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Thuja folded is one of the most common evergreen conifers in landscape design. It represents the Cypress family, a species of gymnosperms, the genus Tui. The tree, which originates from East Asia and North America, is actively used by landscape designers in the creation of hedges and other compositions. Folded thuja has many features, so before buying a plant, it is important to read its description and photo, learn all the rules of planting and maintenance.
General description of folded thuja
Thuja folded is an evergreen tree or shrub with a dense crown formed by shoots branched in one cavity. Under natural conditions, a mature culture can reach up to 60 m in height with a diameter of 2,5 – 3 m. A fibrous crown of a reddish-brown hue covers the conifer trunk from above. Thanks to this feature, the folded thuja was given another, unofficial name – “red cedar”. The plant has a fairly dense pyramidal crown and rather narrow leaves (each such needle reaches no more than 1 mm in width). With age, they begin to layer on each other and acquire a brilliant gloss on the front side. On the reverse side of the needles you can see pronounced white stripes.
The fruits of the folded thuja are cones that reach about 12 cm in length and have an oval-oblong shape. One thuja cone usually contains two flat seeds with two wings.
Varieties of folded thuja
Thuja folded has many varieties, each of which is distinguished by its appearance and decorative qualities. Below are the most common types of wood with photos and descriptions.
Kagers Beauty (Kager’s Beauty)
Thuja folded Kagers Beauty is an evergreen conifer of the Cypress family with loose sprawling needles. In adulthood, the conifer reaches no more than 0,5 m in height with a diameter of 0,6 m. This is a tree with a superficial root system, especially sensitive to soil compaction and scaly needles of a gray-green color. It prefers to grow in a well-lit area or in a slightly shaded place, demanding on the quality of the soil: it must be fertile and well-moistened soil. The folded thuja Kagers Beauty acquires its best color in sunny areas, while the shade gives the tree a darker shade. Thuja Kagers Beauty tolerates drafts and strong winds well, but is very sensitive to dry weather, and especially needs frequent watering during drought.
Can-Can
According to the description, thuja folded Kankan is an evergreen coniferous tree, reaching no more than 1,5 m in height in adulthood, with a cone-shaped crown. The needles of the Kankan variety have a dark green color with young growths of a light shade. The conifer grows rather slowly, the annual rate is only 10 cm.
The tree is characterized by shiny scaly flat needles that fit snugly to the shoots. Thuja folded Kankan variety does not change the color of its needles in winter, for which it is especially appreciated by landscape designers. This is a tree with dense, upward-pointing shoots that thicken with age. It thrives best in sunny to semi-shady areas in fertile, well-drained, and well-drained soil. The culture is easy to shear and shape, which allows you to use the thuja folded cancan to create a hedge. In addition, it is often used in single plantings in prominent places, in coloristic landscape compositions, for decorating an alley, garden path or rocky area.
Gelderland (Gelderland)
Description of the plant: thuja folded Gelderland is an evergreen tree with miniature needles that can change their color: in summer, a rich green color, which changes to bright yellow in winter. Often this type of thuja is used in group plantings, to decorate a patio or balcony (when grown in a pot). In adulthood, the tree reaches up to 4,5 m in height.
The Gelderland variety is distinguished by its endurance and unpretentiousness in cultivation: this folded thuja takes root well on almost any soil, as well as in a lighted or semi-shaded area. Its needles do not fade in the sun at high temperatures in summer, and in winter the branches are able to withstand even the heaviest piles of snow, while maintaining all their decorative qualities.
Initially Gelderland grows rather slowly, but with age the growth rate increases significantly. Although the plant can grow well in full sun, it is very drought tolerant and needs regular watering. Gardeners consider the seed method to be the best way to propagate this variety of folded thuja.
The tree has a high level of frost resistance, is not demanding on the level of air humidity, which greatly simplifies its care. Despite such unpretentiousness of the variety, it is not recommended to plant it in places where direct sunlight hits: the best option would be an area with diffused light. The variety needs moderate watering on ordinary days and a little more frequent – during the drought period.
