Plant Library

Other Names:  Chinese Arborvitae

Brand:  Monrovia

Description:

A beautiful evergreen garden shrub featuring dense, bright green foliage fading to dark green in summer, forms a compact, well branched, ball shaped habit, ideal for garden detail or foundation plantings; protect from drying winter winds

Ornamental Features

Westmont Arborvitae is a dwarf conifer which is primarily valued in the garden for its ornamental globe-shaped form. It has dark green evergreen foliage which emerges chartreuse in spring. The scale-like sprays of foliage turn coppery-bronze in the fall, which persists throughout the winter.

Landscape Attributes

Westmont Arborvitae is a dense multi-stemmed evergreen shrub with a more or less rounded form. Its relatively fine texture sets it apart from other landscape plants with less refined foliage.

This is a relatively low maintenance shrub. When pruning is necessary, it is recommended to only trim back the new growth of the current season, other than to remove any dieback. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Westmont Arborvitae is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Mass Planting
• Hedges/Screening
• General Garden Use
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Westmont Arborvitae will grow to be about 3 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 24 inches. It tends to fill out right to the ground and therefore doesn't necessarily require facer plants in front. It grows at a slow rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 70 years or more.

This shrub does best in full sun to partial shade. It is very adaptable to both dry and moist locations, and should do just fine under typical garden conditions. It may require supplemental watering during periods of drought or extended heat. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution, and will benefit from being planted in a relatively sheltered location. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America.

Westmont Arborvitae makes a fine choice for the outdoor landscape, but it is also well-suited for use in outdoor pots and containers. Because of its height, it is often used as a 'thriller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the center of the pot, surrounded by smaller plants and those that spill over the edges. It is even sizeable enough that it can be grown alone in a suitable container. Note that when grown in a container, it may not perform exactly as indicated on the tag - this is to be expected. Also note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.