Fall is the time of year in the Mid-Atlantic transition zone when we notice the landscape’s colors changing. We see the Green Giant Arborvitae fall colors with some browning/bronzing coloration. This is the normal conifer needle cast, involving the inner leaves/needles of the plant, as you can see in the photos below.
Many of our customers are surprised that the Green Giants Arborvitaes grow tiny cones since they are hybrid cultivars. One usually thinks of pine cones being 3″ or larger, but the Green Giants cones are 1.5-1.75″ in length. They naturally produce cones like their parent species; however, these hybrids are sterile.
Some trees have almost no needle cast, and others are more noticeable. The tiny cones of the thuja green giant are also browning and falling off right now to prepare for new growth in the spring. You will notice that not all green giant arborvitae trees produce tiny cones. In our 40+ years of growing green giants, we have found that they only produce seeds after being stressed. A stressful event would be a lack of water, poor drainage, or an unusually harsh winter the year before.
Fall planting requires less watering and enables the plants to gain firm rooting before the new growth in the spring. Evergreen trees can be planted at any time of the year throughout Maryland, DC, Virginia, and West Virginia, as long as the ground has not frozen. However, we recommend installing a drip irrigation system for trees planted during late spring through summer.
Embrace the green giant arborvitae fall colors! We still have time to plant your living fence for privacy screening before the end of the year. Call or email your order today!
