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For many Europeans, thuja has long been a familiar representative of the flora, almost as common as spruce or pine. Meanwhile, its homeland is North America, and it has nothing to do with European plants. But this did not prevent thuja from becoming one of the most sought-after crops in horticulture. On the contrary, its unpretentiousness attracts even those connoisseurs of plants who have no experience in cultivating conifers. The following photos of arborvitae in the landscape design of a summer cottage and tips for creating spectacular compositions will help growers find inspiration for decorating their local areas.
What is combined with thuja in landscape design
Thuja is not without reason a favorite plant for landscape design. It is not only highly decorative, but also goes well with various horticultural crops.
The most obvious companion for the western thuja will be another thuja. Moreover, it often does not matter which varieties of these conifers are adjacent to each other – they will grow successfully if there is enough space between the trees, and the planting site is flooded with sun.
Being a tree from the Coniferous class, the western thuja looks great in landscape design, surrounded by related species, as you can see by looking at the photo below. The combination of thuja with other conifers is very popular for landscaping the site, creating rockeries and flower beds that imitate forest flora. The advantage of this design is that its elements do not lose their decorative effect throughout the year and do not depend on the change of seasons. The main thing when choosing crops for planting is to focus on rocks that grow in soils with approximately the same level of acidity. Otherwise, too high or too low pH values will inhibit their development.
Landscape compositions are very spectacular, in which the beauty of the arborvitae is emphasized by deciduous crops. Such combinations look the most luxurious in terms of design and give the gardener more room for imagination. However, it is worthwhile to combine dissimilar plants with caution, since the risk of making a mistake with the color and stylistic solution in this case is much higher. In addition, due to biological characteristics, not all cultures are able to get along next to the thuja. For this reason, it is worth first carefully studying all the nuances of cultivating a crop, and only then apply the knowledge gained in practice, carefully selecting companion plants for thuja.
Landscape compositions with thujas depending on the type and variety
Due to the fact that thuja is able to organically fit into almost any design, it is used to create many landscape compositions, where it can equally well play a dominant role or complement the creative idea as a background.
So, thuja can become an original design solution for decorating the entrance area in the form of an alley, even in a small summer cottage, which can be clearly seen in the photo. As a rule, tall varieties with a pyramidal or cone-shaped crown are used for this purpose, such as Brabant, Columna or Douglas Pyramidalis. In addition to being used in landscape design, in the territories of private houses, thuja is used in urban conditions, planting pedestrian roads with it on both sides. It adds style and presence to offices, educational and health institutions, shops and cafes.
Hedges are often used to divide a garden into functional zones or mark the boundaries of summer cottages, parks and squares. Depending on the requirements of landscape design, both low-growing varieties and taller thujas are chosen for them. Among the former, it is worth noting the varieties of Globoz, Hovea and Danica, of the latter, thuja Smaragd, Kristata, Holmstrup or Wagneri are suitable for hedges.
To outline the contour of garden paths or to complete the landscape composition, a curb made of arborvitae of arbitrary or closed shape, respectively, will help. Neat exquisite borders are obtained from low spherical varieties such as Danica, Teddy Reingold.
Although single-element compositions with thujas can attract a lot of looks, the use of these plants in landscape design in combination with ornamental shrubs, trees and perennial flowers is no less interesting, since it requires not only a developed aesthetic taste, but also an idea of the compatibility of cultures.
The combination of thuja and hydrangea in landscape design
A win-win candidate for a companion plant for arborvitae in landscape design is a beautiful hydrangea. This perennial deciduous shrub or tree, 1,5 to 10 m high, wins hearts with its profuse flowering that lasts from late spring to late autumn. Panicle hydrangea looks especially impressive in the neighborhood of thuja. The large corymbose inflorescences of this plant are colored in white, pink, lilac, crimson and even greenish tones and will add bright accents to any design decision with thujas. Hydrangea flowers rich in shades, located between the columnar varieties of thuja Smaragd, Columna or Fastigiata, will create associations with the Mediterranean garden and somewhat refresh the dark shades of the conifer crown. Tui, in turn, due to the phytoncides released into the environment, will prevent the occurrence of diseases in hydrangeas and reduce the risk of pest attacks. When planting a hydrangea next to thujas, it is worth providing it with a space for growth equal to approximately 2 – 2,5 meters.
How thuja is combined with ornamental trees and shrubs
In addition to hydrangea, other shrubs will also make a worthy pair of thuja in landscape design:
- barberry;
- bladderworm;
- rhododendron;
- turf;
- Chubushnik;
- weigela hybrid
- Japanese spirea;
- euonymus;
- Kuril tea;
- bay leaves;
- magnolia;
- hibiscus.
An interesting effect can be achieved if boxwood is planted next to the thuja. Both of these plants tolerate pruning well, and therefore will look good together with formed crowns.
