These plants are cultivars of a species that is native to the Chicago Region according to Swink and Wilhelm’s Plants of the Chicago Region, with updates made according to current research. Cultivars are plants produced in cultivation by selective breeding or via vegetative propagation from wild plants identified to have desirable traits.
Anna’s Magic Ball Eastern arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis ‘Anna van Vloten’):
This plant is a dwarf cultivar reaching 12 to 18 inches high and wide, with a globe shape. Foliage is golden.
Brabant Eastern arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis ‘Brabant’):
This variety has a narrow, spire-like form reaching 12 to 15 feet high and 3 to 4 feet wide. It maintains a good green color in winter.
Brandon Eastern arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis ‘Brandon’):
This variety is another narrow cultivar growing 12-15 feet high by 6 to 8 feet wide. Foliage is resistant to winter burn.
Danica Eastern arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis ‘Danica’):
This is a small, compact, ball-shaped shrub, growing 2 feet high and wide. It tolerates light shade and wet sites. It is useful in foundation plantings, rock gardens, low hedges, or as an accent plant.
Emerald Green Eastern arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis ‘Smaragd’):
This small tree has a narrow, pyramidal habit, growing 10 to 15 feet high and 3 to 4 feet wide. It retains green color in winter, tolerates heat, cold, and wet sites. It is useful as a specimen plant, in groups, or as a hedge.
Fire Chief™ Eastern arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis ‘Congabe’):
This variety is globe-shaped and is only 4 feet high and wide at maturity. Foliage is red-tipped.
Globosa Eastern arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis ‘Globosa’):
It is a medium-sized, broadly rounded shrub growing 4 to 6 feet high and wide. Foliage may turn slightly gray-green in winter and is useful as foundation plantings, as a hedge, or accent plant.
Golden Globe Eastern arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis ‘Golden Globe’):
This compact, ball-shaped shrub has yellow-green foliage. It can tolerate light shade and wet sites and is useful in foundation plantings, rock gardens, low hedges, or as an accent plant.
Hetz’ Midget Eastern arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis ‘Hetz’ Midget’):
It is a low shrub form growing 3 to 4 feet high and wide. It is useful in foundation plantings, rock gardens, low hedges, as an accent plant, or in containers. Although, containers must be insulated to protect roots in winter.
Hetz’ Wintergreen Eastern arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis ‘Hetz’ Wintergreen’):
This variety is narrow and columnar. It reaches 20 to 30 feet high and 5 to 10 feet wide, with a central leader. It is useful as a specimen or planted in rows to form hedges, screens, or windbreaks.
Holmstrup Eastern arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis ‘Holmstrup’):
This variety is a compact shrub with an upright habit. It grows 6 to 8 feet high and 2 to 3 feet wide and retains green color in winter. It tolerates poor drainage and alkaline soils and is deer resistant. It is useful as a specimen plant, foundation plant, in groups, or as a low hedge.
Linesville Eastern arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis ‘Linesville’):
This very small, globe-shaped cultivar grows 2 to 3 feet high and wide.
Mr. Bowling Ball Eastern arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis ‘Bobazam’):
This small, compact, rounded shrub grows just 2 to 3 feet high and wide. It has dense, fine, soft, scale-like, gray-green foliage. Useful in foundation plantings, rock gardens, as an accent plant, or in containers. Although containers must be insulated to protect the roots in winter.
Nigra Eastern arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis ‘Nigra’):
The dark green foliage persists all winter. Growing narrow and pyramidal, it reaches 25 to 30 feet high and 5 to 8 feet wide. Once established, it tolerates temporary flooding, heat, and drought. It is exceptionally cold-hardy and is useful as a specimen, an accent, or in groups as a hedge, screen, or windbreak.
North Pole® Eastern arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis ‘Art Boe’):
It has a narrow, upright habit growing 12 to 15 feet high and 3 to 5 feet wide.
Pyramidalis Eastern arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis ‘Pyramidalis’):
This variety is a tall, narrow, pyramidal tree growing 20 to 30 feet high and 5 to 8 feet wide. It requires moist soil and tolerates temporary dry to wet sites, but does not tolerate drought. It may suffer from winter burn if not sheltered from strong winds.
Technito® Eastern arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis ‘BailJohn’):
This variety is a compact cultivar growing 8 to 10 feet high and 4 to 5 feet wide. It maintains good color in winter.
Techny Eastern arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis ‘Techny’):
This is a broadly pyramidal small tree or large shrub and grows 10 to 15 feet tall and 6 to 10 feet wide. Its dark green foliage retains color in winter. It is extremely cold hardy and tolerant of alkaline soils. It is useful as a specimen plant, in groups or screens, or as a hedge. Also sold under the name ‘Mission’.
Wareana Eastern arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis ‘Wareana’):
This plant is broadly pyramidal, rounding with age. It grows 8 to 10 feet high and 6 to 8 feet wide. The leathery foliage is tinged with blue. Tolerant of wet soil and cold hardy. It is useful as a specimen or accent plant and is good for hedges and foundation plantings.
Woodwardii Eastern arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis ‘Woodwardii’):
This variety is a rounded shrub form growing 3 to 6 feet high and wide. It has dense, soft, scale-like, green foliage. It tolerates light shade and wet sites and is useful as a specimen or in groups.
