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| Thuja plicata
Western redcedarCulture: In its native Pacific Northwest, this plant occurs in moist soils with humid atmospheres along streams in valleys and up moist slopes. It is pH adaptable and prefers full sun to partial shade. It is commonly offered as containerized or balled and burlapped specimens. Current selections tolerate our Midwestern conditions much better than some of the original plants collected from the very moist areas. Bagworms can be a problem and require treatment or removal. One of the most useful characteristics is this species resistance to deer feeding, a valuable characteristic in the Midwest and East where deer populations heavily feed on the Eastern arborvitae. Charles Klehm and Son Nursery, South Barrington, IL offers a cultivar appropriately called 'Deerproof'.Usage: With selection of appropriate genetic sources, the Western redcedar makes excellent large specimens and hedges as well as screens. Beautiful specimens can be seen in Spring Grove Cemetery, Cincinnati, OH. The wood of this species is highly rot resistant and was used by native Americans and settlers for a myriad of construction uses. The extensive use of this plant for the making of cedar shingles had led to extensive depletion of this species in the wild. Peattie describes how the Lewis and Clark expedition to the west coast was dependent upon finding a tree along the way that would be large enough and be easily worked to make large canoes. That native tree turned out to be Thuja plicata which at the time reached 200' in height and up to 20' in diameter. A long list of dwarf and yellow-foliaged forms are now in the trade. 'Green Giant' is a fast-growing hybrid between Thuja plicata and Thuja standishii that grows to a height of 40 to 60'. |
