Thuja occidentalis 'TOSKANA SMARAGD'

Tuscany is a picturesque region in Italy that, from the horticultural point of view, is best known for 3 plant genera: cedars, olive trees, and Italian cypress cupressus sempervirens. I want to drag your attention to the last mentioned item. Italian cypress is a beautiful plant with a tall and slender habit, however, not hardy enough for zones in central Europe. Therefore, as it represents a unique and extraordinary plant type, nurseries in colder countries work hard selecting new plant varieties that would look as close as possible, and obviously withstand frost of zone 6 and lower.

Toskana Smaragd is a fascinating novelty arborvitae as well as a clever idea from a nursery in Germany. They did not come up with a brand new variety, they simply used one that naturally grew slim. The idea was to give it a desired shape from young age to achieve a dense and compact framework that would assure excellent structure for the years to come. Toskana Smaragd is a slow growing conifer of a slender habit and gorgeous emerald green colour all year round, without winter browning.

Thanks to slow growth it needs no or very little pruning, yet we suggest trimming it lightly every couple of years to maintain its slim and columnar shape. It can be done at any time from early spring till early summer. It is soil tolerant but dislikes boggy locations and long-standing water as well as long-lasting drought. Just keep the soil moist after planting by mulching, and provide ample watering in dry spells. Hardy to about -40°C (USDA zone 3).

Last update 26-02-2012