Thuja spherical (round, ball, spherical): varieties and types with photos, dwarf, western, golden, how to cut

The varieties and types of spherical thuja with photos are of interest to many gardeners, since the evergreen plant can decorate any area. Growing thuja is quite simple, but there are basic care rules that must be followed.

General description of spherical (round) thuja

The evergreen thuja belongs to the Cypress family and is closely related to junipers, cypresses and sequoias. The ordinary, or pyramidal, thuja is a fairly tall tree, up to 40 m in height. But the round plant belongs to the miniature dwarf species, so the height of the spherical thuja reaches no more than 2.5 m.

The striking feature of the spherical thuja is the rounded shape of its crown, and the foliage begins directly from the ground. As a result, the shrub looks like a large coniferous ball. The needles of round thuja are long, up to 7 cm, and very soft at a young age, but become coarser over the years. At the same time, each needle lives for about 3 years, so the crown of the thuja is constantly renewed.

In the wild, the round thuja grows in some areas of East Asia and North America. However, in cultivated form you can find shrubs almost everywhere; they are highly valued in landscape design. In addition, the resistance of thuja to cold allows it to be cultivated all over the world without much effort.

Varieties and types of spherical thuja

Breeders are experiencing increased interest in the attractive and easy-to-grow thuja. Therefore, it is interesting to study the varieties of spherical thuja with photos; they differ from each other mainly in the shades of the needles, crown shape and height.

Danica

The spherical thuja variety Danika is the most popular among gardeners because it is suitable for planting in any area; the plant reaches a height of no more than 60 cm. The variety is often used to create alpine slides and rockeries.

The Danika variety is very easy to care for because it can withstand frosts down to -40°C and retains the green color of its needles in winter. The needles of the variety are soft and long, the crown is very dense, requiring regular pruning.

Golden Globe

The Golden Globe variety is distinguished by its taller growth; the shrub can reach a height of 120 cm. It stands out from other varieties due to the unusual color of its needles - young thuja needles are bright golden, adults acquire a yellow-green hue, and in the fall the Golden Globe variety becomes copper in color.Throughout the year, the shrub looks very impressive and beautiful in the garden, especially if it is advantageously combined with green trees and bushes.

The variety is also characterized by good resistance to cold weather - the golden spherical thuja tolerates frosts down to -35 °C calmly. In addition, the variety can be trimmed quite rarely, since it grows very slowly.

Globoza

The Globoza variety is one of the oldest varieties of Western globose thuja. The variety was obtained back in the 19th century and immediately gained great popularity. An adult thuja variety Globoza can reach 2 m in height and grows to an average of 1.5 m in width, but the growth of the shrub is very slow, no more than 20 cm per year.

In spring and summer, the Globoza variety pleases the eye with the bright green shade of its needles. In autumn, the thuja turns brown or acquires a grayish tint, but still remains very decorative. The plant tolerates frosts down to -35 °C, so it is suitable for growing in northern regions.

Important! In the first years of growth, the Globoza variety may not have spherical, but elongated oval shapes. However, as the shrub grows, it acquires a geometrically regular round shape.

Tinny Tim

The spherical thuja Tinny Tim belongs to miniature dwarf varieties - the maximum height for a shrub can be 1 m. And growth occurs so slowly that even at 10 years the thuja can still remain only about 30 cm tall.

The crown of the variety is dense, but the needles grow quite freely. The Tinny Tim variety has a light green hue; thuja looks very good in single plantings and in landscape compositions. The variety tolerates frosts well down to -30 °C and below, so it feels great when planted in the Moscow region and even more severe regions of the country.

Teddy

The globular thuja called Teddy is a fairly new variety of plant with very slow growth of only about 3 cm per year. Gardeners value Teddy for its dense, spherical crown with very small and soft needles, dark green in the warm season and brown in winter.

An adult thuja of this variety grows only up to 50 cm. The shrub looks great in rockeries and as part of alpine slides, and tolerates frost well. When caring for Teddy variety thuja, you only need to take care of shading; this variety does not like direct sunlight.

Miriam

Thuja Miriam is another recently created variety of dwarf spherical thuja with a height of up to 80 cm. Miriam’s crown is round and dense, consisting of many thin needles.

In summer, the Miriam variety is yellow-green in color, and in winter it takes on a greenish-orange hue. The variety tolerates frosts well, which explains its popularity in the northern regions. The round shrub grows slowly, so it can be freely used in miniature compositions or living borders in the garden.

Woodwardy

Thuja 'Woodwardy' is a low-growing variety, reaching an average height of about 1 m. It is easy to recognize the variety of spherical thuja by its ovoid and fairly dense, but loosely structured crown. Woodwardi's winter hardiness is high - the shrub tolerates frosts down to - 35 ° C. In summer, the needles of the plant are bright green, and with the onset of cold weather they acquire a brownish color.

The use of spherical thuja in landscape design

The spherical thuja is mainly valued by gardeners and summer residents for its attractive external features. Thuja can be placed completely freely on the site.

