Content
- 1 General description of thuja
- 2 Types and varieties of thuja with photos and names
- 3 Varieties of thuja in the shape and size of the crown
- 4 Thuja varieties for regions
- 5 Fast growing varieties of thuja
- 6 Thuja varieties with an unusual color of needles
- 7 Interesting facts about thuja
- 8 Conclusion
Thuja - species and varieties with photos are of interest to many gardeners, since an evergreen tree can decorate any site. There are countless varieties of plants, 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 low-growing 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 - it is easy to care for thuja;
- calmly tolerates bad environmental conditions, therefore, it is possible to 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-colored. 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 convenient variety to grow, which will truly decorate the space.
Western thuja (Thujaoccidentalis)
Western thuja is the most common plant species with the largest number of cultivars. 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 as it grows, it begins to branch strongly, the leaves of the western thuja are dull green, up to 7 mm each. Western thuja bears oblong brown cones 8-13 mm long.
The most popular varieties of western thuja are Danica and Brabant, Woodward and Reingold, Holmstrup. You can also name several less known species and varieties of western thuja with a photo.
Zmatlik
A low green thuja with a columnar crown, reaching 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 distinguished by increased frost resistance. The peculiarity of the thuja of the Zmatlik variety is 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.
Aureospicata
The Aureospikata 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 rate and by the age of 10 it 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 alleys.
Tiny Tim
Western thuja of the Tini Tim variety belongs to spherical dwarf plants, by 10 years it can reach only 30 cm in height. Thuja needles are thick and scaly, dark green in summer and bronze in winter. The advantage of the dwarf western thuja is that it perfectly retains its shape - it is almost not necessary to form a crown in a plant.
Folded thuja, or giant (Thujaplicata)
It is not for nothing that the folded variety of thuja is called giant; the tallest plant varieties belong to this species. In North America, under natural growing conditions, a tree can reach 70 m, and in cultivated plantings in Russia it often grows up to 15-30 m.
The crown of folded thuja during the growth period is conical, then takes the shape 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, Vipcord and Forever Goldie. There are other varieties that deserve attention.
Zebrina
Unusual variegated variety of folded thuja. The plant owes its name to the original color of the needles, the needles of the thuja 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 surface of the earth, and in a year it adds 20 cm in growth.
The crown of the variety is wide, conical, loose at a young age, but then more dense. Thuja Zebrina is characterized by increased moisture-loving nature, grows well on moist and even slightly swampy soils.
Atrovirens
Thuja of the Atrovirens variety is 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 conical, directed vertically upwards and consisting of dense dark green shoots.
The Atrovirens variety prefers moist and even damp soils, so there is no need to worry about the health of 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 tint. Regularly, the eastern thuja brings cones - up to 2 cm in length each, with a bluish bloom on the scales.
Among the popular varieties of oriental thuja, several can be distinguished.
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, the leaves of the thuja are tightly pressed to the shoots, the crown is ovoid and extended upward. For a year, Aurea Nana grows only 10 cm maximum, therefore it is well suited for the formation of low live borders and hedges, for creating coniferous compositions.
Morgan
The Australian variety grows to a maximum of 1.5 m in height, has a pyramidal, pointed crown up to 90 cm wide. Thuja Morgan grows by 5-7 cm per year and almost does not need additional formation.
Japanese thuja (Thujastandishii)
Japanese thuja grows naturally on the islands of Shikoku and Honshu and is considered sacred by the Japanese. The tree can reach a height of 20 m in the wild and 9 m in cultivated plantings, the branches of the thuja are directed upwards and form a pyramidal crown. A distinctive feature of thuja is the deep green color of the needles on top and a silvery-blue tint on the lower inner side.
The Japanese thuja prefers shaded areas with fertile soils. This variety is practically not represented by breeding varieties; Japanese thuja is grown mostly unchanged.
Korean thuja (Thujakoraiensis)
Korean thuja reaches an average of 8 m in height, has a loose conical or spreading crown and is found naturally 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 takes on a very graceful appearance.
Korean thuja can be purchased unchanged in nurseries, but the plant is almost not represented by individual varieties.
Glauka Prostrata
One of the few breeding varieties of Korean thuja belongs to the dwarf and reaches 60 cm in height in adult form. 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 Prostrat 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 types, 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 has a dense and dense crown in the shape of a ball. Most often, such plants are dwarf - the crown starts right from the ground. Spherical thuja are well suited for planting in coniferous compositions; they are often placed along the edges of ridges and terraces.
