Mike's Backyard Nursery

The Most Fun You Can Have With Your Bibs On!

  • Home
  • Recommended Tools
  • Products
  • Categories
    • Complete Guides
    • Gardening
    • Growing
    • Landscape Design
    • Plant Care
    • Propagation
  • Contact
  • About Mike
Home » Growing » Green Giant Arborvitae, Deer Proof?

Green Giant Arborvitae, Deer Proof?

Updated : November 14, 2015

24 Comments

‘Green Giant’ Arborvitae, Thuja ‘Green Giant’

Mike and Finnegan getting ready to do a video.

Mike and Finnegan getting ready to do a video.

In the past few years Green Giant Arborviate has become a bit of an Internet sensation of the plant world.  Often touted to grow as much as 36″ per year, being billed as the perfect plant for an instant evergreen hedge.

 

This photo is courtesy of George Weigel a garden writer and horticulturist from Pennsylvania.

Sounds wonderful right?  Not to me.

Admittedly there are some images online that make them look very desirable.  So in all fairness to this fast growing evergreen, I’m sure there are places where it can be used effectively.

First of all, I concluded years ago that the quality of a plant is determined by how fast or slow the plant grows.  Forsythia grows like a weed.  For the most part, it is pretty much a weed.  I’ve landscaped over 500 homes and not one time did I put a Forsythia in one of those landscapes.  I just don’t like them.

For me many Arborviates fall into that same category.  There are about three that I like and Green Giant is not really one of them.  It grows too fast, gets way too tall too fast, and it is most certain to get pulled to the ground with a heavy, wet snowfall.  Trust me, it will happen and from that day on getting them to stand straight again will be a “rest of your life” project.

I do have a couple of favorite Arborviates, they are Emerald Green, Dark Green, and Techeny Arborviate.    Those are the three that I like the best.

How to Root Cuttings of Green Giant and other Arborviates.

Arborviate are actually pretty easy to grow from rooted cuttings.  On this page I show you exactly how I do it.

To me, Techney Arborvitae, also known as Mission Arborviate, is the class of the field when looking for an arborvitae to use as an evergreen hedge or screen.  They are more difficult to find, because they are slower growing and many growers prefer to grow one of the faster growing varieties.  Dark Green Arborviate is a reasonable substituent if you can’t find Techney.

Emerald Green can be used as a hedge but you really have to use a double row of them staggered in order to get a nice tight hedge that you can’t see through.  See the photos on this page.

Can You Make Money at Home Growing and Selling Arborviate Rooted Cuttings?

Absolutely you can!  Just because I don’t personally care for Green Giant Arborvitae doesn’t mean that it is not a hot seller.  It is.  It’s a really hot seller.  But then again, all arborvitaes are good sellers.  Here’s the thing about arborviate.  This is not a plant that people just one of two of.  Everybody that buys them is looking to put in an evergreen hedge.  All too often I hear about the neighbor and his antics that they no longer want to see.  They want an evergreen hedge and they want it to fill in fast!

Inside of Our Members Area Green Giant Arborviate and all the other arborvitaes are super hot sellers.  Members are always looking for Arborviates.  Often times they have customers asking so they come to the members area looking to buy them.  We actually have  a buy/sell area for Canadian members so they can buy and sell to and from on another.

Large wholesale growers are often looking for additional rooted cuttings or liners that they can buy because their own supply often fails to keep up with the demand.  Arborvitae really are hot sellers.  The three that I think sell the best are Green Giant, Emerald Green, Dark Green and Techney.

Is Green Giant Arborviate Really Deer Proof?

Friend of mine had a field of arborviate plant near Lake Erie and there were plenty of deer around that field.  Probably going down to the lake for a drink.  He had three varieties in the field.  Techney, Emerald Green and Green Giant.  Hundreds of each of them.  The deer ate the daylights out of the Emerald Green and Techney.  The Green Giant?  Not so much.

But I think that all this proves is that Green Giant is a bit deer resistant if you have plenty of other things near by that they would much rather eat because I hear lots of stories about deer eating Green Giant Arborviate.

