Degroot’s Spire vs. Emerald Green Arborvitae

Degroot’s Spire and Emerald Green Arborvitae are both handsome evergreen conifer trees with rich dense foliage, but there are a few differences between them. Let’s take a closer look at these two tall but narrow arborvitaes to discover what makes Degroot’s Spire and Emerald Green arborvitae different.

Difference Between Degroot’s Spire and Emerald Green Arborvitae

The main differences between these two evergreens are their foliage texture and winter colors.

Emerald Green has flat-fanned sprays of foliage, but Degroot’s Spire has twisted sprays of foliage so they look quite different all year round, but in winter, another difference appears. Degroot’s Spire changes into its dark mossy green, and bronze winter coat!

What Are Arborvitae Trees?

Arborvitae trees are evergreens in the cypress family Cupressaceae. Their botanical name is Thuja occidentalis, but there’s a variety of more common names you may know them by including Swamp Cedar, American Arborvitae, Northern White Cedar, and Eastern White Cedar. 

It’s such a handsome tree species with lots of benefits for gardeners and landscapers that botanists have bred a wide range of cultivars. Degroot’s Spire and Emerald Green are just two out of hundreds of cultivars.

Be sure not to mix up arborvitae northern or eastern white cedar with cedar trees in the Cedrus genus, which are quite different. Cedar trees sit in the Pinaceae family (subfamily abietoideae) and originate from the Mediterranean and Himalayan mountains.

What are Arborvitae’s Native Origins?

You might have guessed from the common name American Arborvitae that the thuja species are native to the States. They originate from the north-central and northeastern United States and eastern Canada.

Native Americans have used arborvitae for centuries and it has the name Grandmother Cedar as a result of all the medicines, shelters, and life-enhancing objects it’s created. The native Ojibwe Anishinaabe people’s medicine wheel includes Arborvitae trees as the northern plant.

The name arborvitae is Latin, arbor means tree and vitae means life. So arborvitaes are the tree of life, and not just because they’re evergreen 12 months of the year. Arborvitaes have been frequently used in a wide range of medicines and insecticides for hundreds of years. Recent research has found thuja occidentalis has good antiviral and fungal properties in its essential oils, so it’s still going strong.

The species name thuja occidentalis is ancient Greek for perfume (thuja) and occidentalis (west). Thuja is a popular girl’s name in some eastern countries.

Arborvitae Emerald Green

This is one of the most popular arborvitae cultivars in the States. It’s also known as Smaragd. It’ll reach 12-15 feet tall and about four to five feet wide. It’s a good-sized evergreen tree, but manageable in medium-sized gardens so it’s a popular choice for screening out nosy neighbors!

Arborvitae Degroot’s Spire

Degroot’s Spire is short for Degroot’s Emerald Spire. It was bred by Constant Degroot a manager at Sheridan Nurseries in 1970 in Ontario, Canada and some folk like to think the Marvel tree character Groot was inspired by it!

Degroot’s Spire vs. Emerald Green: Growing Zone

Both Emerald Green and Degroot’s Spire will grow from zone 2b and up.

Thuja trees can cope with temperatures that fall to minus 40 degrees, but they tend to get powdery mildew and mold outbreaks in zones above 7 because it’s just too humid for the foliage.

Height and Spread of Degroot’s Spire vs. Emerald Green

Arborvitae Emerald Green reaches a maximum height of 15 feet tall and spreads about three to four feet, whereas Degroot’s Spire is taller. It can top out at 20 feet tall and spread over three to four feet.

Degroot’s Spire is commonly used for landscaping and kept shorter through regular pruning.

This sounds tall, but some arborvitae trees reach 200 feet high in the wild, they are truly enormous trees.

The Difference Between Degroot’s Spire and Emerald Green: Foliage

Foliage is the biggest difference between Degroot’s Spire and Emerald Green Arborvitae.

Emerald Green has tough-looking sprays of flat fan-like scaly foliage. It’s dense, evergreen, and remains a bright emerald green shade all year round.

In contrast, Degroot’s Spire has rippling, twisted foliage sprays on a very narrow and upright trunk. Its outline is less sleek and rocket-like than Emerald Green’s smooth silhouette. It’s a good way to create interesting shapes for upright arborvitae gardens.

Another difference is the color. Although they are both green, Degroot’s Spire is darker and it matures to dark mossy green and bronze-purple shades during fall and winter. On the other hand, Emerald Green doesn’t change color.

There are some similarities between them too. They are both evergreen and their foliage is so dense there’s no way someone could see through it. This makes them excellent privacy screens or bird-friendly trees.

Secondly, they both dislike salt-laden sprays. Thuja species are generally not good on the coast because salt burns their scaly foliage.

How Fast Does Degroot’s Spire vs. Emerald Green Grow?

Degroot’s Spire grows at a rate of six inches per year once it’s established, so it’s a slow-growing thuja. Emerald Green is also slow, but it’s quicker than Degroot’s Spire at nine inches a year after it’s established.

Degroot’s Spire vs Emerald Green Arborvitae: Sun Exposure

Arborvitae trees like full sun but they can cope with partial shade too. Experts say arborvitae cultivars such as Degroot’s Spire and Emerald Green need at least four to six hours of sunlight daily.

Do Arborvitae Trees Have Flowers?

Yes, arborvitae trees including Degroot’s Spire and Emerald Green bloom in April to May, but their flowers are so tiny and green that you may miss them. Thuja Occidentalis trees are wind pollinated, so they don’t need to have big showy flowers that attract pollinators.

Do Arborvitae Produce Cones?

Arborvitae trees produce small cones that contain around six to eight seeds. They are small, only reaching about 1/2 an inch in length and they are sparsely covered with wooden slits. Also, they’re not as attractive as pine cones, but children still like to play with them when they mature to deep rich brown and fall in early winter.

Is Arborvitae Toxic to Dogs?

Yes, if dogs, cats, or horses chew on thuja occidentalis cultivars like Degroot’s Spire and Emerald Green Arborvitae it can make them breathless and cause vomiting or diarrhea. Because there’s a high concentration of essential oils in the foliage.

However, there are a few animal species that love arborvitae foliage. The most damaging are deer which can kill a young arborvitae tree if they strip it clean. Another is the juniper pug moth. This species of Lepidoptera lays its eggs on thuja and the caterpillars feast on rich green foliage that provides enough nutrients to help them develop into fully-grown moths.  

Degroot’s Spire vs. Emerald Green Arborvitae: Which Is Best?

Both of these trees are suitable for medium size to large gardens. They create top-notch living screens that block out overlooking neighbors as well as providing habitats for insects, birds, and squirrels. Some gardeners like to use just one as an exclamation point or two side by side to mark the beginning of a pathway or either side of a door.

The best one is whichever you like the most! Degroot’s Spire has twisted rippling foliage sprays whereas Emerald Green has flat fans. During winter Degroot’s Spire develops purple-bronze foliage but Emerald Green stays emerald green.

One thing is for sure. If you take the kids shopping with you, you’ll come home with Degroot’s Spire.

Up Next:

• Juniper vs. Cedar: 5 Key Differences
• Green Giant Arborvitae vs. Leyland Cypress: What’s the Difference?
• Discover the Oldest Tree in the World

The photo featured at the top of this post is © iStock.com/EvaBrowning