Thuja occidentalis Golden Brabant - Eastern White Cedar

The Canadian Arborvitae or Thuja occidentalis 'Golden Brabant' is a golden-leaved form of the famous 'Brabant', widely planted in gardens. In spring, its young shoots are tinged with golden yellow, becoming golden green in summer and golden bronze in autumn. Its habit is slender, narrow, densely branched, and rounds out with age. It appreciates a sunny exposure to express its beautiful colour. Moderately vigorous, it tolerates almost all soils and climates and can be used as a hedge or standalone plant.

The Thuja occidentalis, also known as the Canadian Arborvitae or Western Arborvitae, is sometimes called the White Cedar of Canada or Broom. It is an evergreen conifer of the cypress family native to northeastern North America. It is distributed over a wide geographical area that perfectly reflects the plasticity of its living conditions, from swamps to cliffs. In nature, it reaches a height of 15 to 20 m, adopting a beautiful conical habit and a trunk covered with decorative bark that peels off in reddish-brown plates. It is a very hardy species, well adapted to temperate climates and poor, moist, or occasionally dry soils. Its almost rot-resistant, lightweight, fragrant, and easily flammable wood lends itself to many uses. More than 300 cultivars have been selected for their ornamental qualities.

The 'Golden Brabant' variety reaches a height of about 5 to 6 m at maturity with a regular conical habit. When crushed, this extremely resistant conifer reveals particularly aromatic foliage of flattened branches covered with 3 to 5-mm long scales. Overlapping each other, the leaves give the twigs a flat appearance. The young shoots are a beautiful golden yellow in spring and mature to golden bronze in autumn. The cones, few on this variety, are slender, brown at maturity, and formed by 4 or 5 scales.

The 'Golden Brabant' Western Arborvitae harmoniously integrates into various gardens, whether spacious or more modest. Its ease of maintenance, once acclimated, makes it a preferred choice for gardeners looking for simple and practical solutions to enhance their outdoor space. The foliage of this plant brings a touch of bright and vibrant greenery throughout the year. Its texture and colour blend perfectly with wilder garden elements, as well as with architectural structures. It proves to be an excellent choice for creating windbreak hedges. Its graphic appearance and structural qualities make it particularly suitable for contemporary gardens. This plant can easily replace species traditionally used to structure the garden, such as trimmed boxwood or holly, allowing for playing with volumes and shades of green to create visually captivating compositions.