searched the whole web.. eh??? after ten years.. my GG is 20 feet tall ... from a 4 incher planted ... after ten years.. my smargard.. emerald green ... is 6 feet tall from a 4 footer planted ... try googling green giant for it latin name ... and then add: annual growth rate... and then google for emerald green latin.. and add the same.. and you should find.. one grows 2 to 5 feet per year.. and the other 6 inches or so ..... depending on your climate.. you better have a pretty big yard for GG's ... and on either.. INSURE you buy single leader plants ... welcome to GW.. glad to help .. come back often .... ken ps: the latin names are VERY IMPORTANT.. its where you start all searching .... trust me.. i fought them for years.. lol ...

I have 9 Thuja GGs planted along the north side a Privacy fence, which is only 5 feet just north of a Brick, two story house. They receive mid day and full afternoon until sunset direct sun. In the winter mine stay green and do not show any bronze color change of the leaves My native soil is a dark, slightly acidic Clay. These trees benefit from the entire length of the fence area being slightly sloped upward and The soil along most of the fence has some builder's sand that had not been cleaned up by the workers who built the neighbor's house. This area is in the north east corner of my lot. My trees started out as one gallon pot sized trees, which were 12-15 inches tall and very nicely shaped and filled out when I planted them. These trees have been very happy, have grown to a height of 9 feet tall in Summer of 07. I watered them often especially in drought times, but did not begin feeding them Osmokote until the Spring of 07, which was early in the 3rd year since I planted them. When I was not feeding them the previous years, they sent up very narrow shoots of new growth each spring and fall. This new growth never seemed to fill out very nicely and by the time they reached 5 feet tall, they began to look pretty unbalanced. Once I started giving them the Osmokote, though, they began growing faster and all the very thin top half of the tree began to fill out more quickly. This made the trees appear much more balanced and more like one would expect the trees to be. Since my trees were watered, but not fed for the first two years they only grew about one additional foot the first year, and two feet the second year after I first planted them. When I began giving them the Osmokote, they not only grew more filled in tops; they also, grew an additional 5 feet in one year. I have a friend whose trees are planted in clay with out the benefit of added builder's sand, and they are planted on the South side of a privacy fence, which slopes from west to east at a fairly significant grade. At least half of her trees have needed to be replaced due to them sufficating along the lower part of slope, where the clay soil remainded wet for extended periods of time. They were never in standing water. The problem happened because runoff water kept the soil too moist for too long of times. The replacement trees she planted lived, and it appears they lived under the same conditions due to them being 5 gallon potted sized trees which were already 6 feet tall, when she planted them, and so we figured large of a tree needs more moisture than the original 12-15 inch tall ones, which died for her, needed.

No ferts but do pay extremely close attention to watering over the growing season. You must make certain that water is penetrating the soil- this is not a walk by with a hose but a hose left lying on a slow trickle for as long as it takes. For each plant. Doing 20 means moving the hose 20 times every watering day. You've gotta do it, lol. Until you are familiar with how your soil percolates you would be well served to even dig down a time or two to verify that water is penetrating and hitting roots. I'd get those holes dug ahead of time- anything you can do to lessen the time they sit around waiting is a good thing. If they are sent in pots you'll need to break up the root ball a bit. Don't plant too deeply- they will settle. But watering incorrectly during the first year is the single most common cause of Thuja failure that I see around forums. Pay attention to that and they should establish just fine. They should never need to be "fed"- regular top dressing with compost is all they will ever need.

GG are supposed to be deer tolerant... and im seriously wondering if these are GGs from these pix ... they are full sun plants.. so growing in any kind of serious shade.. they might look wonky.. and screw up ID.. for me anyway ... a lot of peeps in warmer zones.. and those in the pnw.. claim these things grow like weeds .. and can releaf in a season or two... sorry.. i dont buy it in my ground freeze z5 ... the growing season is at least half the warmer zones.. and the plants just dont grow as much as it does for others ... that said.. if these were out your front door.. i might suggest something better.. but since they appear to be out back.. who cares.. prevent further damage.. and your trees .. aka conifers..in tree time ... counted in decades ... should recover.. sooner or later.. but mostly later.. and if that doesnt plz you.. get rid of them when you hit your patience level.. ken