Low round bushes look great in single plantings if placed in free areas of the site.
Also, spherical thuja is a noticeable element of coniferous and mixed compositions, alpine slides and rockeries.
Thuja is often used in Japanese gardens because the shrub grows very slowly and reaches a small maximum height. Thuja can serve as an ideal background for other low-growing ornamental plants.
Thuja is often used in mixborders and hedges. A neat, geometrically correct shrub allows you to create a beautiful living frame for the entire garden or its individual parts, and divide the area into separate zones.

As you can see in the photo of a spherical thuja in landscape design, most varieties of thuja retain their decorative appearance in the autumn-winter period, although they can change the shade of the needles. This feature will enliven the garden landscape even in winter and bring bright colors to it.

Benefits of growing globular thuja

The main advantage of the spherical shrub is quite obvious - the thuja is very beautiful and thanks to this it is very popular. But it also has other advantages.

The evergreen thuja ball perfectly tolerates harsh cold winters. Some varieties are able to survive frosts down to – 40 °C, and almost all types of spherical thuja quietly winter at – 30-35 °C. This gives gardeners the opportunity to grow shrubs not only in the south and in the middle zone, but even in Siberia and the Far East.
Thuja demonstrates high resistance to high humidity and shading. The shrub can be grown in regions with little sun and frequent rain. If you choose the right place for the plant and carefully care for it, the thuja will develop correctly and without problems.
The spherical bush is very easy to trim.The correct shape of the crown of the thuja is formed by careful selection - the gardener is only required to maintain the decorative appearance of the plant.

Thuja bushes emit a rather pleasant coniferous aroma - this can also be added to the list of advantages of the plant.

Features of reproduction

Like most plants, thuja reproduces by seed, layering, dividing the bush and cuttings. But the peculiarity is that it is the last method that brings the greatest results. Other methods do not provide a guaranteed effect, and often it is not possible to grow thuja from seeds or cuttings.

Cuttings for propagation of thuja must be taken in early spring. For this purpose, choose the side shoots of the bush that have already begun to woody in the lower part.
Cuttings made at an angle of approximately 45 degrees are kept in a root-forming solution for a day for faster engraftment.
At the same time, the soil is prepared for the cuttings; thuja loves loose and well-drained soil, so peat, vermiculite, sand and perlite should be poured into the container for it in equal parts.
The prepared cuttings are deepened 3 cm into the soil and watered. The shoots should be kept at room temperature around 23 °C, ventilated regularly and monitor the humidity level.

Another feature of the thuja is that it takes root rather slowly. It is recommended to leave a seedling grown from a spring or summer cutting at home until the next season. Only next spring, around mid-May, the spherical thuja is planted in warmed soil, so that the shrub is guaranteed to have time to gain a foothold in the chosen place before autumn.

Planting and caring for spherical thuja in the garden or on the site

Growing thuja in the country is not so difficult, since the evergreen shrub tolerates any weather conditions well. But some rules must be followed; they apply to both planting and subsequent care of the thuja.

Recommended timing

The best time to plant thuja is spring - mid or late May. In the southern regions, shrubs can be planted in the fall, but such planting is rarely practiced, despite the resistance of adult plants to cold. The fact is that the root system of a young thuja is quite sensitive, and if a cold snap occurs ahead of time, the plant may die.

Site selection and soil preparation

The spherical thuja in all its many varieties is a light-loving shrub. However, the plant is afraid of direct sun - the sun's rays leave burns on sensitive leaves. Therefore, it is necessary to select a place for thuja that is slightly shaded, and in particular it is necessary to ensure that the shading is maintained even in winter.

The plant is generally undemanding in terms of soil composition. But the thuja root system feels best in loose and nutritious soil. Before planting the plant, it is recommended to first prepare the ground - dig up the area and create a soil mixture consisting of peat, sand and turf soil in a ratio of 1: 1: 2. Also, for better rooting of thuja, you can add a little nitrogenous fertilizer to the soil; they will contribute to the rapid establishment of the plant.

Attention! Thuja does not respond well to prolonged droughts, however, the shrub does not tolerate waterlogged soil. If the soil at the site where the thuja is planted is too clayey, or there is groundwater nearby, a dense drainage layer must be poured into the bottom of the hole for the seedling.

Landing algorithm

Planting of thuja occurs according to the standard algorithm. First of all, it is necessary to prepare the seedling for moving to a new location. To do this, the plant is carefully removed from the pot along with the earthen lump and placed in water for a couple of hours so that the soil and roots are properly saturated with moisture. Another option is to water the plant generously directly in the pot, and then pull it out along with the soil, this will make it much easier to remove it.

Planting a spherical thuja on a selected area looks like this:

dig a hole in the ground approximately twice as deep as the root system of the seedling, while the width of the hole should exceed the span of the roots by about 40 cm, the roots of the spherical thuja grow in a horizontal plane;
the hole is half filled with prepared soil, then the spherical thuja is lowered onto it; this must be done carefully so as not to damage the roots of the plant;
holding the seedling in a level position, fill the hole with soil until the end, the root collar should be flush with the soil surface.

