Always check for water needs in new plantings. They have no root system! But if it's been raining, say an inch or so per week, unless it's very hot, no additional water should be needed. Stick your finger in the soil and see what's up.

OF course spring is okay for planting. Potted and balled-and-burlapped plants can be planted anytime the soil is workable.

I'm wondering about the ultimate hardiness of GG myself. Work is ongoing at University of Wisconsin.

+oM

My nursery told me you can't hardly over water these guys..water away! I just planted 6 and can't wait to see how fast they grow!

as noted... the only way to tell how water reacts in your soil... is to stick your finger in ... there is no way for us to gauge water on your property ... as it all depends on soil structure.. most conifers don't like 'wet feet' ... they like water.. and they like it to drain away ... perhaps drying for a few days before you rewater ...

i am on pure beach sand .... extreme drainage ... and you might be surprised how little i water ... BUT FOR drought or high heat ... and even then ... probably once a week or every other ....

since all roots were cut on transplant.. you/me are responsible to figure it out and provide all water the first year ... without doing harm ... water the whole plant .. a little shower never hurt ...

conifers are pretty resilient.. so just DONT ignore them the first two years... get your finger dirty .. and take care of them .. after 2 years ... IMHO .. they are on there own ...

good luck
ken

Does anyone know where I can buy Thuja Green Giants in Mpls, Mn? I really want to plant these but cannot find a nursery that sells them.

Me too I am looking for about 6-8 small ones , I need to be able to carry them .4-5 ft high is good , but will go smaller. thanks

I like these guys: Sooner Plant Farm.

They label it as Thuja plicata but ignore that. It's still the hybrid 'Green Giant'.

And you'll see that they have breaks on buying 3 or more.

Dax

Here is a link that might be useful: Sooner Plant Farm - 'Green Giant'

Dax do you have Thuja standishii x plicata in your garden?
the plant should grow in Z4 if T occidentalis is a zone 2
plant and T plicata Z6 then the hybrid could be Z4.

No, because I killed my GG's too. I didn't up-pot them before the winter two winters ago. Had some that were 2-3 feet tall and rootbound as all heck.

I screwed that one up.

Commonly sold here. And my friend in Ohio zone 5a practically grows these soley and his exposure is open flatlands with a lot of cold temperatures and wind.

This propagator has no problems with them and I would for sure rate them as zone 5 bordering 4. Again, those in zone 4 might get an extremely terrible winter and lose em. Lots of examples that parralel this thought, however, truthfully an 'educated' guess on my part. I'd call them zone 5 all the way to reitterate and not zone 4.

Dax

David

The short answer is, do nothing.

Now, for the usual wisconsitom answer: The winter that those of us in the upper Midwest experienced is GOOD for trees. Trees like the soil-insulating, moisture-giving, cold wind-sheltering effects of snowcover. I'd hazard a guess that the brown coloration is normal winter dress.

Leave them be for a while. There's nothing you can do anyway ;^) except wait and see.

BTW, GG's are correctly Thuja plicata x standishii, a hybrid.

+oM

To get back to original question, anybody hazard a guess as to if TGG will be fastest growing evergreen in Z4? Was curious if some of the native pines up there would grow faster.
TGG is supposed to be a fast growing hybrid. My single specimen down here in Z8 just went thru 2nd summer and grew about a foot. So far, Eastern Red Cedar have been outgrowing it at 18-21" per year. I've read others report less than expected growth out of TGG.

Arbor Day sells them cheap: $2.49 each. The only thing is that they sell them between 6" and 12". That in itself is not bad if you're like me and would go off and buy 50 of them at a whack.

http://www.arborday.org/Shopping/Trees/TreeDetail.cfm?id=457

i got mine from botany shop .. link below ... where it says:

7 to 10 inch Thuja "Green Giant" in a Jiffy-7 Peat-Pot @ $1.50ea. Plus S&H @ $0.50ea

i got mine there in 2002 the smallest.. cheapest ... 12 to 15 feet as of today.. did not lose one ...

IMHO .. the peat pot will make all the difference in the world ...

arbor day is a great place to make a donation .. but not the best to buy stock from ... check any of the garden watchdog websites ...

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: scroll down the page

I think the Green Giant is a great tree, just don't by it from thujagardens.com. The trees they send are about 1/4 the size of the tree they show in there sample picture. The Better Business Bureau give them a giant F with a warning. Look them up at the BBB by their phone number. I support the tree. I just don't want anyone to make the same mistake I made. I think the Green Giant is a great tree, just don't by it from thujagardens.com. The trees they send are about 1/4 the size of the tree they show in there sample picture. The Better Business Bureau give them a giant F with a warning. Look them up at the BBB by their phone number. I support the tree. I just don't want anyone to make the same mistake I made. I am trying to spread the word. Has any one else been cheated by this company. They will not answer email or phone messages after you pay.

My experience is that Green Giants are rather shallow rooted, and can suffer from winter-burn if the soil is not well-drained and freezes into a solid mass. Apparently (like ken_adrian's), if planted in well-drained, sandy soils, they're less apt to winter-burn even in z5. Some winter-burn is showing up on mine right now in z6 even after 5 yrs -- but they're in fairly compacted soil.

Soil characteristics seem to make a difference w/these, especially before they are fully established.

Size is important. Planting 3+ footers with large root-systems in COLD climates makes all the difference.

Dax

does anyone know if TGG is really different from T Spring Grove? I hear it both ways on google.

Here is a link that might be useful: South Creek Gardens

Does anyone know where I can purchase the Standishi Plicata (green giant) in BC Canada?

Or at least know of anyone who can sell there and ship there.

There's probably a Canadian forum. There's one guy from Canada that I know of on here, the owner of Whistling Gardens. He hasn't been around at all lately.

Dax