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shrub

Arborvitae 'Emerald Green'

Thuja occidentalis 'Smaragd'

Preview: plant data is awaiting horticulturist review. A professional horticulturist hasn't reviewed our plant table yet. Lists still follow fixed rules for zone, sun, pets, deer and invasive status.

Hardy in zones 3–7, Arborvitae 'Emerald Green' is a slow-growing evergreen shrub. It grows 10–15 ft tall and 3–4 ft wide, so plant it 3 ft apart. Give it full sun to part sun and average water, and it copes with wet soil. It is grown for its year-round foliage rather than its flowers. In a FloraVista list it usually plays the structure role: a shrub that holds the bed's shape at the back all year. It is native to the Northeast and the Midwest. Deer do eat it, and it is toxic to dogs and cats. Our rules leave it out of lists in Florida and the Gulf, Texas and the South-Central states and the Desert Southwest, where summer heat, humidity or mild winters hold it back even inside its zone range.

Facts from our plant table

Botanical name
Thuja occidentalis 'Smaragd'
Plant type
Shrub, evergreen
Hardiness zones
3 to 7
Sun
Full sun (6+ hours); Part sun (4–6 hours)
Water
Medium; tolerates wet soil
Soil
Tolerates clay and moist soil; suffers in drought.
Mature size
10–15 ft tall × 3–4 ft wide
Spacing
3 ft apart (centre to centre)
Growth rate
Slow
Bloom
Grown for foliage
Roles in a bed
Structure
Styles
modern, classic
Deer resistance
Low: deer eat it
Pets
Toxic to dogs and cats. Not on the ASPCA list, but foliage contains thujone oils and stomach upset is reported; marked toxic to be safe.
Native to
Northeast and Midwest
Pot size and price
5-gallon pot, typically $35–$60 (easy to find)
Plant in
Spring or Fall
First-year watering
Water deeply once or twice a week through the first summer, more in heat waves, so the root ball never dries out.
Pruning
Needs no shearing; trim only stray shoots in late spring.

Sources: Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder; ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant list; Rutgers NJAES deer resistance ratings (A-D); state noxious weed lists / Invasive Plant Atlas of the US; typical 2026 US garden-centre and big-box listings. Not yet reviewed by a horticulturist.

Guides that include this plant

Good companions

The plants our list engine most often puts in the same bed as Arborvitae 'Emerald Green', across the sun, zone, pet, deer and style combinations it fits.

If you can't find it

Substitutes our engine offers for Arborvitae 'Emerald Green': same role in the bed, passing the same rules.

How this page was made

This page was generated from this plant's record in FloraVista's plant table by fixed rules. The companions and substitutes come from the lists our rules engine composes. No named expert has reviewed this page.

Data status: the plant table is awaiting review by a horticulturist. Check each plant with a local nursery or extension office before you buy.

Sources

  • Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder, state extension services and the USDA PLANTS database (zones, size, sun, water, bloom, native range)
  • ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant lists (dog and cat toxicity)
  • Rutgers NJAES and regional extension deer-resistance ratings
  • State noxious-weed and invasive-plant lists and the Invasive Plant Atlas of the US
  • Typical US garden-centre listings (pot size and price band)

Generated . How FloraVista chooses plants