Plant Green Giants Not Leyland Cypress

Leyland cypresses, XCupressocyparis leylandii, areworthy of also taking the Green Giant name. , ,
not fairing well in many landscapes. It is a fastand The Green Giant Arborvitae is more properly
growing tree used in boarders and screens thatnamed by tree scientists the "Thuja Plicata," with
had relatively few pest problems. Now is has beenthe other common historic names being, "giant
suffering from branch die-back. Sadly, it can causecedar," also "western cedar," and "red cedar."
the death of the tree. Seiridium canker is theThere's only one other Arborvitae specie in all of
cause. This disease is not to the point of wipingNorth America, the "eastern cedar," or "white
out this tree, but I would recommend not plantingcedar," with "Thuja Occidentalis," as the tree
this tree as it likely will in the future be a majorscientist's Latin name, the botanist's name. This
concern. Why plant a tree that is not going to beshort tree is actually what we usually think of
healthy or is suspect? Thus landscape designerswhen the "genus" juniper is mentioned.
should seek a replacement for the LeylandFunny that the eastern cedar was given the Latin
Cypress. One great choice is the Green Giantname for "west" which is "occidental." You see?
Arborvitae. Green Giant arborvitae is becoming aAs I have observed before, what's in a name?
superstar in the plant world. It is the most popularHighland Hill Farm is not located in a town called
arborvitae next to the Emerald Green Arbor vita.Highland Hills, or, on Highland Hill Road, etc. Scottish
The reason for its success is that it fills landscapeHighland Hills cows that we grazed on our first
needs that are important. It will help block largeproperty provided our company with a distinctive
unsightly neighbors quickly and is basically pestname when we sold our first trees in 1978.
free. It is also a plant that is in the public domainGreen Giant Arborvitae ranges naturally all across
and not protected by a patent. Thus anyone canthe United States from Massachusetts,
propagate this plant. The original Green Giant gotsouthwesterly to Texas and New Mexico, through
its name not from ancient lore, but from unusuallynorthern Arizona, up the Sierra Nevada Mountains
extra large, hence "giant," green peas. Theseto the state of Washington, and British Columbia
"Green Giant Peas" were a new "strain," a newbeyond.
species, introduced by the Minnesota ValleyWhat does arborvitae mean anyway? Now that
Canning Company in 1925. You see, these werewe know about the derivation of "Green Giant,"
huge peas when compared to the previouslyhere's how the Latin name Arborvitae, or "tree of
marketed baby peas early-picked in June (that'slife," came about. As the first explorers of Canada
sure early in co-o-o-old Minnesota). LeSueur babywere mapping the St. Lawrence River in 1536, the
peas are still sold today in their classic silver cantree was used for medicine which saved their
as a gourmet vegetable. Founded back in 1903,leader and most of the men too. Jacques Cartier
Minnesota Valley Canning was a pea companyexplored the islands off eastern Canada, and then
located along the Minnesota River, which was thesailed westward where he entered the St.
Dakota Sioux name for "cloudy water," justLawrence River and found Quebec and a Royal
southwest of Minneapolis and St. Paul, the stateMountain (Mont Real, which is now called
capital. This is where there's a bottom land"Montreal"). Cartier was searching for the passage
"confluence" with the even cloudier, soil-rich,to China so many other explorers would also fail
muddier Mississippi River. The whole area, includingto find. Cartier and his men had to spend a long
surrounding towns like LeSueur, got the title, thewinter inside a little fort, away from the any sun,
"Minnesota Valley." Ohhh. And where did THATwhere they subsisted on meat, fish, and bread,
name, LeSeur, come from you may beeating no fruits or vegetables. As scurvy was
wondering? Lesueur is the name of the originalkilling most all of them, a friendly Huron Indian
explorer of the area, a Frenchmen of the earlygave Cartier's crew tea made from the needles
1700's. Minnesota is amidst the land of Pauland bark of a tree which looked like the white
Bunyan and his blue ox Babe, tall tales about themcedars of Europe. So Cartier took some trees
a part of he culture. Maybe the stories gave riseback to France with him, these Thuja Occidentalis
to ideas for how to advertise Green Giant Peas.Eastern White Cedars, naming them "Arborvitae,"
The "Jolly Green Giant" became incredibly popularthe tree of life. How about that?
as the way to advertise those Green Giant PeasArborvitae are native to the pacific northwest
and by 1950 he was an "icon" as we say today.where they grow to 200 feet tall, usually 50 to
There was a cartoon character created,70 feet is the common height, even including here
ubiquitous TV commercials and print advertising,in Bucks county. Arborvitae do best in wet
even "giant-sized" highway billboards, so theforests and swamps. The Green Giant
company changed its name to his. So that isappearance is due to this specie's wide 15-25 foot
where the "Green Giant" comes from, 20thwide base, the slightly tapering conical shape, and
century modern marketing, not ancient lore. Thethe dense branches and leaves casting great dark
Green Giant Thuja Plicata is in the same Junipershadows. The Arborvitae grows in zones 6 to 8,
family as the original "tree of life" Arborvitae, butenvironments with temperatures that get as low
with growth rates as fast as three feet per yearas 10 degrees below 0 Fahrenheit, such as in
(gee, bamboo's the fastest grower at five feetMissouri or Pennsylvania, to environments where
per, but it's just grass). Thuja Plicata trees growwinter temperatures get only as low as 20
to heights beyond 200 feet in the Pacificdegrees above 0 Fahrenheit, such as mid-Texas
Northwest, this Western Red Cedar is indeedand northern Florida.