I want to train an evergreen on an arbor that is 8’ high 10’ wide arbor. I need the plant to grow fast but remain narrow. I was thinking of using the green giant arborvitae.
What evergreen would you suggest I use for this project?
Extension
Message
From:
Richard Hentschel
Extension Educator, Horticulture
DuPage/Kane/Kendall Unit hentsche@illinois.edu
I do not believe the species/cultivar is as important as the size you start with. You will need to be able to train the growth from the very beginning and be prepared to regularly train and prune. You want to purchase plants on the smaller side while their "trunks" are still pliable. Use a fastening system that will not restrict stem girth as it grows. Once the younger wood hardens off in place you should be able to remove any fasteners Arbroviate can grow very quickly so attention to training will be multiple times a week. You will also need to control the inside of the arbor as well as the outside. A plant like Green giant naturally will be quite large. You might consider a smaller maturing variety. Emerald Green is popular right now and gets to 10- 12 feet
