Other Names:  Eastern White Cedar

Description:

A lovely ornamental shrub that is ideal for foundation and rock garden plantings; It is slow growing and needs no shearing to maintain globe shape; foliage emerges lime green turning dark green and lustrous in summer; also an excellent choice for hedging

Ornamental Features

Little Dorritt Arborvitae is a dwarf conifer which is primarily valued in the garden for its ornamental globe-shaped form. It has attractive dark green evergreen foliage which emerges lime green in spring. The scale-like sprays of foliage are highly ornamental and remain dark green throughout the winter. The tan fruits are held in cones in late summer.

Landscape Attributes

Little Dorritt Arborvitae is a dense multi-stemmed evergreen shrub with a more or less rounded form. Its relatively fine texture sets it apart from other landscape plants with less refined foliage.

This is a relatively low maintenance shrub. When pruning is necessary, it is recommended to only trim back the new growth of the current season, other than to remove any dieback. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Little Dorritt Arborvitae is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Mass Planting
• Hedges/Screening
• Rock/Alpine Gardens
• General Garden Use

Planting & Growing

Little Dorritt Arborvitae will grow to be about 3 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 3 feet. It tends to fill out right to the ground and therefore doesn't necessarily require facer plants in front. It grows at a slow rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 30 years.

This shrub should only be grown in full sunlight. It prefers to grow in average to moist conditions, and shouldn't be allowed to dry out. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution, and will benefit from being planted in a relatively sheltered location. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone in winter to protect it in exposed locations or colder microclimates. This is a selection of a native North American species.