Tui varieties with photos and descriptions: tall, short (dwarf)

Thuja – species and varieties with photos are of interest to many gardeners, since an evergreen tree can decorate any area. There are countless plant varieties, so it makes sense to single out several classifications at once.

General description of thuja

Evergreen thuja from the Cypress family is a tree or shrub with a conical, spherical or columnar crown shape. It is easy to recognize thuja by the original shape of the leaves, they look more like scales, and in young seedlings they look like needles. An adult thuja, depending on the species, can grow up to 70 m, however, medium-sized and undersized variants of trees and shrubs are more common, they are popular in gardening.

Thuja differs from other conifers, first of all, in its growing characteristics. In particular, the plant

• has high frost resistance and can grow in almost any region;
• very resistant to diseases and pests – thuja is easy to care for;
• calmly tolerates poor environmental conditions, so you can plant thuja in areas located near major roads, and even within the city;
• has unusual and clearly defined geometric shapes of the crown, so it looks very attractive in landscape design.

Unlike pines, firs, cypresses and junipers, thuja is not only green and blue, but also golden, yellow, two-tone. Artificially bred varieties delight with a wide variety of tall and dwarf thujas, spherical and columnar trees.

Types and varieties of thuja with photos and names

Before planting a shrub on your site, it is worth studying the types and varieties of thuja with photos and names. This will allow you to choose the most attractive and easy-to-grow variety that will truly brighten up the space.

Western thuja (Thujaoccidentalis)

Western thuja is the most common type of plant with the largest number of varieties. The western thuja most often grows quite high, from 5 to 20 m in height, and the crown diameter can be 5 m. The crown of young plants is compact and neat, but begins to branch strongly as it grows, the leaves of the western thuja are dull green, up to 7 mm each. Western thuja brings oblong brown cones 8-13 mm long.

The most popular varieties of western thuja are Danica and Brabant, Woodwardy and Reingold, Holmstrup. You can also name several lesser-known species and varieties of western thuja with a photo.

Zmatlik (Zmatlik)

A low green thuja with a columnar crown, reaches a maximum of 2 m in height and 0,5 m in width. It has spirally twisted branches, grows well both in the shade and in bright light, and is characterized by increased frost resistance. The peculiarity of the thuja of the Zmatlik variety lies in its very slow growth – by the age of 10 the tree can reach only 1,5 m, and at the same time, the thuja requires very rarely cutting.

Ауреоспиката (Aureospicata)

Aureospicata variety is a coniferous shrub with a conical or pyramidal crown and interesting colors. The needles of the plant are dark green, but in hot weather the tips of the branches acquire a golden hue, making the thuja look very beautiful and spectacular.

Aureospicata grows at an average speed and by the age of 10 can reach 3 m, and old trees grow up to 6 m in height and up to 4,5 m in crown diameter. The tree tolerates shading well, is undemanding to the soil and is ideal for single plantings or creating small avenues.

Tiny Tim (TinyTim)

The western thuja of the Tiny Tim variety belongs to spherical dwarf plants, by the age of 10 it can reach only 30 cm in height. The needles of the arborvitae are thick and scaly, dark green in summer and bronze in winter. The advantage of the dwarf western thuja is that it retains its shape perfectly – it is almost not necessary to form a crown for the plant.

Folded thuja, or giant (Thujaplicata)

It is not for nothing that the folded variety of thuja is called giant; this species includes the tallest plant varieties. In North America, under natural growing conditions, a tree can reach 70 m, and in cultivated plantings in Our Country it often grows up to 15-30 m.

The crown of the folded thuja during the growth period is conical, then takes the form of a cone. The giant thuja is easy to recognize by the leaves on top, they are bright green, and on the underside with a grayish tint and white spots. Folded thuja brings elongated oblong cones up to 2 cm long.

Among the popular varieties of folded thuja are Kornik, Whipcord and Forever Goldie. There are other varieties that deserve attention.

Zebrina (Zebrina)

An unusual variegated variety of folded arborvitae. The plant owes its name to the original color of the needles, the needles of the arborvitae are green with yellow stripes. The Zebrina variety grows up to 12 m, while at the age of 10 years the plant rises about 2,5 m above the ground, and grows by 20 cm in a year.

The crown of the variety is wide, conical in shape, loose at a young age, but then more dense. Thuja Zebrina is characterized by increased moisture-loving, grows well on moist and even slightly waterlogged soils.

Atrovirens (Atrovirens)

Thuja varieties Atrovirens – a columnar plant, reaching 15 m in height and 5 m in crown diameter. In a year, the tree adds about 30 cm, the crown of the thuja is cone-shaped, directed vertically upwards and consisting of dense dark green shoots.

The Atrovirens variety prefers moist and even damp soils, so you can not worry about the health of the thuja in areas with heavy rainfall and little sun.

