Choose Green Giant Arborvitae if you need a fast, large evergreen screen and have room to let it grow. The payoff is quick privacy and strong deer resistance; the tradeoff is size—it is not a tight-yard foundation plant.
Buy This If
You need privacy sooner.
You have space for a large screen.
You want better deer resistance than many arborvitae.
Skip This If
You need a compact evergreen.
You want a tight formal hedge.
You cannot water during establishment.
PGNE Report Card
Category
Grade
Why
Landscape Impact
A
It makes a strong property-line screen, but its scale can overpower small plantings.
Growth Rate
A
It is a fast grower once established, which is the main reason to buy it.
Maintenance
B+
It needs little shaping, but young plants still need steady watering and room.
Deer Resistance
A-
Its Thuja plicata genetics give it strong deer resistance for our region.
Small Space Fit
D
This is the wrong plant for tight beds, corners, and small urban yards.
Screening Value
A+
For a large evergreen privacy row, it is one of the strongest options we sell.
Wet Site Tolerance
C+
It takes average to moist ground but does not have the swamp tolerance of our native Thuja occidentalis arborvitae.
Our Experience
At PGNE, we'd typically recommend Green Giant Arborvitae when the customer wants privacy more than a formal hedge. Give it space, water it well while it settles in, and do not crowd it against the house. If the job is a permitted shoreland or wetland buffer, or the screening line runs through wet ground, we would switch you to a native Thuja occidentalis variety instead — Dark Green, Techny, or Emerald Green.
Plant Facts
Botanical Name
Thuja x. plicata 'Green Giant'
Common Name
Green Giant Arborvitae
Mature Height
20-40 ft
Mature Width
8-12 ft
Hardiness Zones
5a-9b
Spacing
5-6 ft
Sun
Full Sun to Part Shade
Moisture
Dry to moist
Growth Habit
Fast-growing, pyramidal, upright
Evergreen
Yes
Native
No (hybrid parent species native to the Pacific Northwest and Japan, not New England/eastern US)
Best Used For
Fast large-scale privacy screening • Windbreaks and road buffers • Long property lines with room to grow
Wetland Indicator Status
Not rated — non-native hybrid, not listed on the USDA/USACE National Wetland Plant List for our region. Not for permitted wetland or buffer restoration work.
Customers Usually Ask
How fast will it screen?
Faster than most arborvitae, especially after the roots settle in.
Is this a native arborvitae?
No. Green Giant is a hybrid of Pacific Northwest and Japanese parents. If you need native, or the job is a permitted buffer planting, use one of our Thuja occidentalis varieties — they are native and carry a FACW wetland rating.
Will deer eat it?
It has strong deer resistance in our market, though no plant is immune.
Can I keep it small?
Not realistically; choose a smaller arborvitae if size control matters.
Why Choose Arborvitaes for Privacy & Year-Round Coverage?
Arborvitaes are the gold standard for privacy screens and evergreen structure in New England landscapes. Known for their dense foliage, year-round color, and cold hardiness, these fast-growing evergreens create natural boundaries, wind protection.
Fast, Dense Privacy: Quick-growing varieties fill in efficiently to create natural screening from neighbors or roads.
Year-Round Evergreen Color: Maintain consistent greenery through winter when other plants go dormant.
Cold Hardy & Reliable: Built to withstand northern climates, arborvitaes provide dependable long-term structure.
Why Choose Pro Growers of New England for Arborvitaes?
At Pro Growers of New England, our arborvitaes are grown and maintained locally for real New England conditions — not boxed up and shipped across the country. Every plant is carefully selected, properly spaced, and allowed to develop strong root systems before ever leaving the nursery.
Unlike large online sellers, you’re welcome to visit our nursery in person, walk the rows, inspect the exact plants available, and see firsthand how they’re grown. That means no surprises, no guessing, and no damaged plants from long-distance transit.
Found this company on GOOGLE, and so glad I did!
I needed trees asap, to create a fence from neighbors. None of the local nurseries had any stock for the Green Giant Arborvitae’s.
Only a 30 min ride, and we were met with the kindest folks and the BEST selection of trees, shrubs, and flowering perennials.
Don’t even bother with the Big Box stores, (if they have them, they are usually half dead) when you can get them bigger and HEALTHIER at Pro Growers. A N D local delivery is readily available!
WHY go anywhere else!
Progrowers was a great company to purchase from. Very fast delivery to my house. The tree seems to be in great condition and is so far doing really well!
Progrowers was a great company to purchase from. Very fast delivery to my house. The tree seems to be in great condition and is so far doing really well!
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Francis Corbin
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Growzone Finder
It helps us recommend plants that are best for your local climate, based on your growing zone. Also, because we ship plants based on when they are best for your local climate, it allows us to give you a more accurate estimate of when your order will ship.
