Content
- 1 General description of thuja
- 2 Types and varieties of thuja with photos and names
- 3 Varieties of thuja by crown shape and size
- 4 Thuja varieties for regions
- 5 Fast-growing thuja varieties
- 6 Thuja varieties with unusual needle color
- 7 Interesting facts about thuja
- 8 Conclusion
Thuja - species and varieties with photos are of interest to many gardeners, since the evergreen tree can decorate any area. There are countless varieties of plants, so it makes sense to distinguish several classifications at once.
General description of thuja
Evergreen thuja from the Cypress family is a tree or shrub with a conical, spherical or columnar crown shape. It is easy to recognize thuja by the original shape of its leaves; they look more like scales, and in young seedlings they look like needles.An adult thuja, depending on the species, can grow up to 70 m, however, medium-sized and low-growing varieties of trees and shrubs are more common, and they are the ones that are popular in gardening.
Thuja differs from other conifers primarily in its cultivation characteristics. In particular, the plant:
- has high frost resistance and can grow in almost any region;
- very resistant to diseases and pests - thuja is easy to care for;
- tolerates poor environmental conditions, so thuja can be planted in areas located near major roads, and even within the city;
- It has unusual and clearly defined geometric shapes of the crown, so it looks very attractive in landscape design.
Unlike pines, spruces, cypresses and junipers, thuja is not only green and blue, but also golden, yellow, and two-colored. Artificially bred varieties delight with a wide variety of tall and dwarf thujas, spherical and columnar trees.
Types and varieties of thuja with photos and names
Before planting shrubs on your site, it is worth studying the types and varieties of thuja with photos and names. This will allow you to choose the most attractive and easy-to-grow variety that will truly decorate your space.
Western thuja (Thujaoccidentalis)
Western thuja is the most common type of plant with the largest number of varieties. Western thuja most often grows quite tall, from 5 to 20 m in height, and the diameter of the crown can be 5 m. The crown of young plants is compact and neat, but as it grows it begins to branch heavily, the leaves of western thuja are matte green, up to 7 mm each. Western thuja bears oblong brown cones 8-13 mm long.
The most popular varieties of western thuja are Danica and Brabant, Woodwardy and Reingold, Holmstrup. You can also name several lesser-known species and varieties of thuja occidentalis with photos.
Zmatlik
A low green thuja with a columnar crown, reaching a maximum of 2 m in height and 0.5 m in width. It has spirally twisted branches, grows well both in the shade and in bright light, and is characterized by increased frost resistance. The peculiarity of the thuja variety Zmatlik is its very slow growth - by 10 years the tree can reach only 1.5 m, and at the same time the thuja very rarely requires pruning.
Aureospicata
The Aureospicata variety is a coniferous shrub with a conical or pyramidal crown and interesting colors. The needles of the plant are dark green, but in hot weather the tips of the branches acquire a golden hue, making the thuja look very beautiful and impressive.
Aureospicata grows at an average speed and by the age of 10 can reach 3 m, and old trees grow up to 6 m in height and up to 4.5 m in crown diameter. The tree tolerates shade well, is undemanding to the soil and is ideal for single plantings or creating small alleys.
Tiny Tim
Western thuja variety Tiny Tim is a spherical dwarf plant; by the age of 10 it can reach only 30 cm in height. Thuja needles are thick and scaly, dark green in summer and bronze in winter. The advantage of the dwarf western thuja is that it retains its shape well - there is almost no need to form the crown of the plant.
Folded thuja, or giant (Thujaplicata)
It is not for nothing that the folded variety of thuja is called giant; the tallest varieties of the plant belong to this species. In North America, under natural growing conditions, a tree can reach 70 m, and in cultivated plantings in Russia it often grows to 15-30 m.
The crown of the folded thuja is conical during the growth period, then takes on the shape of a cone. The giant thuja is easily recognized by the leaves on top, which are bright green, and on the underside with a grayish tint and white spots. Folded thuja bears elongated oblong cones up to 2 cm long.
Popular varieties of folded thuja include Kornik, Vipcord and Forever Goldie. There are other varieties that deserve attention.
Zebrina
An unusual variegated variety of folded thuja. The plant owes its name to the original coloring of the needles; thuja needles are green with yellow stripes. The Zebrina variety grows up to 12 m, while at the age of 10 years the plant rises approximately 2.5 m above the ground, and grows by 20 cm per year.
The crown of the variety is wide, conical in shape, loose at a young age, but then more dense. Thuja Zebrina is characterized by increased moisture-loving properties and grows well in moist and even slightly swampy soils.
Atrovirens
Thuja variety Atrovirens is a columnar plant reaching 15 m in height and 5 m in crown diameter. The tree gains about 30 cm per year; the crown of the thuja is cone-shaped, directed vertically upward and consisting of dense dark green shoots.
