Michigan State University Extension
Ornamental Plants plus Version 3.0 - 00001443
11/12/99

Thuja occidentalis--White Cedar


Hardiness Zones: 3 to 7
Height: 25 ft Spread: 10 ft Form: narrow oval
Type: narrow-leaved tree
Annual Growth Rate: less than 12 inches

Comments: The White Cedar (Vis. 19) is native in swampy
areas in the northern US. White Cedar tolerates wet soils
will grow on sandy soil. The foliage turns brownish in
winter, especially on cultivars with colored foliage.

Cultivars:
'Aurea' - A golden globe that needs little shearing.
'Berkman's Golden' - Yellowish foliage (Vis 20).
'Bobazam' (Mr. Bowling Ball TM) - A rounded plant
reaching a height and spread of from 2 to 3 feet.
'Boisbraind' - A plant (Vis. 1) 10 feet tall with dark
green, burn resistant foliage.
'Brabant' - This cultivar tends to form one central
leader thus minimizing stem damage from winter snows.
'Brandon' - A fast-growing, cone-shaped plant about 15
feet tall and 4 feet wide (Vis. 2). Reported as
suitable for use on harsh sites.
'Chalet' - A narrow plant (Vis. 3) with a rounded top and
lime-green foliage. It will be 10 to 15 feet tall.
'Compact American' - A compact, pyramidal form reaching
a height of 25 feet and a spread of 8 feet.
'Danica' - A slow-growing, compact globe with dark
green foliage.
'Degroot's Spire' - A narrow, columnar form (Vis. 4).
'Douglasii Pyramidalis' - A dense, columnar form with
twisted dark green foliage.
'Elegantissima' - A slow-growing, dense plant with
yellow branch tips.
'Europe Gold' - A narrow form with yellow foliage that
will be about 8 feet tall.
'Filiformis' - A pendulous plant with long, thread-like
branchlets and bright green new growth (Vis. 17).
'George Peabody' - A broad, upright plant with yellow
foliage. The foliage becomes more orange in winter.
'George Washington' - A broad, cone-shaped tree with
yellow foliage.
'Gold Cargo' - A cultivar with gold foliage that is
reported to resist winterburn. The plant can be 25
feet tall and 6 feet wide.
'Golden' - A broad, upright form with bright yellow new
growth.
'Golden Globe' ('Globosa Aurea') - A uniform oval with
foliage a soft yellow.
'Hetz Midget' - A slow-growing, compact plant (Vis. 5).
'Hetz Wintergreen' - A narrow, upright form reaching a
height of 60 feet.
'Holmstrup' - Dark green foliage that holds its color
in winter. Broadly pyramidal (Vis. 6).
'Little Gem' - A globe-shaped plant reaching a height
of about 3 feet (Vis. 7).
'Little Giant' - A slow-growing, globe-shaped plant
with bright green foliage all year (Vis. 8).
'Masonic' - Pyramidal form about 25 feet tall and 5
feet wide.
'Niagara Compact' - A globe-shaped plant more compact
than 'Woodwardii'.
'Nigra' - A symmetrical form with good dark green
foliage color (Vis. 9).
'Ohlendorfii' - This cultivar forms a broad clump of
vertical shoots, juvenile foliage.
'Peabody' - Another cultivar with golden foliage. This
one is a pyramidal plant about 25 feet tall and 15 feet
wide.
'Pendula' - An open, weeping form with dark green
foliage (Vis. 18).
'Pygmy Globe' - A dwarf, globe-shaped plant with bright
green foliage. Needs little shearing.
'Pyramidalis' - A narrow, columnar plant often used for
screens.
'Pyramidalis Compacta' - A smaller version of
'Pyramidalis', a height of about 12 feet.
'Recurva Nana' - A dense, rounded to conical dwarf with
curved branch tips.
'Rheingold' - Yellow foliage (Vis. 10) that becomes
orange yellow in winter.
'Rosenthalii' - A narrow, columnar form with bluish-
green, fan-like foliage.
'Rushmore' - A narrow, upright form with good winter
color.
'Sherman' - A pyramidal form reaching a height of 30
feet and a spread of 12 feet.
'Sherwood Frost' - A slow-growing dwarf with foliage
variegated with pale yellow.
'Sherwood Moss' - A dwarf plant (Vis. 11) 4 to 6 feet
tall.
'Smaragd' ('Emerald') - Narrow habit with glossy green
summer color. Reported as resistant to spider mites.
Plants (Vis. 12) will be about 15 feet tall and 4 feet
wide.
'Sudworthii' - Upright, broad plant with yellow
foliage.
'Sunkist' - A compact, broad plant with orange-yellow
foliage (Vis. 13).
'Techny' ('Mission') - A fast-growing plant with dark
green foliage. Usually about 15 feet tall (Vis. 14).
'Tiny Tim' - A compact, upright mounding plant.
'Umbraculifera' - A rounded, irregular plant, nearly 3
feet tall and 5 feet wide.
'Unicorn' - A narrowly compact plant with dark green
foliage.
'Wansdyke Silver' - The thread-like foliage has white
variegations.
'Wareana' - A slow-growing, broadly (Vis. 15) upright
plant.
'Wareana Lutescens' - Creamy-yellow foliage.
'Wintergreen' - A pyramidal form reaching a height of
30 feet that retains good green color in winter.
'Woodwardii' - A rounded form that retains its shape
without shearing (Vis. 16).
'Yellow Ribbon' - A narrow, upright habit is combined
with yellow foliage all year.

References for Cultivars: Iseli Nursery 1999, Princeton
Nurseries 1999, Sheridan Nurseries 1999, Monrovia Nursery
Company 1997, Bailey Nurseries 1999, Berryhill Nursery
1999, Lake County Nursery 1999, Weston Nurseries 1999,
Spring Meadow Nursery 1999, Ray Wiegand's Nursery 1999,
Wayside Gardens 1999, Studebaker Nurseries 1999, Scarff's
Nursery 1999, Gee Farms 1999, Midwest Groundcovers 1999,
Willoway Nurseries 1999.


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