Hi Brian, My recommendation for Thuja plicata cultivars would be undoubtably be 'Excelsa'. It's a lustrious black/green and a fantastic midwest plicata. I have only read as you have about the common properties shared among Green Giant (plicata x standishii) and plicata 'Spring Grove', too. Dax

I'm undertaking a massive naturalization project this year. Tearing out the whole back lawn & planting or seeding grasses, forbs, shrubs, & small trees, most at bare root or seedling stage. I'll build around what I already have, which includes a silver maple, a serviceberry (of course!), & a good many arborvitaes. There's also some exotic but harmless stuff (European holly, English yew) that the previous owner planted & I might tear out eventually, but not now. I've been planning this for 2 years & am really looking forward to getting started. I've already ordered a bunch of plants and have winter-sown some of the forbs & subshrubs. Here is a list of the species I aim to plant or sow by this fall: adiantum pedatum andropogon gerardii apios americana aquilegia canadensis aralia nudicaulis asclepias tuberosa athyrium filix-femina carex hystericina carex plantaginea carex platyphylla cornus florida desmodium canadense dicentra canadensis Dicentra cucullaria elymus canadensis eupatorium purpureum eurybia divaricata gaultheria procumbens geranium maculatum hepatica nobilis var. obtusa hibiscus moscheutos ipomoea pandurata kalmia latifolia lespedeza capitata liatris pycnostachya lindera benzoin lobelia siphilitica maianthemum racemosum monarda fistulosa morella pensylvanica ostrya virginiana packera obovata parthenocissus quinquefolia penstemon hirsutus phlox divaricata Physocarpus opulifolius podophyllum peltatum polystichum acrostichoides quercus rubra rhododendron prinophyllum rosa carolina sanguinaria canadensis schizachyrium scoparium solidago odora sorghastrum nutans symphyotrichum novae-angliae thalictrum dioicum thelypteris noveboracensis tiarella cordifolia trillium grandiflorum tsuga canadensis viburnum lentago viola labradorica Viola Ãpalmata viola pedata

Lynn, I am just so relieved to hear that the damage was minimal. (Although, of course, it never seems quite so minimal when it is your own place, and not someone else's.) If I were there with you now, I'd just give you a big hug and say how happy I am that you are OK, so consider yourself hugged long distance. : ) I know it is a terrible experience, especially as you're hurrying home and watching that big old plume of smoke, all the while wondering what has already burnt and what remains in danger. I am so proud of all the firefighters in Oklahoma--volunteer and professional--and the work they do. In our county, the 14 volunteer fire departments, the BIA and the forest service fire crews work together so well that it is just amazing. I'd like to second what you said, Lynn, about people supporting the volunteer fire departments. Most people assume that there is some kind of magical pot of money that the VFDs get from their city, county, state, or the federal goverment.....and that there is always enough money. That, of course, is not at all true. Most volunteer departments barely scrape by even though they are constantly working hard to raise money. On extreme fire danger days and extremely critical fire danger days, I am like a cat on a hot tin roof. I keep the fire radio turned on to the County Repeater so I can keep track of every fire in the county, instead of leaving it on the "pager" feature. And, I hate to get too far from home. We live in an area of rural mostly native pasture land too, and it can burn like mad. We've never had a fire as close to us as yours, but have had 2 on our land (but they were burning away from the house and outbuildings, and nowhere near fences of animals or anything). However, the ranch across the road catches fire at least a couple of times a year. (Their pastures back up to a highway and most of the fires start from the roadside.) For any of you wondering how to know when the fire danger is high, one of the easiest ways is to look at the NWS Enhanced Weather webpages. I check them daily, as they are informative and give info on all weather, and not just fire danger. On the enhanced weather page, the fire outlook is usually in one of the boxes along the right side of the page, near the bottom. Just keep scrolling down until you see it. You can click on it to enlarge it. Dawn Here is a link that might be useful: NWS Enhanced Weather Webpage

Do we know where Unc lives? It seems to me these trees have endured considerably more than one winter, albeit location unknown. Arbs are not typical plants of snow-free areas, so this "split like a banana peel" thing may be getting over-amplified. All that said-and as if I haven't made this abundantly clear by now, I hate these multi-leadered things, but for more reasons than just their alleged unsuitability in snow and/or ice. And I have seen this splitting phenomenon happen myself. But the main issue I've got with such plants is how very bastardized they are from the real thing-species Thuja occidentalis, a plant which, proven in my Wisconsin woods many times, is utterly qualified to handle snow. Not to mention, a far more imposing plant than these myriad icky cultivars. I continue to perceive that most responders in such threads have no idea what I'm talking about-native stands of this tree. I should think though that a true New Englander, at least from the northern half of that region, or a correspondent from northern Michigan (I know-not your home Ken) should have seen these remarkable plants, often in near-pure groves, in streamside swamps and even scrambling up moist hillsides. Oddly, in all the years I've participated on this board, not once have I gotten the sense that anybody has!