The Atrovirens variety prefers moist and even damp soils, so you don’t have to worry about the health of the thuja in areas with heavy rainfall and little sun.
Oriental thuja (Tujaorientalis)
Among the species and varieties of thuja with description there is the oriental thuja, growing mainly in China and Asian countries. The plant has an average height of up to 15 m, a spreading ovoid crown up to 4 m in width and green leaves with a golden hue. Oriental thuja regularly bears cones - up to 2 cm in length each, with a bluish coating on the scales.
Among the popular varieties of oriental thuja, several can be distinguished.
Aurea Nana
This variety belongs to the dwarf category and reaches only about 70 cm after 10 years of growth. The variety has yellow-green needles, thuja leaves are tightly pressed to the shoots, the crown is ovoid and elongated upward. Over the course of a year, Aurea Nana grows only a maximum of 10 cm, so it is well suited for forming low borders and hedges, and for creating coniferous compositions.
Morgan
The Australian variety grows to a maximum of 1.5 m in height, has a pyramidal, pointed upward crown up to 90 cm wide. Thuja Morgan grows by 5-7 cm per year and requires almost no additional formation.
Japanese thuja (Thujastandishii)
Japanese thuja grows naturally on the islands of Shikoku and Honshu and is considered sacred by the Japanese. The tree can reach a height of 20 m in the wild and 9 m in cultivated plantings; the branches of the thuja are directed upward and form a pyramidal crown. A distinctive feature of the thuja is the rich green color of the needles on top and a silver-blue tint on the lower inner side.
Japanese thuja prefers shaded areas with fertile soil.This variety is practically not represented by breeding varieties; Japanese thuja is grown mainly unchanged.
Korean thuja (Thujakoraiensis)
Korean thuja reaches an average height of 8 m, has a loose conical or spreading crown and is found naturally in China and Korea on mountain slopes. The leaves of the plant are green, silvery on the underside, thin shoots are slightly curved upward, thanks to which the thuja takes on a very elegant appearance.
Korean thuja can be purchased unchanged in nurseries, but the plant is almost not represented by individual varieties.
Glauka Prostrata
One of the few selected varieties of Korean thuja is classified as dwarf and reaches 60 cm in height when mature. Thuja grows very slowly, but looks very impressive - the thin openwork branches of the thuja are covered with small needles of a bluish-green hue and slightly resemble fern leaves. It is best to grow the Glauka Prostrata variety in the sun; in the shade it loses its decorative appearance.
Varieties of thuja by crown shape and size
Thuja is usually divided not only into types, but also into categories based on the shape and size of the crown. There are several main varieties of thuja with photos and names.
Globular
As the name implies, spherical thuja is distinguished by a dense and dense crown in the shape of a ball. Most often, such plants are dwarf - the crown starts right from the ground. Globular thujas are well suited for planting in coniferous compositions; they are often placed along the edges of ridges and terraces.
Globular thuja is predominantly a varietal variety. Among the main varieties are:
- Danica;
- Globozu;
- Teddy;
- Hosery;
- Reingold.
The following varieties also deserve attention.
- Teeny Tim - a low spherical thuja, capable of reaching 1.5 m in height, ideal for forming living borders and coniferous flower beds. Undemanding in care, almost does not need decorative haircuts due to its slow growth. The crown of the variety is dark green, the variety grows well in lighted areas and tolerates almost any soil, so it is easy to care for the plant.
- Stolvik - dwarf thuja, also popular in Russia. At a young age, the shape of the plant’s green crown is rather dome-shaped, but by the age of 10 the thuja reaches about 1 m in height and grows significantly in width. Thanks to this, the crown of the plant becomes loose, but spherical in shape. The table is also well suited for solo planting and coniferous compositions.
Pyramid
Photos and names of thuja varieties with a pyramidal crown are no less popular; in the lower part, such trees grow very widely, and noticeably narrow and become sharper towards the top. The most popular varieties include:
- Emerald;
- Yellow Ribbon;
- Sunkist.
It is also necessary to highlight thuja Pyramidalis Compacta; this variety is a small shrub or tree with a maximum height of 10 m. At a young age, the pyramidal crown of the plant is quite loose, but subsequently becomes denser. The color of the Pyramidalis compacta needles is green, with a bluish tint when young. The Compakta variety is frost-resistant, prefers shaded areas and slightly acidic soils.
Columnar
Columnar thujas are distinguished by their grace and attractiveness - they usually have tall and medium height. But their crown, unlike the pyramidal varieties, maintains approximately the same diameter over its entire height.
Among the well-known varieties of columnar thujas are:
- Columna;
- Holmstrup;
- Malonian.
The columnar variety of thuja Fastigiata deserves attention. This variety of German origin has a dense green crown no more than 3 m in diameter, and can reach a maximum of 15 m in height. Columnar thuja Fastigiata is well suited for forming alleys and hedges, and can serve as an effective background for multi-component coniferous compositions.
