A Tree Called Thuja?

For many years we have been raising arborvitae. These plants were easy for us to grow and that is the real reason we grew them. If they required real skill....well we would not have even attempted to grow them. Thats a stupid but true reason for you to also use them in your landscape. Arborvitae are commonly used evergreen shrubs or trees useful in urban areas where low maintenance and durability is needed. Many cultivars with forms such as being globed in shape, columnar, or narrow pyramidal, tend to be near buildings, doors, and walkways. Other forms which are larger are used for screens and buffers that are planted in rows. (These plants are also suitable for wind breaks as you will rewad about later on.) The form of arborvitae is small, medium, or large depending on the cultivar. Some reach 50', others only 3'. Most prefer full sun to partial sun. Planting in dense shade conditions should be avoided. A moist , well drained, loamy soil in full sunlight are ideal conditions for growing healthy arborvitae. These plants will tolerate rocky, clay, urban conditions of heat drought and pollution. The most important pest we have is bagworms which must be controlled to prevent complete defoliation. Some cultivars have multiple leaders which also prove to be a detraction for the plant. Pruning out multiple leaders in some cultivars is a simple remeady. Our most popular Arborvitae is the Emerald Green arborvitae. Many people prefer to spell them Arbor Vitae . It is a bright light green color and narrow in shape. It makes a distinctive and impressive natural fence. It is easy to grow ,plant, and keep in shape. If your soils stay wet for any period of time such as for a 2 week period, do not use this cultivar. The Hetz Midget arborvitae is a dwarf globe variety. This is a good choice for along walkways and gardens. This is a tough plant that is easy to install and not going to cost a lot. It will maintain its color in the winter and will withstand snow loads well. We carry these plants in 2 and 3 gal. pots. The prices on these dwarfs vary from $15 to $30 depending on size and quanity ordered. Another small arborvitae that we grow in pots is the Rheingold arborvitae. This is a small globe shaped plant that has a golden green cast to it in the summer and a bronze winter color. We also have the American Arborvita known as "Tiny Tim".This arborvita grows in zone 2 - 7. Its is a needled evergreen in the Cupressaceae Family. It will grow in height from a half a foot to 1 foot tall. Its spread will be about 1 to 1.5 feet. This is a plant that requires little work. Selecting quality arborvitae for the home landscape : When you get to the nursery or garden center where you will buy your arborvitae, pick out the healthiest, most robust plants that have no evidence of disease or insect damage. The potting medium should be moist, but not wet, and the roots should well dispersed in the medium. Arborvitae that have roots growing from the drainage holes or circling the top of the pot are less desirable. Many people choose to buy arbs from a mail order company, which is perfectly acceptable. However, realize that most woody plants purchased from mail order catalogs will be shipped dormant and bare root, that is, without any soil attached to the root system. Such plants may be smaller in size because of the expense of shipping. It is important to plant such material immediately upon arrival. Generally it is best to purchase one-year-old material from mail order companies since this material is more vigorous and will transplant better. The larger material that is offered is often composed of the less vigorous plants held over from previous years. Most large sized arbs are balled and burlaped. Don't buy any arbs bare rooted over 3' tall. Any plant larger should be balled and burlaped. Some of the common varieties available at Highland Hill Farm (not all listed): Globe Arborvitae Arborvitae 'Danica' Arborvitae 'Holmstrup' Emerald Green Thuja Orientalis 'Blue Cone' Techny American Green Giant Nigra Wintergreen Elegantissma We have thousands of arbs and always have hundreds ready for you to pickup. From 2' to 15' we have inventory balled and burlaped. Don't worry about driving long distances to get to us. We are easy to get to near Phila., on a major road, Rt. 313 in Fountainville Pa.. We want to move our stock and will make sure that you go home a happy camper. If you are coming from a long distance, we will give away free inventory that is surplus to our needs. One of our fields is being converted into ball and soccer fields and work will begin Nov. 25 2005. Stock in this field will go cheap. We will stay open til the last dog dies or we sell out. I think we have more stock than what we possibly can sell. We are always looking to trade nursery stock and seedlings for your surplus. Email us with your surplus materials. We may be able to make trades. I once put an add in the paper that said, "If it free its for me". I had to stop the add because I collected so much stuff. Adds do work. The problem with this add was it was not specific enough to target what I was looking for. Over time and years I then started to swap and barter the free stuff that I got for things I really wanted. I had hundreds of broken lawn mowers and hundreds of gallons of old unwanted paint. I had enough paint to dip a house if needed. Disposal now became an issue. Thus I came up with the idea of trading and barter. Now I did not invent this wheel but I had enough of them that it appeared I might have. So barter has become a means of swapping and exchanging my surpluses for other peoples surpluses. Since I am in the nursery bussiness I also have plants that are surplus. I may plant 1000 trees expecting to need 1000 and find that I have 500 more than what I need. So offering these trees on the web for Barter has an effective means to move dormant inventory. Besides this is a great way to meet new customers. When they have surpluses and I can move their dormant stock, we both win. Here is a sample add that I run on my web site seedlingsrus.com : ***************************************************************** ***** Trades Wanted We are always looking to trade nursery stock and seedlings for your surplus. Email us with your surplus materials. We may be able to make trades. Construction materials and equiptment Plumbing supplies Hunting and fishing gear and items Hand tools Farm implements Farm supplies Fencing materials Palletizied stone Household items Livestock Sometimes people take me up on my offers to trade trees and shrubs for their products. One such person is Ralph. Ralph has a farm in Ohio and raises a variety of farm animals and draft horses. He asked if I would be interested in trading trees and plants for his pigs, a Boarder Collie puppy, or his sheep. Not baaaad I thought. Never really trusting myself with sheep, I opted for the puppy and some piglets. Here is what Ralph said after our trade..... Bill and Marjorie, Thank you for a great time, the landscape stuff, some great conversation and for having faith in 2 people that you've never met. Your boys are real gentlemen and good guys to be around. You must be proud. Your operation is top shelf. Thank you for taking me up on my proposal and our barter deal, you were more than fair. We wish you continued success in all your endeavors.. you are honest gutsy people... I like that! Thank you for letting us get to know you. Stay in touch. Thanks again for everything, Ralph & Connie Ps Check out my "Reflections" at the following website Click Here ***************************************************************** ***** As you can see I identify what I want to trade for and ask for items that fit into our operations. I like to include a testimonial as it gives a link that can be verified as to the realness of my trading. I also have a newsletter that I post to my email letter so each month I can tell people what I just traded for. Here is part of my most recent email newsletter: ***************************************************************** **** During this month of January we are offering a 10% discount on our gift cards and coupons. We help make your gift bigger. Don't forget that we will also trade for your surplus inventory,building materials, sports equipment, plumbing and ag equipment. We need all kinds of materials on our farms and ranches. You can't insult me with your offers, so go ahead...call us.....This is how we just got our dog Sweep...a Boarder Collie.....2 pigs....boxes of old tools......a John Deer riding tractor......a bunch of used but in new condition windows and doors....a couple of buckets of nuts, bolts, and nails (some bent but that's ok) and a even a hind quarter of a fresh road kill deer!! ***************************************************************** *** This awakens people to the fact that I mean it, I want to trade..... Call us at 215 651 8329 or stop into the farm for a visit. If you want to preview our operations go to http://www.seedlingsrus.com Thanks Bill