Care of the tree Platycladus orientalis or Thuja orientalis |
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The genus Platycladus, family Cupressaceae, includes a single species of conifer native to China: Platycladus orientalis. It was previously classified as Thuja orientalis. Common names: Thuja orientalis, Chinese thuja, Oriental thuja, Biota, Chinese arborvitae, Oriental arborvitae. They are evergreen conifers with a pyramidal shape and flat branches that reach 10 meters (32.8 feet) in height. The foliage is dense and consists of small, medium green, scale-shaped leaves; there are numerous cultivars of other colors. They produce decorative bluish, rounded fruits with small hooks. They are used as isolated specimens, to form hedges and screens against the wind, in rockeries and combined with creeping conifers. Platycladus orientalis grows in full sun and semi-shade exposures. They resist not very intense frosts. They grow in any type of soil but prefer a light, clayey soil that contains organic matter. Water frequently so that the substrate always remains moist. They do not resist drought. Fertilize in autumn with compost or manure. They accept pruning very well to give them the most varied forms. They are quite resistant plants to the usual pests and diseases but sensitive to drought. They are propagated by woody cuttings in spring or fall. |
Images of the tree Platycladus orientalis or Thuja orientalis |
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