
Any split branch should be pruned off, as branch that is split open allows insects and disease to get "into" the tree. A split branch also makes it nearly impossible for any water or nutrients to get to those needles on that branch, which is why they are turning brown. I hope this helps!
What kind of gravel runs adjacent to your aborvitae/river rock bed? Love your videos.
Hi Adele, I can’t remember the name of the gravel, but I do know that it is no longer sold as apparently this type of stone has become too expensive since we got it back in 2014. 🤑 So, we are starting to think about what kind of “new” gravel we can add when needed, that we can easily mix in so it looks ok and matches the existing gravel. (It figures what we used has been discontinued.) 😟😀
@@GardenSanity Thanks for getting back to me. Love the gravel which I think looks like the type used in English gardens. Too bad it is no longer available. I will keep looking.
@@adelegargano3831 There’s a really nice type of gravel called pea gravel - with more rounded tiny stones - that is also lovely. That might be an option for you.
What's with the gravel yard? I can't say I've ever seen that in a non-desert area yard.
Thanks for asking! It's not uncommon to see gravel yards in coastal areas near the shore. Over time, we have been adding garden beds to this back yard! (This video didn't show the other garden beds, but I have several videos that do.) In fact, we've added 2 additional garden areas since this video was filmed. Our goal is to have a backyard filled with garden beds, and the gravel will mainly be there as the paths around the beds. 👍 Our front yard consists of 6 garden beds of varying sizes, with paver paths around the garden beds. The amount of birds and pollinators has been so welcoming, and we are so happy we got rid of our lawn 10 years ago!
Is it 3feet apart from center of the tree to the other center of the tree?
Yes indeed: measured from the center of one tree to the next is 3 feet apart. In some cases it might be a few inches more or less. At least that's how it looks now as they begin to grow fuller. 😀
How far away from the fence did you plant that row of arborvitaes? Would the trees ever get too close to the fence, affecting the growth of the trees?
We would like to plant a row of small emerald green arborvitaes against a PVC fence similar to what you did. The guidance we received was to plant no closer than 3 feet away from the fence.
Yes, you received great advice: planting them 3 feet away from the fence is best. 👍 The fully mature Arborvitaes I showed in the video are also planted the same way (3 feet from the fence) and as you can see those have grown just fine. All of our Arborvitaes are also planted 3 feet apart from each other, as these will grow into each other over time - again, as I showed with the fully mature trees. I hope this helps! 🌲
How much water do u water them each time? I have a 4ft arborvitae. I water them 1.5 gallon. 3 times a week. Is it too much?
Hi there. I cover watering in the video above at minute 13:55. It is truly impossible for me to suggest how much water yours will need, as it depends on your existing soil, the climate, type of mulch, gardening zone, and so much more. The best I can suggest is what I shared in the video. How did your arborvitae do over the hot Summer months? 🌲
How many gallons of water per new planting of these? 7 feet
Hi there. I cover watering in the video above at minute 13:55. It is truly impossible for me to suggest how much water yours will need, as it depends on your existing soil, the climate, type of mulch, gardening zone, and so much more. The best I can suggest is what I shared in the video, not only for the Summer, but also what I shared for the Fall and Winter too. 🌲🙂
How far away or close can i plant next to a valve box, anyone? Not sure how invasive the root system is?
The roots of Emerald Green Arborvitaes are both deep and shallow. As smaller trees newly planted, they will be fine, however once the trees develop and mature, you will get larger roots seeking out water. I would err on the side of caution and not plant them too close to any electrical boxes or other items you're worried about. I hope this helps!
CUrious..is your yard ALL pea gravel?
Hi Cathy, Sort of. It’s not pea gravel, but a slightly larger gravel size. The front yard is a mix of paver paths with garden beds and trees, and the side yard is stepping stones with gravel plus trees and shrubs. The backyard is mostly gravel with garden beds and I’m adding more garden beds over time to increase the green space and decrease the gravel space. 😀 (See my answer to Helen’s question here too for more details.) 👍🌲🌳🦋🐦🌸
I find the pronunciations curious. Vitae is Vee-Tay' yet with arbor your'e saying it differently. Leyland sounds like Lee'-land as in the name, and you're saying that lay-land.
It's fun to dig down into pronunciations of plants and where they originated from! 😃 In the UK, Vitae is commonly pronounced Vee-Tie...and here in the US, Vitae is commonly pronounced Vie-tee. And in different parts of the US, you will get variations as well -similar to how some gardeners say Hy-drain-ja for Hydrangea, versus other gardeners saying Hy-drann-ja. TomAto versus TomAHto! 🤣
What's the distance between trees on your 2009 project?
Hello Yuri, Those were planted 3 feet apart from each other and from the fence behind them. I hope this helps! 🌲
@@GardenSanity Thank you!
@@Yurisilveira You're welcome!
Do the landscapers go to the big box store and buy the soil and amendments or is the homeowner supposed to have that on hand for them already?
Hi Jane, the landscapers are able to get wholesale bulk prices for soil, compost and even the trees. 👍 The amendments were in 36-pound bags bought at a local nursery - I estimated how much would be needed ahead of time. I hope that helps? 🌲🙂
@@GardenSanity Yes it does. Thank you! I love Leyland Cypress but now I'm a little scared to plant any. Maybe I'll do one and see how it fares. Happy Gardening, Laura!
@@JaneDoe-vi5yc You’re welcome! That’s actually a great idea to try on Leyland Cypress first. My experience is just mine, so please take my own sentiments with a grain of salt. Every gardener has different climates, soil, sun versus shade and so on, so you may fare much better than I did with the Leylands. And I hope you do! 💚🙂
Landscape fabric is the worst!!
Glad you agree Mary! I try not to live with regrets...but geez this one is a big one of mine! If only I had known . . .
Not enough space for future growth
It's the same away we planted all of our previous hedges of Arborvitaes, and they all are doing wonderfully well -- especially the ones planted back in 2009. There's still room between them and the fence and each other, even though they are nicely blended into each other. But I appreciate your concern!
Can they grow in rocky soil?
The best soil for Arborvitaes will be loamy soil that drains well. Too many rocks and they may not get enough nutrients. In that case, you may want to dig a special planting area and work on improving the soil before adding any plants, shrubs or digging a hole for your Arborvitae. 🌲👍