Eastern thuja (Tujaorientalis)

Among the species and varieties of thuja with a description, there is an oriental thuja, which grows mainly in China and Asian countries. The plant is distinguished by an average height of up to a maximum of 15 m, a spreading ovoid crown up to 4 m wide and green leaves with a golden hue. Oriental thuja regularly brings cones – up to 2 cm in length each, with a bluish coating on the scales.

Among the popular varieties of eastern thuja, there are several.

Aurea Nana (Aurea Nana)

This variety belongs to the dwarf category and reaches only about 70 cm after 10 years of growth. The needles of the variety are yellow-green in color, the leaves of the thuja are tightly pressed to the shoots, the crown is ovoid and elongated upwards. During the year, Aurea Nana grows only 10 cm maximum, therefore it is well suited for the formation of low living borders and hedges, for creating coniferous compositions.

Morgan

The Australian variety grows up to a maximum of 1,5 m in height, has a pyramidal, pointed crown up to 90 cm wide. Thuya Morgan grows by 5-7 cm per year and almost does not need additional shaping.

Japanese thuja (Thujastandishii)

Japanese thuja grows naturally on the islands of Shikoku and Honshu and is considered sacred by the Japanese. In height, the tree can reach 20 m in the wild and 9 m in cultural plantings, the branches of the arborvitae are directed upwards and form a pyramidal crown. A distinctive feature of the thuja is the rich green color of the needles on top and a silver-blue tint on the lower inner side.

Japanese thuja prefers shady places with fertile soils. This variety is practically not represented by breeding varieties; Japanese thuja is grown mainly unchanged.

Korean thuja (Thujakoraiensis)

The Korean thuja reaches an average of 8 m in height, has a loose conical or spreading crown, and is naturally found in China and Korea on the mountain slopes. The leaves of the plant are green, silvery on the underside, thin shoots are slightly bent upward, due to which the thuja acquires a very elegant appearance.

Korean thuja can be purchased unchanged in nurseries, however, the plant is almost not represented by individual varieties.

Glauka Prostrata (Glauka Prostrata)

One of the few breeding varieties of Korean thuja is dwarf and reaches 60 cm in height as an adult. The thuja grows very slowly, but it looks very impressive – the thin openwork branches of the thuja are covered with small needles of a bluish-green hue and slightly resemble fern leaves. It is best to grow the Glauka Prostrata variety in the sun, in the shade it loses its decorative appearance.

Varieties of thuja in the shape and size of the crown

It is customary to subdivide thuja not only into species, but also into categories according to the shape and size of the crown. There are several main varieties of thuja with photos and names.

Spherical

As the name implies, the spherical thuja is distinguished by a dense and dense crown in the shape of a ball. Most often, these plants are dwarf – the crown starts right from the ground. Spherical arborvitae are well suited for planting in coniferous compositions; they are often placed along the edges of ridges and terraces.

Spherical thuja – mostly varietal. Among the main varieties can be listed:

• to Danic;
• Globose;
• Teddy;
• Khosery;
• Rheingold.

The following varieties also deserve attention.

• Tiny Tim – a low spherical thuja, capable of reaching 1,5 m in height, ideal for the formation of living borders and coniferous flower beds. It is undemanding in care, almost does not need a decorative haircut due to its slow growth. The crown of the variety is dark green, the variety grows well in lit areas and tolerates almost any soil, so it is easy to care for the plant.

  

• Stolvik – dwarf thuja, also popular in Our Country. At a young age, the shape of the green crown of the plant is rather domed, but by the age of 10, the thuja reaches about 1 m in height and grows significantly in width. Due to this, the crown of the plant becomes loose, but spherical in shape. The table is also well suited for solo planting and coniferous compositions.

  

Pyramidal

Photos and names of thuja varieties with a pyramidal crown are no less popular; in the lower part, such trees grow very widely, and noticeably narrow and sharpen upwards. The most popular varieties include:

• Emerald;
• Yellow Ribbon;
• Sankist.

You also need to highlight the thuja Pyramidalis Compact, this variety is a small shrub or tree with a maximum height of 10 m. At a young age, the pyramidal crown of the plant is rather loose, but subsequently compacted. The color of the needles of Pyramidalis Compact is green, with a bluish tint at a young age. The Compact variety is frost-resistant, prefers shady places and slightly acidic soils.

Columnar

Columnar thujas are distinguished by grace and attractiveness – they usually have high and medium height. But their crown, unlike the pyramidal varieties, retains approximately the same diameter over the entire height.

Among the well-known varieties of columnar thuja are:

• Column;
• Holmstrup;
• Malonian.

Attention deserves the columnar variety of Tui Fastigiata. This variety of German origin has a dense green crown no more than 3 m in diameter, and can reach a maximum height of 15 m.

