Tater Tot® Arborvitae (Thuja)
Shrub
- Adorable & versatile dwarf evergreen.
- Compact arborvitae from Proven Winners great for small spaces!
- Native evergreen with fragrant foliage.
- Perfect in hedges, borders, containers, & small spaces.
- Zones 3-8, sun/part sun, 2′ tall x 2' wide at maturity.
ZONE
EXPOSURE
HEIGHT
Description
Details
Patent #: USPP 30761
Common name: Arborvitae, Eastern red cedar
Zone: 3 - 8
Sun exposure: Full sun (6+ hours sun) to part-sun (4-6 hours sun)
Height x width: 1-2' tall and wide
Flower color: Evergreen conifer, does not flower
Foliage color: Green
Season of Interest: Year-round
Bloom time: Foliage plant
Features: Space savers, Proven Winners, native, evergreens, container plants, cold tolerant, best sellers
Uses: Specimen, rock gardens, containers
How to Grow
Light: Full sun (6 hrs direct light daily), Partial sun/shade (4-6 hrs light daily)
Water: Keep moist. Water 1 inch a week. Appreciates well-drained soil.
Spacing: 2 ft
Fertilizing: Top dress in spring with a slow-release, balanced fertilizer.
Winterizing: Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone in winter to protect it in exposed locations or colder zones. Tolerates wind once established and withstands heavy ice or snow. Darkens or bronzes slightly in the winter. Note -- The oldest interior branchlets on arborvitae usually turn brown and fall off in autumn. This aging process is different from drought stress, which on arborvitae appears on the tree outside the interior foliage as an abnormal yellowing or browning, known as flagging. This discoloration may not occur until a season or two after the drought stress was most severe.
Maintenance & Pruning: Requires little or no pruning but can be sheared easily if necessary. If pruning, avoid pruning in late summer or fall as pruning stimulates new growth, which can be easily damaged by fall and winter temperatures.
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.
This is how it looks after 1 year
I bought 4 tater tots and knew these would be small but they're tiny. The problem is 2 barely had any root development so not sure if those will survive. The 2 with good root systems have a bit more foliage too. When I took them out of the containers to plant, literally at least two thirds of the soil just fell away with no roots at all. I went ahead and planted them all but don't have high hopes for those. I will say, I've purchased a variety of plants this fall from GGP and most have been great! (Fingers crossed for my tots)
We’re sorry you’re not satisfied with your plants! On each product page and our plant sizes page, we note that all of our plants are young. The size of our plants varies depending on the time of year and whether they were recently trimmed. The most important thing when purchasing plants, online or in garden centers, is a full and robust root system, which we prioritize. Our fall guarantee covers plants received after September 1 until May 2026, so we have you covered. Please send your order number and pictures of your plants to [email protected] to start the claims process. We look forward to helping! https://bit.ly/ggp-guarantee
Our first time ordering from Great Garden Plants and it was a success. The plants arrived nicely packaged and in good health. We followed the directions and let them sit in the shade for a couple of days to adjust to our temperatures. After planting, we made sure to keep them watered due to the 90 degree weather. Most of them look great with the exception of of a couple that have a little browning. Hopefully it's just due to the adjustment period.
They were shipped and arrived pretty quickly. They were small but healthy and in very good condition. They were well packed for shipping.
Disappointed in size. Honestly, I wouldn’t sell these plants until they were twice the size; but, they at least are healthy. I have planted them and so far they are doing well.
We’re sorry you’re not satisfied with your plants! On each product page and our plant sizes page, we note that all of our plants are young. The size of our plants varies depending on the time of year and whether they were recently trimmed. The most important thing when purchasing plants, online or in garden centers, is a full and robust root system, which we prioritize. Trimming only encourages stronger root development! All orders are covered by our 60-day guarantee, so please reach out to [email protected] to start the claims process if necessary.
Shipping was excellent! They came in carefully wrapped so the soil will not spill in the transit. Tater Tots arrived super healthy.
They are the cutest and roundest little ball of green ever! They fit so well into my landscape.
They were a lot smaller than I thought. They were tiny.One of the four has a dead spot which I hope is not going to be a problem.
Hello! Thank you for your feedback. As mentioned on our website we ship young plants with well established root systems. There are a variety of reasons why your arborvitae is turning brown. You can find our tips here: https://blog.greatgardenplants.com/questions-answered-series-arborvitae-thuja/. We do offer at 60-day guarantee on all of our plants. If the problem does not improved we'd be happy to apply your warranty. Just send photos of the plant to [email protected]. Happy Gardening!
https://www.greatgardenplants.com/pages/our-guarantee
This is a beautiful little arb! It is soft and has a nice fresh smell to it. It arrived in perfect condition because this company takes great care in packaging your plant orders.
So far, so good. I understand the first year of a perennial is focused on the root system. The second year will start to expand and the third year should reach maturity. Well, this is the first year. They look great, but still tiny. Thank you. Gaylord, MI
It took well to my garden. Can’t wait for it to grow and take shape I love it the quality of the plants are awesome!
They were very very small 3 inches maybe. They looked great but as I said way to small.
We’re sorry you’re not satisfied with your plants! On each product page and our plant sizes page, we note that all of our plants are young. The size of our plants varies depending on the time of year and whether they were recently trimmed. The most important thing when purchasing plants, online or in garden centers, is a full and robust root system, which we prioritize. Our fall guarantee covers plants received after September 1 until May 2026, so we have you covered. Please send your order number and pictures of your plants to [email protected] to start the claims process if necessary. We look forward to helping! https://bit.ly/ggp-guarantee
These little plants are so cute and a really pretty green color. Arrived well packed and very healthy.
I was pleased with my order it arrived quickly and in great shape. Packaging protected the plants. Already planted and am enjoying them .
The Tater Tot Arborvitae plants arrived quickly and were very well packaged. Plants are small (but I ordered the small ones) and they are very healthy. I can’t wait to see how much they grow in the coming seasons. Great Garden Plants gets an A++ from me. Will be ordering from them again.
My local garden nursery was thrilled to hear that I had found some tator tots! He has been trying to source them for me, and he finally said to try to find them online since he was striking out.
They came in containers of moist soil, and they were the right size for that container. After a day of adjusting to our climate outside, I planted them; watering every other day that it didn't rain just to give them a healthy start. Now they look fairly well established, but I will keep an eye as August heat and dry weather usually stresses even my established plants.
The plants were packed well and stll wey when they were delivered.
Love these little bushes. They are just the right side and I love the no maintenance. I first bought 5 last summer to try them out. Came back this summer and bought 10 more. They are extremely hardy and look great!
Was expecting it to be a bit bigger.
We’re sorry you’re not satisfied with your plants! On each product page and our plant sizes page, we note that all of our plants are young. The size of our plants varies depending on the time of year and whether they were recently trimmed. The most important thing when purchasing plants, online or in garden centers, is a full and robust root system, which we prioritize. Trimming only encourages stronger root development! All orders are covered by our 60-day guarantee, so please reach out to us to start the claims process if necessary.
So far I haven’t killed them. I love the small plants.
Plant looks very health and packaged well.
After on month planted still alive! Plants arrived well packaged. Only negative was the quart and gallon size plants are similar in size… pretty tiny…over all a great experience for my first online plant purchase!
Very healthy looking and in great shape. Cant wait to watch them grow in my garden.
Very happy with your service
How fast does the Tater Tot Arborvitae griw?
Tater Tot® Arborvitae has an average growing rate, reaching its mature size in 3-5 years.