Thuja plicata 'Green Splendor'

Upright and compact (to 20-30't x 8'w), this fast-growing (14-20"/year) arborvitae holds its deep-green color well through winter...an excellent privacy screen, border or windbreak. S-PSh/M/GDr/acid

Very similar to and a close relative of Incense-cedar (Calocedrus decurrens), Western Red Cedar (or Redcedar) is an attractive western native that has slightly drooping branches with scale-like leaves similar to most popular Cypress species. It looks somewhat like Chamaecyparis lawsoniana, except that it has deep green leaves rather than silver gray. Both species occupy overlapping ranges with C. lawsoniana growing farther. Western Red Cedar is one of the parent species for the popular hybrid "Green Giant Arborvitae" which behaves and looks very similar but has a more open habit and faster growth rate. Western Red Cedar is most often used for privacy hedges or screens because of its dense foliage and extremely fast growth. Although it prefers full sun, it will grow in shade and is often one of the best choices for a tall evergreen hedge for deeply shaded locations. If sheared annually, plants can be shaped into an orderly hedge or used to create arches and other patterns. Thuja plicata prunes into a formal hedge better than most other related species and is more forgiving if not kept up with. Dormant buds survive on old wood much longer than many other conifer species which allows older branches to produce growth after shearing. 'Green Splendor' is a variety that holds its green color through the winter better than typical Red Cedar seedlings but is otherwise similar in habit and size.