I'm fearful that if I mention the word arborvitae in the first sentence I may be creating the least read column I have ever written. Perhaps you may want to venture on at least a few more paragraphs.

Not all arborvitae are created equal. First let's differentiate by bringing in the Latin. Arborvitae are Thuja. I know of three species. The common arborvitaes are Thuja occidentalis and Thuja plicata.

The plicata species solves one of the common problems facing arborvitae. Deer love the occidentals but not the plicata species. They seem not to be bothered.

One of my favorite shrub catalogs offers 31 different arborvitae ranging from pyramids reaching 30 feet to a little round two-foot ball with unusual foliage with lots of variation in between. With little effort I am sure you could identify many more selections or cultivars.

The tall one is a recent introduction called Green Giant. It is one of the fastest growing evergreens out there. I planted several 18-inch plants in June 2004 and now they are almost twice as tall as I am.

Interestingly, they just sat there most of 2004 making me wonder if they were the fast growing miracle that the literature suggested. I guess I was just too impatient. Once they started growing I can easily agree that they add three feet of new growth a year. I suspect they will be narrow with a width probably not exceeding five or six feet.

Digressing, I question the wisdom of planting large plants unless you demand an instant final look. I have watched smaller perennials and shrubs repeatedly overtake their larger counterparts in a very short time.

I am still watching a planting of what I think were six inch caliber trees made four or five years ago. From a distance, when in full leaf I can still see through them and they don't seem to be adding much size. Every time I see them I wonder if something one-third their size would have caught up by now.

Meanwhile back to the arborvitaes. Most of you will recognize the flat foliage that defines an arborvitae. That, too, isn't always a given.

The little round ball I referred to a few paragraphs back has a foliage one would never suspect to be an arborvitae. It is very soft and almost looks like a juniper, which are always a bit prickly. That one is called Teddy.

Arborvitaes have no more problems than any of the workhorse evergreens out there. In fact I have a 12 year old planting of Leland Cypress that are eating a lot of horizontal space, a trait not shared by most arborvitae.

As a workhorse, I am gaining new respect for the arborvitae when used as screens, hedges, or part of a foundation planting. The smaller ones also fill some holes in the shrub border. Most are green, but there are some variegated ones generally favoring hints of yellow.

If you got this far, congratulations. I have found that incorporating some arborvitae into your landscape is not a punishable sin.