r/ArborvitaeAreGarbage

We planted 15 emerald green arborvitae in my backyard this past Sunday. The goal on the sides was to break up the view of the yard from the neighbors elevated decks (without being a dense wall of trees), and then to add additional trees along the back to balance it out. Originally I wanted to put them 2-2.5 feet off the fence, but after speaking with the guys helping me plant them, we decided on 3.5 feet. At first it felt like a great idea so that the trees would get more airflow and it would give me easier access to the fence, but now it looks awkward with the large gap behind it. I know the trees aren’t fully grown, but even at full grown there will still be a noticeable gap.

Did we mess up? If we did, how can I fix this? Maybe some plants to stagger between them to fill the gaps? The trees on the sides are around 3.5-4’ apart from one another and the ones along the back are 7.5’ apart.

We put up this white vinyl fence and planted arborvitae on the corner to create a natural privacy wall in our yard. The deer have been all over them since the first winter and I’ve wrapped them in burlap, put up temporary fences, predator piss, flashing lights, you name it. Kept them at bay for years and the trees rallied and looked great but this winter they broke through and went crazy.

What now? Rip out the trees and finish the white vinyl fence to the corner? Another thought I had was to put a 6’ privacy wall (something like Hoft - horizontal cedar) about 5’ outside the arborvitae so you only see the green tops from the road. Makes them easier to protect from deer in the winter and they’ll probably fill back in (again) after 2-3 years.

or… something else? Move to a new house?

Previous owner planted these with his house. They will get huge and are very close together. 12 trees total (one looks like a different tree).

I like the privacy and natural look of trees but I’m worried about how big they will get. Should I top them and trim them or take them all out and replace with slower growing and smaller trees?

Can they be trimmed so they maintain a tree like look or do they just become high maintenance cones or bushes?

Thanks!

Planted these 3 weeks ago. Surprisingly when i removed the nylon bag the root was like almost nothing. I may have buried too deep. Yesterday i clawed away a few inches of earth until i got to a root.

Should i replant replace? Perhaps the soil is a bit clay dominant in that area. Should i dig up add peatmoss? Maybe scraping and exposing the root flare will be enough? Thanks in advance

I bought these potted arborvitae a bit over a week ago and have not yet had the chance to plant them. They're already turning yellow. Are they on their way to dying or can they be saved if I plant them ASAP? I got them from Lowes and they have a 1 year guarantee.

These emerald green arborvitae are about 1.5 feet off of the fence line. I understand that this is cutting it too close for their ability to grow in the direction of the fence. What are the consequences of not moving them back? Is there any situation where they can grow happily and healthy here? If it is absolutely necessary, they can be backed off the fence by another foot or so, or the fence can be removed (except there is a neighbor’s fence on the other side, so this would only give a few more inches of wiggle room).

Additional info: growing zone 6a, spacing between trees is 3 feet, you can see in the photo I also have an irrigation hose for these. Let me know any other questions/variables to consider.

Edit: thank you all for the honest opinions, I have decided to move them back farther. It will be light work since they’re small and not rooted in yet

My wonderful neighbor clear cut a ton of majestic oaks between our houses after buying the property two years ago.

In the aftermath he planted a bunch of arbor vitae. He initially planted smaller ones (you can see them dead in the photo) but this year he wanted to plant more because he’s not convinced the dead ones are really dead and won’t pull them out (he replaced the original row last year because they died so these are the second set of dead ones).

Sorry for the rambling but onto my question - this Friday he planted one of these right next to an eastern white pine I planted post oak apocalypse (in addition to maybe 20 more that he’s planted this season - nice variety!).

I have a feeling the one he planted there will die based on past performance but anything I should do to give my pine the best chance here? I am going to mulch the area soon; was waiting for him to finish putting these beasts in….the property line is in a very unfortunate place.

I am so happy this subreddit exists. Thank you.

The previous owner planted these beauties right in the path where herds of deer pass through every night. My wife wants to keep them because they remind her of something Dr. Zeuss would draw.