Varieties of high thuja

If it is necessary to form a hedge, then attention should be paid specifically to tall varieties of arborvitae. Among them are Brabant and Columna, which can reach 10-20 m, and Fastigiata, which grows up to 15 m.

Thuja Degroot Spire can also be attributed to tall varieties – this plant reaches 3 m in height, but even such a tree looks quite tall in a summer cottage. Degroot Spire has a narrow conical crown shape and a rich green tint. The plant is unpretentious, feels good in sunny areas with well-drained light soils.

Dwarf varieties of thuja

The photo of undersized thuja varieties shows that they are especially popular in landscape design, as they allow you to create a variety of coniferous flower beds and artistic compositions. Most dwarf varieties are globular arborvitae, for example, Golden Globe and Golden Smaragd, Miriam and Bowling Ball, Woodwardy.

An interesting dwarf thuja variety is Waterfield, which is a rounded plant with a dense crown, which reaches only 0,5 m in height by 10 years of age. Thuja Waterfield grows slowly, no more than 5 cm per year. A distinctive feature of the variety is a very textured crown surface, resembling a lichen, it is formed by fan-shaped lateral branches with a lighter shade.

Tui varieties for regions

In general, thuja is considered an unpretentious plant that tolerates winter frosts well. But the winter hardiness indicators for different varieties are not the same, so before planting it does not hurt to find out which thuja is best grown in a particular region.

• Moscow. The best varieties of thuja for the Moscow region with photos and names are Smaragd (up to -40 ° C), Khozeri (up to – 40 ° C), Brabant (up to – 40 ° C).
• Siberia. In the harsh climatic conditions of Siberia, you can grow thuja Danica (up to -40 ° C), Reingold (up to – 40 ° C), Globoza (up to – 40 ° C).
• Urals. In the Urals, where summer heat gives way to severe winter frosts, Danica, Globoza, Wagneri and Brabant thujas are well suited (they all belong to climate zone 3).
• Middle band. In central Our Country, thuja Holmstrup (zone 3, up to -40 ° C) and Columna (zone 4, up to – 34 ° C) grow well.

Fast growing varieties of thuja

For planting hedges and creating borders, the fastest growing varieties of arborvitae are usually used – this helps to get the desired result faster. Plant varieties with rapid growth include Brabant and Columna, Fastigiata and Golden Brabant.

An interesting variety is the thuja folded Gelderland – a plant with a cone-shaped crown can reach a maximum of 5 m in height and at the same time adds about 25 cm annually. Therefore, when planting a finished thuja seedling, a full-fledged result can be expected in a few years. Thuja Gelderland is distinguished by a dense crown with a soft green tint in spring and summer, golden and copper in autumn and winter.

Tui varieties with an unusual color of needles

The standard color for thuja is green, but some varieties are ready to please with an interesting variety of shades.

• Glauca Prostrata – a variety of blue thuja. This plant, belonging to the Korean species of thuja and not exceeding 60 cm in height, has a bluish-green shade of the crown, and the lower surface of the leaves of the shrub is silvery. Glauka Prostrata looks very impressive in well-lit areas, since it is in the sun that the decorative features of the plant become noticeable.

  

• Foreve Goldie – Variety “Wellow” with yellow-green bright needles. A feature of the thuja is that the color of the crown is preserved throughout the year, the plant does not change color in the cold months, like most varieties of thuja. Variety Foreve Goldie grows rather slowly and reaches a maximum height of no more than 2 m, it looks very impressive in coniferous compositions and hedges.

  

It is necessary to mention the golden variety of thuja Golden Minaret – a plant with a pyramidal crown of a bronze-yellow hue. Feels equally good in the sun and in light shade, can grow up to 4 m in height. However, the growth is only about 10 cm per year, so you should not expect quick results from the variety – a hedge or a composition will not acquire a full-fledged decorative effect soon.

Interesting facts about thuja

Thuja is known not only for a huge number of varieties, but also for some curious features.

• The plant is resistant to poor ecology and also improves the air around, planting thuja on the site will help improve the atmosphere in your possessions.
• If you rub the thuja leaves between your fingers, you can feel a very pleasant aroma, the leaves contain essential oils that have a beneficial effect on the body.
• Due to the unique composition, the tree has an increased resistance to fungi and parasites; the thuja on the site is very rarely sick.

In many countries in antiquity, thuja was revered as a sacred tree – the reason for this was both the unusual aroma and the numerous beneficial properties of the plant.

Conclusion

Thuja – species and varieties with photos are represented by dozens of options, and gardeners can choose almost any variety for their site. Most varieties of thuja, regardless of the height and shape of the crown, are extremely unpretentious and frost-resistant, which greatly simplifies their cultivation.