At the end of planting, the soil around the thuja needs to be compacted a little and the plant should be watered properly.

Features of growing spherical thuja

In order for the spherical thuja to grow healthy and beautiful, it must be properly cared for. Proper watering, insulation for the winter and disease prevention help preserve the decorative appearance of the plant.

Watering and fertilizing schedule

The spherical thuja is equally bad at drought and excessive moisture. The optimal regime for the plant is slightly increased humidity, which is carefully controlled by the gardener.

The spherical shrub needs to be watered weekly, as the soil dries, and in just a few days you need to add at least 10 liters of water.In the summer heat and drought, watering becomes more frequent; it is recommended to pour 10 liters of moisture under the roots of the plant every couple of days. The spherical thuja very noticeably signals a lack of water; its crown on the top turns yellow, and cones appear on the shoots.

Advice! The round thuya should not only be watered, but also regularly sprayed; water will allow the needles to maintain bright color, strength and health.

As for fertilizing, the first 2 years after planting in the ground there is no need to fertilize the shrub; it has enough nutrients added during planting. As the shrub grows, the spherical thuja begins to be supplied with fertilizers twice a year - both times at the beginning of the season. It is recommended to use standard complex fertilizers; regular compost is also suitable for thuja.

Loosening and mulching the soil

Since the small round thuja is afraid of both stagnation and lack of moisture, the soil near the roots of the plant must be cultivated. Loosening is carried out after each watering - this makes the soil lighter, saturates it with oxygen and prevents waterlogging. In this case, you need to be extremely careful and loosen only the surface layer of soil. The roots of the thuja are located horizontally and can easily be damaged if gardening tools are used carelessly.

To prevent moisture from evaporating from the soil prematurely, the ground under the roots of the thuja can be mulched with a layer of about 7 cm. Any standard material is suitable as mulch for the plant - wood chips, sawdust, old pine needles.

How to trim a thuja with a ball

To maintain the correct spherical shape of the thuja, the gardener does not need to make much effort. The thuja does not need strong formative pruning; it is enough to trim the shoots as the bush grows, cutting off all branches that violate the spherical shape.

The recommended time for pruning thuja is April or early May; after spring pruning, it will be easiest for the plant to recover safely.
Trimming a thuja with a ball comes down mainly to sanitary procedures - you need to promptly remove dry and weak branches of the plant to prevent the development of diseases.
Shoots growing in the wrong direction are also removed, and for good ventilation in the middle of the bush and for access to oxygen, its central part is slightly thinned out.

Attention! In general, no more than 10% of the crown can be cut off during the season without harming the health of the plant. If too many branches are removed, the thuja will not be able to recover and may die.

Preparing for winter

All varieties of spherical thuja are characterized by high winter hardiness and tolerate even severe frosts. True, this mainly concerns adult plants, but young shrubs need additional care.

In late autumn, shortly before the cold weather, young thuja must be covered with spruce branches, special covering materials, or covered with fallen leaves. When the temperature drops to -5 degrees, the shrub can be additionally wrapped in film.

All these measures will help protect sensitive young plants from freezing and will also prevent thuja branches from breaking under the weight of snow. At the same time, with the onset of a thaw, covering materials will need to be quickly removed so that excess moisture does not accumulate in the crown of the bush - this can lead to rotting.

Pests and diseases

The unpretentious and cold-resistant globular thuja remains sensitive to pests and fungal diseases. Violations of care rules often lead to the following problems:

late blight, with this disease, the roots of the thuja begin to rot, after which the rot spreads to the above-ground part of the plant, and the bush becomes gray in color and then dies;
browning of shoots - the disease is characterized by a change in the color of the needles to brown in the spring, after which the shoots begin to die;
Schutte - with this disease, the thuja needles begin to darken and then fall off;
rust - the shoots of the bush first become covered with bright yellow spots, and then also begin to die.

To treat fungal diseases of globular thuja, it must be treated with fungicidal solutions - for example, Fundazol or Bordeaux mixture. All parts of the plant affected by diseases should be removed and destroyed. The best prevention of fungal diseases is timely sanitary pruning of bushes and compliance with the watering regime.

Of the pests, the thuja aphid is a particular danger to the thuja - an insect that usually appears on the lower shoots of the bush. The moth, a small insect that infects the upper shoots and causes the needles to die, can also harm the plant. You can protect thuja from pests using insecticidal agents, for example, Karbofos.

Advice! It is worth treating with insecticides not only when the bush is damaged by insects, but also as a preventive measure.

Conclusion

The varieties and types of spherical thuja with photos are widely represented, since a lot of breeding varieties of shrubs have been bred. The characteristics of frost resistance and care requirements for different varieties of spherical thuja are approximately the same - if you follow the basic rules of care, you can easily maintain the health and beauty of the plants in your area.