Varieties of tall thujas
If you need to form a hedge, then you should pay attention to tall varieties of thuja. Among them are Brabant and Columna, which can reach 10-20 m, and Fastigiata, which grows up to 15 m.
Thuja Degroot Spire can also be classified as a tall variety - this plant reaches 3 m in height, but even such a tree looks quite tall in a summer cottage. Degroot Spire has a narrow conical crown shape and a rich green hue. The plant is unpretentious and thrives in sunny areas with well-drained, light soils.
Dwarf varieties of thuja
The photo of low-growing varieties of thuja shows that they are especially popular in landscape design, as they allow you to create a variety of coniferous flower beds and artistic compositions. Most dwarf varieties are spherical thujas, for example, Golden Globe and Golden Smaragd, Miriam and Bowling Ball, Woodwardy.
An interesting dwarf variety of thuja is Waterfield, which is a rounded plant with a dense crown that reaches only 0.5 m in height by 10 years of life. Thuja Waterfield grows slowly, no more than 5 cm per year. A distinctive feature of the variety is the very textured surface of the crown, reminiscent of lichen; it is formed by fan-shaped side branches with a lighter shade.
Thuja varieties for regions
In general, thuja is considered an unpretentious plant that tolerates winter frosts well. But the winter hardiness indicators of different varieties are not the same, so before planting it doesn’t hurt to find out which thuja is best to grow in a particular region.
- Moscow region. The best varieties of thuja for the Moscow region with photos and names are considered to be Smaragd (up to - 40 °C), Khozeri (up to - 40 °C), Brabant (up to - 40 °C).
- Siberia. In the harsh climatic conditions of Siberia, you can grow thuja Danika (up to - 40 ° C), Reingold (up to - 40 ° C), Globoza (up to - 40 ° C).
- Ural. In the Urals, where summer heat gives way to severe winter frosts, thujas Danika, Globoza, Wagnery and Brabant (all of which belong to climate zone 3) are well suited.
- Middle lane. In central Russia, thujas Holmstrup (zone 3, up to - 40 °C) and Columna (zone 4, up to - 34 °C) grow well.
Fast-growing thuja varieties
For planting hedges and creating borders, the fastest growing varieties of thuja are usually used - this helps to get the desired result faster. Plant varieties with rapid growth include Brabant and Columna, Fastigiata and Golden Brabant.
An interesting variety is the thuja foldata Gelderland - a plant with a cone-shaped crown can reach a maximum of 5 m in height and at the same time adds about 25 cm annually. Therefore, when planting a ready-made thuja seedling, you can expect full results within a few years. Thuja Gelderland is distinguished by a dense crown with a soft green hue in spring and summer, golden and copper in autumn and winter.
Thuja varieties with unusual needle color
The standard color for thuja is green, but some varieties are ready to please with an interesting variety of shades.
- Glauka Prostrata - variety of blue thuja. This plant, which belongs to the Korean species of thuja and does not exceed 60 cm in height, has a bluish-green crown, and the lower surface of the leaves of the bush is silver. Glauka Prostrata looks very impressive in well-lit areas, since it is in the sun that the decorative features of the plant become noticeable.
- Foreve Goldie - “wellow” variety with yellow-green bright needles. The peculiarity of the thuja is that the color of the crown is maintained throughout the year; the plant does not change color in the cold months, like most varieties of thuja. The Foreve Goldie variety grows quite slowly and reaches a maximum height of no more than 2 m; it looks very impressive in coniferous compositions and hedges.
It is necessary to mention the golden variety of thuja Golden Minaret - a plant with a pyramidal crown of a bronze-yellow hue. Feels equally good in sun or light shade and can grow up to 4 m in height. However, the growth is only about 10 cm per year, so you should not expect quick results from the variety - it will not be long before your hedge or composition becomes fully decorative.
Interesting facts about thuja
Thuja is known not only for its huge number of varieties, but also for some interesting features.
- The plant is resistant to poor ecology and also improves the health of the air around it; planting thuja on the site will help improve the atmosphere in your property.
- If you rub thuja leaves between your fingers, you will feel a very pleasant aroma; the leaves contain essential oils that have a beneficial effect on the body.
- Thanks to its unique composition, the tree has increased resistance to fungi and parasites; thuja on the site rarely gets sick.
In many countries in ancient times, thuja was revered as a sacred tree - the reason for this was both the unusual aroma and the numerous beneficial properties of the plant.
Conclusion
Thuja - species and varieties with photos are presented in dozens of options, and gardeners can choose almost any variety for their plot. Most varieties of thuja, regardless of the height and shape of the crown, are extremely unpretentious and frost-resistant, which greatly simplifies their cultivation.