Zebrina (Zebrina)
Thuja folded variety Zebrina is an evergreen conifer with decorative zebra-like needles and a conical crown. At the initial stages of growth, the needles are loose in structure, but with age it becomes more dense. The Zebrina variety is considered one of the best representatives of variegated conifers. At the age of 10 years, such a thuja can reach more than 2,5 m in height and 1,5 m in width. Its annual growth at a young age is 10 – 20 cm, in mature age – 15 – 30 cm. Zebrina folded thuja is characterized by shiny, scaly flat needles with yellow-white stripes, which fit snugly against bright green shoots. The tree does not change its color and texture in winter. A feature of the Zebrina variety are the shoots hanging down: because of this, gardeners recommend cutting the tree twice a year. Tui fruits are represented by small cones (1 – 1,5 cm in length), which, when ripe, acquire a brown color. Folded thuja Zebrina feels best in semi-shaded or sunny areas on fertile, moist, well-drained soil with an acidic reaction. The culture tolerates shearing and shaping well, is able to quickly recover and compact the crown, which gives the plant a special value in creating hedges. With proper care, the conifer easily adapts to the conditions of the city.
Zebrina Extra Gold (Zebrina Extra Gold)
Thuja folded varieties Zebrina Extra Gold is one of the most common varieties of golden thuja with large needles and a columnar crown. This conifer is especially appreciated for its rich decorative qualities. In adulthood, it reaches up to 2 m in height and 1,2 m in width. In the summer and autumn, the thuja needles have a zebra-like color, which is why the tree got its name. The growth rate of the folded thuja Zebrina Extra Gold is assessed as fast: the annual growth rate is up to 15 – 20 cm. At the end of the summer period or at the beginning of autumn, small blotches of green begin to appear on the needles of the plants. The tree grows well in fertile soils and lighted areas. The Zebrina Extra Gold variety is highly valued by designers who use thuja for decorating and landscaping squares, gardens and parks, as well as for solitary plantings – as a trellis plant.
Atrovirens (Atrovirens)
Thuja folded Atrovirens is an evergreen coniferous plant whose habitat is the Pacific coast, as well as the territory from Northern California to Southern Alaska. The variety often grows in damp, wet, swampy areas near the river bank, in lowlands and shady forests, in areas with heavy rainfall and a cool climate in summer, and relatively mild in winter. Under natural conditions, thuja folded Atrovirens is often found together with other varieties of conifers.
The ephedra is presented in the form of a columnar tree, on which there are very densely spaced shoots and branches directed strictly vertically. The conical shape of the thuja crown is able to persist throughout the life of the tree, and with age it becomes a little wider. A mature folded thuja of the Atrovirens variety can reach up to 15 m in height and 3,5 m in width. The growth rate of the tree is quite high: its annual growth is up to 30 cm in height and more than 10 cm in width.
This is a plant with green, shiny scaly needles, which are oppositely located on the shoots. The fruits of the conifer – common for this species – are cones of an oblong-ovoid shape up to 12 mm in length. In summer, they are green in color, which changes to brown in winter.
Thuja folded Atrovirens has a high level of shade tolerance and frost resistance, develops well on any acidic or alkaline soil, undemanding to the level of pH and soil moisture. The variety normally tolerates the conditions of even a large city, is wind-resistant, quickly recovers after cutting or shaping.
It is best to purchase seedlings of this type of thuja in plastic containers with fertilizers, because this way they do not rot, which often damages the root system. Such a tree will take root much faster in a new landing site.
Goldy
According to the Description of the thuja folded Goldie is a new variety, it is considered one of the most prominent representatives of this variety, with beautiful yellow-green needles that retain their richness even in winter. The plant practically does not need pruning and retains the correct conical shape of its crown throughout its life. In adulthood, the height of the Goldie variety is up to 2,5 m with a diameter of 1,5 m. Landscape designers use it to form single plantings in prominent areas, to create contrast in low coniferous hedges, as well as for individual landscape compositions. The tree has an average growth rate, its annual growth is 10 – 20 cm, at the age of 10 years it reaches more than 1,5 m in height. This is a variety with densely spaced, rather short and dense shoots and thickened golden yellow needles pointing upwards. The tree practically does not change its color in autumn. Thuja folded Goldie has a superficial root system, is frost-resistant, grows well in sunny or slightly shaded areas. Growth in the sun gives more saturation to the color of the needles. For this type of folded thuja, a moderately humid environment is preferable. The plant is undemanding to the soil, but develops much better in fertile, well-drained, slightly acidic and slightly alkaline soil with a lime content. When planting a tree, it is important to pay attention to its root neck: it must be strictly at ground level. Adult representatives of the Goldie variety do not need shelter for the winter, however, young seedlings need protection from snow piles at first.