Small shrubs and herbaceous ground cover crops will help hide patches of bare ground between arborvitae and other large landscaping elements. Among them, they have proven themselves well:
- Erika;
- cotoneaster Dummer;
- bryozoan;
- quarry;
- thyme.
Tui should not be planted in the immediate vicinity of birches and bird cherry, as the conifer will inhibit their development. In addition, such a neighborhood will not benefit fruit trees and shrubs, since they do not tolerate phytoncides, which are abundant in arborvitae.
What colors are combined with thuja
Perennial and annual flowers are also suitable for thuja as companion crops in landscape design, for example:
- alissum;
- phlox of Drummond;
- subulate phlox;
- fragrant tobacco;
- lavender;
- primrose;
- lobelia;
- wanted
- stonecrop;
- Iberis;
- periwinkles;
- inexpensive Waller;
- semi-shrub clematis;
- geranium;
- iris;
- petunia
- poppy;
- delphinium;
- badan;
- pansies.
Compositions of thujas and roses look very unusual in the landscape design of the site, especially if spherical conifers or trees with a compact crown are used. Despite the seeming incompatibility, it is quite possible to plant these plants together if you maintain a distance of 1,5 – 2 m between roses and thujas. So the root systems of plants will not interfere with the development of each other.
But asters, dahlias and peonies will not be the best neighbors for thuja.
Features of the use of thuja in the landscape of cottages, plots, gardens
Most of the above-described thuja compositions are applicable not only for landscaping parks and the urban landscape, but also for summer cottages. It all depends on the gardener’s imagination and sense of color. However, there are some features that are important to keep in mind for those who want to ennoble their home with thuja compositions.
- Don’t be afraid to experiment. Thuja in landscape design in the country can be combined with plants of different types – medium or low, grown in pots and growing in open ground.
- It is not recommended to plant a large number of tall thujas on a small plot of land, as they need a lot of space and, in addition, they can shade other plants. If it is not planned to make a hedge from thuja, it is worth planting such varieties at a distance from each other and surrounding them with other conifers or deciduous crops.
- Most thujas tolerate pruning well. The formation of the crown from the first days of cultivation will allow you to create an interesting landscape decoration for a summer residence.
- In order to emphasize the decorativeness of the thuja, along with ground cover plants, it is worth using several stones of different sizes in the landscape design of the garden.
- To arrange a cottage with the use of thuja, it is not necessary to plant them in open ground. With the help of small, neat potted trees, you can decorate not only the entrance area or terrace, but even a balcony or loggia.
- Next to the thuja, it is best to plant crops that grow well in slightly acidic soils, because, as they grow, this conifer somewhat oxidizes the soil.
Compositions with thujas in landscape design
Landscape design compositions with thujas are not limited to borders, hedges and alleys. The luxurious appearance of the thuja makes it a completely self-sufficient decorative element, which is why this plant is often used as a tapeworm.
In addition, thuja serves as an effective culture for creating group compositions of 3-5 coniferous plants in landscape design. Conifers of different colors are particularly impressive stand out from the environment. Such a group can only be composed of thujas of different varieties or dilute the design with spruces, junipers and fir.
Thuja can be made part of a coniferous-shrub mixborder. As in its floral variations, the largest plants are placed in the background with a gradual decrease in height as you move towards the front row. At the same time, in landscape design, it is desirable to vary colors, textures and crown shapes.
Thuja is also suitable for decorating flower beds and flower beds. In them, preference is usually given to compact cultures of small size in contrasting colors. As a basis for flower beds, alpine slides or a lawn can act.
Rules for care and pruning for the best result
In order for the thuja to retain its decorative appearance for a long time and serve as a striking element of landscape design, sufficient attention should be paid to caring for this unassuming plant:
- Watering the plant should be carried out at least 1 – 2 times a week, spending 10 liters of water for each tree. Young seedlings should be watered even more often.
- Regular watering should be combined with crown sprinkling.
- It is advisable to fertilize the plant no more than 1 – 2 times a year, depending on the variety.
- Plants up to 2 – 3 years old are covered for the winter from frost with non-woven material.
- Pruning plays an important role in caring for thuja. It is necessary to carry out sanitary cutting of trees 2 times a year, removing dry branches and old reddish needles. If the crown of the plant is too dense, it must be thinned out so that parasites do not start in it.
- If desired, the thuja is subjected to a decorative haircut, cutting off the branches by 1/3 at a time, so that the crown matches the natural shape or forms a curly silhouette. Such pruning is carried out 1 – 2 times annually, focusing on the growth of green mass.
Conclusion
As can be understood from the above photo of the thuja in the landscape design of the summer cottage, this plant has high decorative qualities and goes well with a wide list of plants. These properties of the ephedra give plant breeders the opportunity to show all their imagination and create unique plant compositions on the site.
