|
As
you can see the mature Arborvitae is shorter but still a meaningful
size (about 23-25') for screening..
In
general, the Arborvitae has a much nicer shape naturally: it
continues to go out at the bottom where the Leyland actually dips in
several feet at the bottom (see photo at right) and below.
Obviously,
these are 'cut and pasted' so the edges are a quite sharp but it gives you
an idea of the general shape of each. At the point - the lower 6
feet -- where you might want
dense coverage for privacy, the Leyland dips in, where the mature Arborvitae goes out.
And the foliage of the Arbovitae is a bit more dense.
Arborvitae
are extremely, extremely drought tolerant.
Beautiful,
feathery foliage is the 'Dark Green American' Arborvitae's trademark.
Once
established, Arborvitae are extremely drought tolerant.
A
sample of one of our field grown Arborvitae.
Field
grown Arborvitae
are shallow rooted and need a planting hole that is shallow and wide.
Large Arborvitae are much easier to plant than a similar sized Leyland,
which has a different growth pattern to the roots, and needs a very deep
hole -- about 2-3' deep and wide for a similar sized tree. Much
less digging for the Arborvitae so they're less expensive to plant.
|
This Leyland
above was limbed up at the bottom -- lower limbs removed -- so that
a garden could be planted beneath it. The Leyland is about 32' tall
-- about the max height it will reach in the more dry East. It will
grow much taller in places like Seattle. Notice the shape of the
Leyland below. It curves in at the bottom.
The Leyland is a very fast grower 4-6' per years but it is a hot
weather plant and to get that kind of growth, it must be watered during hot
weather. It is not a great Evergreen to plant in the Fall because it
doesn't root in as well when warm weather has past. The Arborvitae
is a year round
grower. If you plant a Leyland in the Fall, you must water it during
dry periods in the WINTER!
Beautiful Leyland foliage but not as green as the Arborvitae at
left.
We love Leylands
but unfortunately, in the East and South, they've started to develop some
problems with pests. Fast
as rabbits but they're not the best choice for Fall planting unless you're
willing to make a serious commitment to watering during the Winter.
Size Considerations: On small lots or in subdivisions
where houses are very close, the Leyland is almost too tall. You
should come and look at ours and see how they can dwarf the average house
if they're planted too close -- especially a one story ranch. (Yes,
I know the artwork is pathetic -- it's just to give you a sense of the
size of a Leyland if they're very close to a house.) But when you
see that 3-4' Leyland at a nursery or garden center, it's hard to imagine
what's it's going to look like when it's 35 feet tall.
|
