Description
Techny Arborvitae are a cultivar of our native American arborvitae. The American arb is very common in the northeastern parts of the United States. There are some groves of these trees as far south as Tennessee and North Carolina. Arborvitae means ‘tree of life’. It was given this name when the French explorer Cartier learned from Native Americans that it can be used to treat scurvy. The largest know white cedar tree is located in Leelanau County, just a short drive from our farm. The oldest dead white cedar was estimated to have an age of 1,890 years. With a pyramidal shape and stiff, thick branches, it makes an excellent privacy screen. The needles on this tree are soft, flat, fan like and they seamlessly extent to the woody stems of the tree. They are very versatile and can be grown pretty much any soil. They are also tolerant of a wide range of ph. As a member of the cypress family, they do really thrive in moist soils. Here on the farm, they grow naturally in our swamps and on hill sides. Unfortunately, they are very susceptible to deer browse. They can be protected as seedlings with a wire cage and as they grow, they can be wrapped in burlap to protect them through the winter when they are most vulnerable. The Techny cultivar is upright and conical, with a broad base and can be considered compact. Foliage does not fade in the winter.