Spherical thuja is mainly varietal. Among the main varieties are:
- Danik;
- Globoza;
- Teddy;
- Hoseri;
- Reingold.
Also noteworthy are the following varieties.
- Teeny Tim - a low spherical thuja, capable of reaching 1.5 m in height, is ideal for the formation of live borders and coniferous flower beds. It is undemanding in maintenance, 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 illuminated areas and tolerates almost any soil, so it is easy to care for the plant.
- Stolvik - dwarf thuja, which is also popular in Russia. At a young age, the form of the green crown of the plant is rather domed, however, by the age of 10, the thuja reaches about 1 m in height and grows significantly in width. Thanks to this, the crown of the plant becomes loose, but spherical in shape. Stolvik is also well suited for solo planting and coniferous compositions.
Pyramidal
No less popular are the photos and names of thuja varieties with a pyramidal crown, in the lower part such trees grow very widely, and upward they noticeably narrow and sharpen. The most popular varieties include:
- Emerald;
- Yellow Ribbon;
- Sunkist.
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 becomes denser. The color of the needles of Pyramidalis Compact is green, with a bluish tint at a young age.The Kompakta variety is frost-hardy, prefers shaded areas and slightly acidic soils.
Columnar
Columnar thuja are distinguished by their grace and attractiveness - they usually have high and medium growth. But their crown, in contrast to the pyramidal varieties, retains approximately the same diameter along the entire height.
Among the known varieties of columnar thuja are:
- Columna;
- Holmstrup;
- Malonian.
The columnar variety of thuja Fastigiata deserves attention. This variety of German origin has a dense green crown of no more than 3 m in diameter, and can reach a maximum of 15 m in height. Columnar thuja Fastigiata is well suited for the formation of alleys and hedges, can serve as a spectacular background for multi-piece coniferous compositions.
High Tui varieties
If it is necessary to form a hedge, then attention should be paid to the tall varieties of thuja. Among them are Brabant and Columna, which can reach 10-20 m, and Fastigiata, which grows up to 15 m.
Tall varieties can also be attributed to thuja Degrut Spire - this plant reaches 3 m in height, but even such a tree looks quite tall in a summer cottage. Degrut 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 thuja varieties
The photo of low-growing varieties of thuja shows that they are especially popular in landscape design, since they allow you to create a variety of coniferous flower beds and artistic compositions. Most dwarf varieties are globular thuja, for example, Golden Globe and Golden Smaragd, Miriam and Bowling Ball, Woodwardi.
An interesting dwarf variety of thuja - 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 surface of the crown, resembling a lichen, it is formed by fan-shaped lateral branches with a lighter shade.
Thuja varieties for regions
In general, thuja is considered an unpretentious plant that tolerates winter frosts well. But the indicators of winter hardiness for different varieties are not the same, so before planting it will not hurt to find out which thuja is better to grow in a particular region.
- Moscow suburbs... The best varieties of thuja for the Moscow region with photos and names are Smaragd (up to - 40 ° C), Hozeri (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).
- Ural... In the Urals, where summer heat is replaced by strong winter frosts, thujas Danica, Globoza, Wagneri and Brabant are well suited (they all belong to climatic zone 3).
- Middle lane... In central Russia, 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 thuja 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 Thuja folded Gelderland - a plant with a conical crown is capable of reaching 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 has a dense crown with a pale green tint in spring and summer, golden and copper in autumn and winter.
Thuja 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.
- Glauka Prostrata - variety of blue thuja. This plant, belonging to the Korean type of thuja and not exceeding 60 cm in height, has a bluish-green tint 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 remains throughout the year, the plant does not change color in the cold months, like most varieties of thuja. The Foreve Goldi variety 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 sun and 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 decorative effect soon.
Interesting facts about thuja
Thuja is known not only for a huge number of varieties, but also for some interesting features.
- The plant is resistant to bad ecology and also makes the air around it healthier, planting a thuja on the site will help improve the atmosphere in its 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 its unique composition, the tree has increased resistance to fungi and parasites, thuja rarely gets sick on the site.
In many countries, in ancient times, thuja was revered as a sacred tree - the reason for this was both the unusual aroma and the numerous useful properties of the plant.
Conclusion
Thuja - species and varieties with photos are presented in 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.