We decided to make a movie, pretty much about my dislike of Green Giant Arborviate, and as we often do we decided to shoot the movie in the donkey pen as we often do.  As we were shooting the movie Fergus took a bite out of the Green Giant Arborviate that I was holding.  Then he came back for a second bite!  What does that tell you?  It must not have tasted that bad.  Here’s the movie.

Why does Mike McGroarty Dislike Green Giant Arborviate So Much?

Because of all of the Internet hype about this plant I decided to buy a few hundred and plant them in the nursery just to see how they did.  They grew fast.  That’s really all I can say about them.  After a couple of years they still looked like the dickens.  My Emerald Green Arborviate and Dark Green Arborviate look really good in the  same amount of time.  Green Giant?  Not so much.

That tells me all I need to know.

The grower next door had some that he let grow to a height of 60″.  I still didn’t like them.  I really have a difficult time recommending them to my customers.  In the end I always end up showing them Dark Green or Emerald Green.  If I had Techney I’d show them those.  But currently I don’t have any.

So I still have Green Giant Arborviate in the nursery because I really have a difficult time selling things that I personally don’t like.

Take a gander at these posts...

  • Pruning Azalea Bushes
  • Landscape Design Tips
  • Growing Japanese Maples
  • It’s time to Make Baby Plants! Make Baby Plants! Make Baby Plants!
  • Do You Have Shotgun Fungus?

Comments

  1. Michael Dennis Rourke says

    April 11, 2021 at 8:48 pm

    Mike, are the Giant Thuja, deer resistant? What evergreen is?

    Reply
    • Mike says

      April 12, 2021 at 8:29 am

      Michael,

      Green Giant arborvitae are the most deer resistant evergreen that I know of.

      Reply
      • Cheryl Bryant says

        May 20, 2021 at 10:24 am

        planted two green giants last fall and deer ate the bottom 3 feet of them.. and this in my fenced in pool area!

        Reply
  2. Janine says

    April 23, 2019 at 10:41 pm

    Hmmm, I planted about a dozen Green Giants last year and went back for 5 more this spring for an area around a patio that is very exposed…… My landscaper planted his about 10 years ago in his yard and they are gorgeous… He has pruned them to open them up and they resemble a red cedar…. They do not look like an arborvitae… I need screening from a side neighbor and public path to the lake….. We put in a partial fence and these are planted more random instead of a hedge……I will be pruning them to get the desired form…..I often hear negative comments about shrubs or trees from people unwilling to use their pruners to control what could be an out of control size or shape. I live near a lake in a pine forest and the deer here are terrible….. They did a number on a couple of new trees in the fall, so will be wrapping them in Sept…..There are very few evergreens that the deer don’t love, such as spruce, but they are slow to grow and too large around the base. I am not sure what to make of the dimensions online for the giants…. Some say 8′ to 15′ max wide and some say 30 to 40’…. I am living amongst 100′ plus tall pines so having a 50′ giant thuga would not be an issue… We live in an older area with very large trees such as birch and maples that are in the 100′ height range… Im not afraid to cut something down if it doesn’t work…… Anyway, all the arborvitae look like skeletons in my neighborhood…. So they are not an option… The deer jump fences and devour them….My lot is not fen cable…. We are on a slope overlooks the lake and with a very strange lot line….We survived a brutal winter and the deer did not touch the green giants…..What do you recommend for heavily infested deer areas where the arborvitae will be devoured?

    Reply
    • Mike says

      April 24, 2019 at 8:28 am

      Janine,

      If they deer are leaving your Green Giant Arborvitae alone then that’s your best option.

      Reply
    • k zaslow says

      March 27, 2020 at 5:03 pm

      I live in the northwest where the deer are terrible. I have had great luck after living on 1/2 acre foe 13 years with Blue Spruce and Cedar Trees. Adding in some Blood Good Maples next to the house to show contrast,

      Reply
  3. Sue says

    April 16, 2019 at 11:17 am

    So I was considering the green giant to plant where I had two large pine trees come down. However we have lots of deer. I want to plant something full and tall to act as a block to me neighbors and something that is maintenance free so what do you suggest instead of the green giant

    Reply
    • Mike says

      April 17, 2019 at 9:17 am

      Sue,

      Green Giant arborvitae is more deer resistant that most other arbs. Canadian Hemlock or spruce? They would be slower growing.

