Green Giant vs Emerald Green Arborvitae: Spacing & Counts

Green Giant vs Emerald Green arborvitae: pick Green Giant for long privacy screens and windbreaks, especially in the Southeast. It grows 3 to 4 feet a year, reaches 40 to 60 feet, and resists deer. Pick Emerald Green for narrow spots: it stays about 10 to 15 feet tall and 3 to 4 feet wide, and deer browse it.

This is Tennessee Wholesale Nursery's guide to planting in bulk. We are a family-owned wholesale nursery in Altamont, Tennessee, near McMinnville, growing trees, shrubs, perennials, wetland and native plants. Landscapers, farms and homeowners planning a big screen face the same choice: Green Giant or Emerald Green? Both are arborvitae, evergreen trees with soft, flat sprays of foliage that are planted in rows to make living fences. On a short side yard, either one can work. On a 300-foot property line or a farm windbreak, the choice matters more. It sets how many trees you buy, how long you wait for privacy and how much deer eat. Below, we compare the two on size, speed, heat and deer, using university extension sources. Then we turn spacing into plant counts per 100 feet. That lets you match a row to our Green Giant packs of 25, 50, 100 or 500 young trees.

Green Giant vs Emerald Green arborvitae

1. Compare mature size and growth rate

Green Giant is a big tree. North Carolina State Extension lists it at 40 to 60 feet tall and 12 to 18 feet wide, growing 3 to 4 feet a year in good conditions. Emerald Green is a narrow column, about 10 to 15 feet tall and 3 to 4 feet wide. It adds roughly 6 to 12 inches a year, so a short row takes several seasons to close.

Tip: Measure the space you have before you choose. Green Giant needs at least 12 feet of width.

2. Check zones and Southeast heat

NC State lists Green Giant for USDA zones 5 to 8, based on winter cold. It calls the tree well suited to southeastern landscapes and says it resists periodic drought. It takes clay, loam, sand and rocky soils, in full sun to part shade. It needs good drainage, since soggy ground can cause root rot. Emerald Green is commonly rated for zones 3 to 8, the hardier pick for cold northern sites.

Tip: Plant arborvitae on ground that drains well. Avoid low spots where water sits after rain.

3. Weigh deer pressure

Where deer are heavy, this point often settles the choice. NC State lists Green Giant as resistant to deer browsing. Emerald Green is not: an Extension Foundation expert says it is not known as a deer-resistant arborvitae, and deer keep eating it at any size. Browsed Emerald Greens lose their lower branches and look bare at the bottom. That answer recommends fencing in winter.

Tip: On deer-heavy farms and wood edges, Green Giant is the safer bet for a long row.

4. Work out spacing and plant counts

For a single-row Green Giant screen, plant 5 to 6 feet apart, measured center to center. For a staggered double row, two rows offset in a zigzag, set trees 8 to 10 feet apart in each row. For a windbreak, 8 to 12 feet apart works. Emerald Green is narrow, so plant it about 3 feet apart for a solid hedge. To count trees, divide the row length by the spacing, round up, and add one.

Tip: A 100-foot row takes 21 Green Giants at 5 feet, or 35 Emerald Greens at 3 feet.

5. Order by the pack and plant

Our Green Giant trees come at 1 to 2 feet tall, in packs of 25, 50, 100 or 500. Match the packs to your count: a 600-foot single row at 6-foot spacing needs 101 trees, so a pack of 100 plus a pack of 25 leaves spares. Keep trees at least 6 to 8 feet from fences and property lines. For timing, see our guide to the best time to plant trees.

Tip: Order a few extra trees to replace any losses in the first year.

Other plants for screens and windbreaks

Arborvitae is not the only way to block a view or slow the wind. For a dense hedge you can shear to height, consider privet. We grow Northern Privet and Ibolium Privet at 1 to 4 feet tall, in packs of 25 to 500 plants. A privet hedge can be kept low and tidy, while a Green Giant row grows into a tall wall. For a wide windbreak on open ground, pines are worth a look. Virginia Pine Tree comes at 1 to 4 feet tall. White Pine Seedlings come at 6 to 24 inches, in packs of up to 1,000. Small seedlings keep the cost per tree down on long rows. For a short, neat edge along a walk, Wintergreen Boxwood comes at 6 to 12 inches and is trimmed into low rows. That is the kind of spot where some people try Emerald Green. Our guide to the best trees for windbreak planting covers more species and row layouts.

Care and keeping: Water new arborvitae deeply and regularly through the first summer, and more often in hot, dry spells. Spread mulch around each tree, but keep it off the trunk. Watch for bagworms, small bags of needles hanging from branches, and pick them off by hand. Our planting instructions page gives the nursery's full steps.

Frequently asked questions

Is Emerald Green the same as Green Giant?

No. They are different plants. Emerald Green is a selection of American arborvitae, Thuja occidentalis. Green Giant is a hybrid of two other Thuja species, Thuja standishii and Thuja plicata. Green Giant grows several times taller and wider, much faster, and holds up better to deer.

What are the disadvantages of green giant arborvitae?

Its size is the main one. Green Giant reaches 40 to 60 feet tall and 12 to 18 feet wide, so it can crowd a small yard, a house or a fence. It needs well-drained soil to avoid root rot, does not tolerate salt, and can get bagworms.

What are the downsides of having an Emerald Green Arborvitae?

It grows slowly, adding roughly 6 to 12 inches a year, so privacy takes longer. It tops out around 10 to 15 feet, which may not hide a two-story view. Deer also browse it heavily, often stripping the lower branches. Long rows also need more plants at its close spacing.

Spacing and plant counts per 100 feet

Counts assume a straight row with a tree at each end, rounded up. Add more for curves and corners, plus a few spares.