Little Champion Arborvitae
Thuja occidentalis 'Little Champion'
Height: 3 feet
Spread: 4 feet
Sunlight:
Hardiness Zone: 3a
Other Names: Eastern White Cedar
Description:
A lovely ornamental shrub that is ideal for foundation and rock garden plantings; slow growing and needs no shearing to maintain globe shape; foliage is dark green in summer turning bronze in winter; also an excellent choice for hedging
Ornamental Features
Little Champion Arborvitae is a dwarf conifer which is primarily valued in the garden for its ornamental globe-shaped form. It has attractive dark green evergreen foliage which emerges light green in spring. The scale-like sprays of foliage are highly ornamental and turn harvest gold in the fall, which persists throughout the winter.
Landscape Attributes
Little Champion 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.
Little Champion Arborvitae is recommended for the following landscape applications;
- Mass Planting
- Hedges/Screening
- Rock/Alpine Gardens
- General Garden Use
Planting & Growing
Little Champion Arborvitae will grow to be about 3 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 4 feet. 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 approximately 30 years.
This shrub should only be grown in full sunlight. It prefers to grow in average to moist conditions, and shouldn't be allowed to dry out. 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. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone in winter to protect it in exposed locations or colder microclimates. This is a selection of a native North American species.
