Polar Gold® Arborvitae (Thuja)
Shrub
- Bold, golden evergreen foliage all year round.
- Naturally grows in a nice pyramidal shape- no pruning needed!
- Native & fragrant evergreen from Proven Winners.
- Zones 3-8, sun/part sun, 15' tall x 6' wide at maturity.
ZONE
EXPOSURE
HEIGHT
Description
Details
Patent #: USPP 25,388
Common name: Arborvitae
Zone: 3 - 8
Sun exposure: Full sun (6+ hrs/day) to part-sun (4-6 hrs sun/day)
Height x width: 12-15' tall x 4-6' wide
Flower color: Evergreen conifer, does not flower
Foliage color: Golden Green
Season of interest: Year-round
Bloom time: Evergreen
Features: Space savers, Proven Winners, privacy & screening, native, evergreens, cold tolerant
Uses: Specimen, hedge, perennial gardens, landscaping
How to Grow
Light: Full sun (6+ hrs/day) to part-sun (4-6 hrs sun/day)
Water: Average.
Space: 4-7' apart.
Fertilizing: Apply a granular rose or garden fertilizer in early spring if desired.
Winterizing: A good 2-3" layer of mulch is recommended; Avoid extreme dry soil in autumn, which can cause the evergreen foliage to dry out in winter.
Maintenance: No pruning is required. May be trimmed if desired.
Plant spacing is based on the ultimate width of the plants. This figure is normally given as a range; for example, 3-5’. If you live in a cold climate and/or want plants to fill in more quickly, plan to space at the shorter end of the range. If you live in a warm climate, are on a limited budget, or are willing to wait longer for plants to touch, use the higher end of the range. Using the larger number is recommended when calculating distance from a building or structure. There’s really no such thing as "maximum spacing": if you don’t want your plants to touch, you can space them as far apart as you’d like. All plant spacing is calculated on center, or in other words, the centers of the plants are spaced one half of their eventual width apart:
Unless you are planting in a straight line, as you might for hedges or edging, space your plants in a staggered or zig-zag pattern for a more interesting and naturalistic look:
Not sure just how many plants will fit in your garden? Our calculator gives you the exact amount of plants required for your space. Simply update the values and the calculator will re-calculate accordingly. Spacing information can be found in the 'How to Grow' tab on each plant's page.
Sent the wrong plants
We're sorry you're having trouble with your order. Our team of horticulture experts would love to take a closer look! Please contact us at [email protected] with your order number and photos of the plants so we can better assist you. All orders are covered by our 60-day guarantee. We look forward to helping! https://bit.ly/ggp-guarantee
I wanted to know if I order more plants will they die too?
Hi BD, We're so sorry to hear that your Polar Gold® Arborvitae isn't doing well. Please send an email to [email protected] and our Customer Service Team can help you out!
This was my first order and it was absolutely perfect. The plants were healthy and bigger than expected, considering most places send me tiny starter plants. I am in zone 9 which is slightly out of zone for this plant. I planted it in the shady areas and I think that was a mistake. It's still doing well and making it but definitely plant in the sun and I think also try not to get the branches wet. I was hoping being by sprinklers would be ok but it doesn't appear to like that either. Besides those two notes this is a really healthy plant that was shipped and I was impressed.
Very dry
Hello! Please see our previous replies. It is common for plants to experience slight stress from shipping, as they have not experienced their ideal growing conditions at this time. We recommend placing plants in a cool, shaded spot out of direct sunlight for 24-48 hours after unpacking them. Our fall guarantee covers plants received after September 1 until May 2026, so we have you covered. Please contact us with your order number and photos of your plants to start the claims process if necessary. We look forward to helping!
I am very happy with the quality and speed inwhch it was delivered.
The plants arrived seemingly healthy with just a few brown stems which will hopefully come back to life once they take root. I was very impressed with the packaging. Looking forward to a very nice border in my yard. Thank you.
I purchased 5 Polaris Golden Arborvitae from Great Garden plants website. On there website the looked like there were 2 to 3 feet tall. When I received the Polaris Golden they were no taller then 11 inch tall. I'll be 105 years old when the Polaris Golden mature. In my humble opinion, I would not recommend to my friends or anyone to purchase on this website. I gave 1 star
I'm sorry you are not satisfied with your plants!
We do note that all of our plants are young on each product page and on our plant sizes page (found here). The size and maturity of the plants varies widely depending on the time of the year you purchased and if they were recently trimmed. The important thing when it comes to purchasing plants, whether online or in a garden center, is that they have a full, robust root system, and that's what we prioritize in our greenhouses.
The more roots a plant has, the more energy it can put into growing once it is planted in your garden. We do keep our plants trimmed to encourage strong root development!
Rest assure you have 60 day warranty on all of your plants.
Polar Gold® Arborvitae
What’s the difference between the polar gold arborvitae and the fluffy arborvitae?
Hello! The Polar Gold® Arborvitae and the Fluffy® Arborvitae are very similar. The Polar Gold tends to grow slightly larger than the Fluffy, and it is also suitable for growing in more zones, being hardy down to zone 3, whereas the Fluffy is only hardy down to zone 5. Both will add bold, golden evergreen foliage to the landscape all year round.
How fast does it grow and do they stay gold all year
Bold, golden evergreen foliage all year round. It will take at least 5 years to reach full maturity.
Is this shrub have non invasive roots
Yes, the roots of Polar Gold arborvitae are shallow and grow about as wide as the canopy, so their roots are NOT considered invasive.