It is best to buy this variety of folded thuja in a pot: then the plant can be planted without adding additional fertilizers from March to December, even in the hottest summer period.
Variety Goldie is often used to create single and group plantings, as well as in the formation of borders.
Martin
Thuja folded variety Martin is a decorative type of conifer, which reaches more than 1,5 m in height in adulthood. This is a tree with branched into several trunks + parallel to the main one – flat shoots raised upwards, which also form plates and have a brownish tint in adulthood, young ones are saturated green. The needles of the thuja of the Martin variety are scaly, up to 1,5 mm long, tightly adjacent to each other and to the shoots, arranged crosswise. Rubbing a few leaves, you can feel the characteristic coniferous aroma of the plant. Every year, fruits appear on the conifer – cones of a spherical shape of a brown-brown color up to 1,5 cm in length, with slightly curved scales. They contain oblong brown seeds.
The area of uXNUMXbuXNUMXbuse of the thuja of the folded Martin variety is not limited: it is grown both as a houseplant and as a tub plant in the winter garden. Designers use wood to form single and mass plantings in the backyard. Representatives of the Martin variety make a good coniferous hedge that protects against dust and noise. This type of folded thuja is quite unpretentious to the conditions of detention, it develops well in areas with a temperate climate, is practically undemanding to the quality of the soil, and easily adapts to urban conditions. Other advantages of the Martin variety are its easy adaptability to shearing and shaping, the ability to purify the air and maintain its bright green color throughout the year.
Excelsa
Thuja folded Excelsa variety is an evergreen conifer with a columnar crown shape, a trunk reaching to the top and vertically raised arched branches on its lower part. The Excelsa variety is one of the fastest growing representatives of the thuja: its annual growth is more than 30 cm in height and 10 – 15 cm in width. The height of the conifer in adulthood can be from 12 to 15 m, and the width is 3-5 m.
Thuja folded Excelsa develops best in moist, nutrient-drained, cultivated, acidic or alkaline soil. A serious advantage of the variety is its high level of frost and wind resistance, which allows landscape designers to use it to create hedges. The tree is also able to easily tolerate the conditions of a large city, adapts well to pruning and shaping, retains its rich green color even in winter. The fruits of the Excelsa variety are rounded brown cones. The plant also has scaly, rough, shiny dark green needles. This type of folded thuja is not picky in care, the only important fact in tree maintenance is the level of soil and air moisture.
You can find out more information about some varieties of thuja folded, the features of their growth and cultivation, in the video:
Application in landscape design
Many varieties of thuja folded (Kankan, Kagers, Zapadnaya) are used to decorate garden and summer cottages. Almost all varieties of the plant adapt well to shearing and shaping, which allows you to quickly give the tree the desired shape. Most varieties of trees are undemanding in maintenance and are able to maintain their rich green color throughout the year. Thanks to such rich decorative properties, thuja folded has a fairly wide range of applications: it is used to decorate single and group plantings, create hedges, as well as to create such landscape compositions as rock gardens, rockeries, mixborders, as well as in container options.
Single plantings of the folded thuja look good near the water or on lawns, especially in combination with various types of other ornamental plants. Some varieties of coniferous plants have an unusual crown shape and the aroma of pine needles, which makes the folded thuja an indispensable element in landscape gardening of a garden and summer cottage.
Features of reproduction
To grow as many healthy thuja giant folded seedlings as possible, it is best to get planting material yourself. A tree can propagate in two ways: seed and cuttings.
If the preservation of the plant variety is not a priority, then the seed propagation method can be chosen. To do this, at the end of summer, you need to collect the seeds of the folded thuja and immediately plant them on light and moist soil. In winter, crops must be covered with foil. If sowing is carried out in the spring, then the seeds must first go through the process of monthly stratification.
In order for a new folded thuja plant to retain all the decorative properties of the mother tree, propagation is best done using green or semi-lignified cuttings. The most qualitative process of root formation takes place with the help of planting material, which was harvested at the end of July.
It is best to root cut branches in the garden, under the crown of a tree.
- First you need to dig up the landing site and add peat.
- Pour a layer of sand on top, which will prevent damping.