      Reply
  4. Luke says

    August 21, 2018 at 2:00 pm

    Does what you said about deers apply to goats? Do goats eat the Green Giant?

    Reply
    • Mike says

      August 22, 2018 at 8:01 am

      Goats have been known to eat the roof off of a car. Pretty sure they’ll eat green giants.

      Reply
  5. Barbara says

    June 10, 2018 at 5:59 pm

    Hi Mike, Thank you for the info on all the arbor vitae. We have a deer problem and had to cut down old hemlocks. Now we are looking for a privacy hedge. What should we plant? Boxwoods and wait? Or get a fence that the deer can’t see through? City girl frustrated in the suburbs, Barbara

    Reply
    • Mike says

      June 12, 2018 at 9:27 am

      Barbara,

      Lots of things I don’t know about your situation but a fence is always a great option.

      Reply
  6. Debbie says

    June 8, 2018 at 11:19 am

    We need a natural hedge backing our tennis court, so we planted many arborvitae last fall (unsure of variety) along the court fence. When winter was over, we were shocked! Every single tree, whether in a planter or in the ground, had all been eaten down to little sticks! Can you tell me the variety that you would suggest that deer would not eat? We live in a heavily wooded lot, so there should be lots of other things for them to munch on!

    Reply
    • Mike says

      June 9, 2018 at 6:56 am

      Debbie,

      Green Giant is said to be deer resistant but I’d also use a good deer repellent just to be safe.

      Reply
  7. Keith and Mary says

    October 28, 2016 at 6:55 pm

    Hi Mike, we just potted up some emerald green aborvartie, they are turning yellow and tips are turning brown on some. We have them in the shade. Dont know if Im giving too much water, or if I should put them in sun? We are in N.C. and the weather is changing, dont know if thats it either. Your advice once again would be most appreciated. Thanks, Keith and Mary

    Reply
    • Mike says

      October 29, 2016 at 5:54 am

      Keith and Mary,

      Emerald Green are pretty easy. I’d move them to where they get some sun. If the potting soil mix drains as it should it’s difficult to over water. But if the mix doesn’t drain well then that’s a problem. https://mikesbackyardnursery.com/2015/10/how-to-make-your-own-awesome-potting-soil/, but the tips should not be brown. That means they are either too wet, too dry or possibly too much or the wrong kind of fertilizer.

      Reply
  8. keith and Mary Raynor says

    June 20, 2016 at 11:49 pm

    Hi Mike, we have a bunch of rooted emerald greens, they are about 4 to 5 inches tall. can I or should I cut them to encourage them to branch out? They have about 1 inch of new growth. Your advice would be most appreciated. Thanks, Keith and Mary

    Reply
    • Mike says

      June 21, 2016 at 6:31 am

      Keith and Mary,

      No, don’t cut them. With an arborvitae it’s important to make sure they grow with one single stem. Especially Emerald green. As a matter of fact, if any of them have more than one leader remove one of the leaders to make them single stem.

      Reply
      • Keith and Mary Raynor says

        June 21, 2016 at 10:58 pm

        Thanks Mike, thats good to know as some do have extra leaders. Well our mist system is up and running, and I have another question. We put in some red twig dogwood cuttings and some weigela, they are not happy? Our forsythia and euynomous are doing great. Did I cut them at the right time? I got some more shade cloth as sun does get in box where they are so to make sure its not the sun Im going to cover that area? We are in N.C. and the weather just started to get hot around high 80’s. I did cuttings of weigela last year in a rubbermaid tub with seed starter and we just transplanted them they had a good 2 to 3 inch root system. So, is it maybe they dont like sand? figured Id ask as I dont want to kill them, Id feel bad, Well we just want to say thanks for the help, it is much appreciated. Hoping to fill our 4 by 8 box and have a sale next year!! Getting excited ! We are still using tubs too! Well wishing you well and hope we all have a good year.

        Reply
        • Mike says

          June 22, 2016 at 7:58 am

          Keith and Mary, it’s possible that the cuttings were too soft but give them time they might be alright. You can get more cuttings in just a few weeks. Red Twig are tricky under mist, https://mikesbackyardnursery.com/mikes-plant-propagation-kit/, but the weigela should root easily. The sand is probably fine.

