Thuja western Malonian
Tall conifers are no less interesting in terms of landscape design than dwarf forms of evergreens. They give the atmosphere of the site for which they are used aristocratic notes. With such crops, even in a metropolis, you feel closer to natural nature. Thuja occidentalis Malonyana is one of them.
Description of appearance and features
This plant is a slender coniferous columnar tree or shrub of regular, symmetrical shape. This feature is due to the short and powerful skeletal shoots, branching at the ends and tightly pressing against each other. The crown of an evergreen culture is dense and dense, the needles are scaly, saturated green with a mint shade and pronounced shine. It remains like this all year round, which in winter creates a feeling of freshness, solemnity, and celebration when looking at the plant. True, the new shoots are somewhat different from the old ones in a lighter tone. If you rub the needles between your fingers, you immediately feel a pleasant, slightly spicy aroma. The tree has a sharp top.
Thuja Maloniana is a fast growing variety. Annually, its size increases by 25 - 30 cm. At 10 years old, the height of the culture reaches 3 meters, the final dimensions of the ephedra vary from 10 to 15 m. The crown width is from 60 to 250 cm, depending on the age of the tree. This variety of western thuja is highly frost-resistant. Its shoots do not freeze when the temperature drops to minus 30 ºС. In addition, good immunity, excellent shade tolerance, lack of reaction to direct light in the form of sunburn are inherent in the shrub.
Growing and care
Columnar thuja can be planted both in the sunny and in the shady sector of the site - it will be equally comfortable everywhere. However, the ideal option for lighting a coniferous beauty is an openwork partial shade.
This variety is undemanding to soils. But when growing it in a place bathed in the sun, it is better to use highly fertile soil for planting a plant. Regular garden soil can be made more nutritious by mixing it with humus. It is important that the soil has good breathability and is moderately moist. Drainage is necessary for the culture in any case, and especially when cultivating shrubs on heavy clay soils.
Planting work is carried out in the spring, in the southern regions - in early autumn. The hole should be spacious enough. A distance of 0.5 - 3 m is observed between the plants. When the lower part of the seedling is covered with earth, make sure that the root collar is at ground level. At the end of this event, the soil around the plant is tamped, the tree is watered abundantly, the ground in the zone of the trunk circle is mulched.
It is easy to care for a slender ephedra. He needs regular watering, periodic feeding, weeding, in spring and autumn - pruning, during the growing season - a haircut in order to form the crown. To increase the nutritional value of the soil under the thuja plant, it is worth using a complex fertilizer. In the spring, it is advisable to use nitrogen concentrate for feeding. Loosening of the soil is carried out to a maximum depth of 10 cm. Water the culture once a week with settled, cool water. The variety is also responsive to sprinkling of the crown with moisture slightly warmed up in the sun, especially in hot, dry summers. This procedure refreshes the plant, removes dust from the needles and makes the crown color more intense. Mulching the land in close proximity to the tree is carried out twice a month during the entire warm season.To protect against pests, the thuja must be sprayed with an insecticide solution several times over the summer.
Use cases
The Malonian variety is a plant suitable for single and group plantings. It looks especially impressive against the background of a bright green lawn. Often this coniferous culture can be seen in hedges, alleys, as part of green walls, near the facade of houses and any other buildings. It also fits into tree and shrub compositions. Against the background of rich green needles, flowers of roses and peonies of juicy, catchy shades look great. With the help of Maloniana plants, you can beautifully decorate a recreation area. Landscape designers turn to coniferous trees when they are faced with the task of landscaping the territory of a park, a public garden, or a suburban area. It should be noted that the columnar thuja quickly adapts to the polluted air of a large city, moreover, it cleans the atmosphere of harmful impurities, exhaust gases, dust, smoke and disinfects it by releasing phytoncides into the environment.