- Plant branches of folded arborvitae pre-soaked in Epin or Kornevin at an angle to the depth of a layer of sand.
- Top with a jar or bottle.
It is allowed to transfer the folded thuja to a permanent landing site no earlier than next spring.
Planting and care
For planting folded arborvitae, it is best to choose well-drained soil with a high level of moisture: dry soil can significantly slow down the growth of a tree, and its crown will gradually thin out.
In order for the thuja folded to have time to get stronger by winter, it is best to plant the plant in the spring. The planting hole should be about one meter deep with a drainage layer at the bottom. Do not deepen the root neck of the plant when planting.
When planting a folded thuja for a hedge, you should remember the distance between the conifers: it should be within three meters. Forming an alley, the space between plants is increased to five to six meters.
In the first month after planting, the plant needs regular watering: once every seven days, and in areas with a dry climate – twice a week. For one sapling of folded thuja there are more than 10 liters of water. In the evening, you can spray the crown of the plant.
The culture adapts well to transplantation. It is best to hold an event for young seedlings in the spring, and for adult plants at any time of the year.
Peculiarities of growing
Mature specimens of the folded thuja do not need special conditions of detention. Particular attention should be paid to young seedlings, providing them with proper care. In the spring, the folded thuja especially needs to be fed. Nitroammophosphate and any set of complex fertilizers are best suited.
In the spring, pruning is carried out, removing all dried and unnecessary branches, and, if desired, form the necessary shape of the crown. It is equally important to mulch around the conifer with peat, bark and needles. This contributes to the preservation of soil moisture, as well as protection from weeds.
Mature plants tolerate winter well (folded thuja can withstand temperatures below 30 degrees below zero), but it is better for young seedlings to provide reliable shelter from frost and snow piles.
Pests and diseases
Like most conifers, the folded thuja has strong natural immunity, however, under adverse conditions, the risk of tree infection can increase several times. The most common diseases of the folded thuja are:
- Brown Shutte – often the disease manifests itself in the spring, after the snow thaws. On the bright green needles of the plant, yellow, red-brown or black needles begin to appear. The affected areas of the tree begin to cover the oblong fruiting bodies of pathogenic fungi. Having discovered the first symptoms of the disease, it is necessary to begin immediate treatment: cut and burn all damaged branches, and the conifer itself must be sprinkled with a 2% solution of copper sulfate or a special preparation – Fundazol.
- Gray mold – often affects young seedlings of conifer. This disease develops due to too dense planting, lack of ventilation and low light. Thuja shoots acquire a brownish-brown hue. At the initial stage of the disease, spraying the folded thuja with copper sulfate will help save the plant.
- Fuzarioz – a disease of thuja of a fungal nature caused by pathogenic bacteria of the genus Fusarium. This is one of the most insidious coniferous infections that begins at the roots of a tree, which makes it impossible to see the first signs of the disease. After yellowing and complete drying, there is no point in treating the tree. That is why it is very important to carry out the prevention of thuja: before planting, spray with fungicides and prevent waterlogging of the soil in the territory. If in a group planting one thuja seedling died from fusarium, the remaining trees should be watered under the root with a solution of Fundazol, however, it should be understood that such protection cannot give a 100% guarantee.
- stem rot – often this infection affects arborvitae with mechanical damage to the bark and wood. Getting into the formed cracks, moisture begins to turn the injured places into rotting hotbeds of parasitic microflora. To avoid the disease of the folded thuja, it is important to treat the damaged areas of the bark with garden pitch or special preparations in time.
- Phytophthora – the roots of a plant affected by this infection begin to rot gradually, the bark at the bottom of the trunk gradually softens, its surface is covered with pinkish and off-white blooms. The wood under the affected areas of the bark begins to turn brown, a characteristic smell of rot appears, the needles grow dull and soon completely crumble. If signs of phytophthora are found, thuja should be immediately treated with a preparation containing copper, but the best option would be to dispose of the diseased specimen: this is guaranteed to prevent the spread of the disease to other seedlings.
Conclusion
Thuja folded is an evergreen coniferous plant that is actively used to decorate garden and summer cottages. Ephedra has many varieties, each of which is characterized by its unique decorative properties. The plant is unpretentious in care and is able to maintain its green color throughout the year. However, having decided to purchase a folded thuja, it is extremely important to observe agricultural technology, then the thuja will delight with its beautiful view all year round.