          Reply
  9. Ruth L says

    August 14, 2015 at 4:58 pm

    I absolutely hate arborvitae…the only thing going for it, is that it is green year round. But that’s just me, since I’m very allergic to it and always had to trim it as a kid.

    Reply
  10. Jim Coulter says

    August 14, 2015 at 12:49 pm

    The Deer enjoy munching on ours, you can always tell when they have been there, the lower half is trimmed close to the trunk!

    Reply
    • Anonymous says

      August 20, 2015 at 9:59 am

      After the dear eat them, do they ever grow back? Or are they destroyed forever?

      Reply
      • Mike says

        August 21, 2015 at 6:29 am

        When deer do serious damage to an evergreen it would take the plant a long time to come back and in the mean time the deer are like to eat it again if they ate it the first winter.

        Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Rooted cuttings of variegated weigela in bunches to harden off.

Over Wintering Rooted Cuttings.

Posted On January 8, 2023 By Mike

Mike's Big Perennial Bed.

Mike’s Big Perennial Garden

Posted On January 8, 2023 By Mike

A Profound Thank You from Mike.

Posted On September 1, 2022 By Mike

Finnegan keeping the sun off his head.

An Old Guy, Two Donkeys, a Puppy and a Hammock. What could possibly go wrong?

Posted On July 17, 2022 By Mike

This upside down donkey is a hoot!

An Upside Down Donkey and Cute Puppy.

Posted On July 14, 2022 By Mike

'Rockin Raspberry' Bee Balm.

‘Rockin Raspberry’ Bee Balm.

Posted On June 26, 2022 By Mike

'Bubblegum Blast' Bee Balm.

‘Bubblegum Blast’ Bee Balm

Posted On June 26, 2022 By Mike

Blue Angel Hosta.

‘Blue Angel’ Hosta.

Posted On June 25, 2022 By Mike

Big Daddy Hosta.

‘Big Daddy’ Hosta

Posted On June 25, 2022 By Mike

'Humpback Whale' hosta.

‘Humpback Whale’ Hosta.

Posted On June 25, 2022 By Mike

Complete Guides

Growing, Rooting and Propagating Dappled Willow in Tree Form from Cuttings.

Growing Seeds, Winter Sowing, in Milk Jugs and Kitty Litter Jugs.

The Correct Way to Pot Rooted Cuttings, Nursery Stock Liners and other Plants.

Training Arborvitae and other Conical Evergreens to Grow with a Single Leader.

How to Propagate, Root Cuttings, of Dwarf Alberta Spruce.

Recent Posts

Blue Angel Hosta.

‘Blue Angel’ Hosta.

'Blue Angel'hosta is by far one of my favorite blue hostas. A big hosta like this in a perennial bed covers a lot of area and that keeps a ton of weeds at bay! These giant heart shaped leaves are very slug resistant. We have this plant in full sun. With … Read Full Article

Big Daddy Hosta.

‘Big Daddy’ Hosta

'Big Daddy' hosta is one of my favorite big hostas, mostly because it's big, it's blue and it has very interested leaves that are a bit dimpled. Big Daddy hosta gets about 24" tall and 36" wide. It's hardy in zones 3 through 9, the flowers are blends of … Read Full Article

'Humpback Whale' hosta.

‘Humpback Whale’ Hosta.

We sold out of 'Humpback Whale' hosta pretty early this year. Humpback Whale is pretty impressive hosta and this one really hasn't matured yet because they can get three feet high and 7 feet wide. I've also seen photos of them that show them to be a lot … Read Full Article

Ice Plant, delosperma

Ice Plant, delosperma

How pretty is that? And it's a ground hugging perennial that comes back year and year. These plants were new to our nursery last year so Pam and I planted three of them in our landscape at home. Not only did they do really well last year but they wintered … Read Full Article

Electric Red Dianthus

‘Electric Red’ Dianthus

I've been working on my perennial bed at the nursery and this Electric Red Dianthus caught my eye and was screaming "make my picture". So I did! Dianthus in general are great perennials for your garden. They are super winter hardy even here in cold … Read Full Article

Copyright © 2023 · Hill Country Digital Media, LLC · Privacy Policy · Earnings Disclaimer · Terms of Service