Adding More Green Giant Thujas To Back Yard Along Fence - January 2025

A big part of writing a [garden diary] all-year-around is using the dormant season - like RIGHT NOW, deep in the coldest part of the year - to noodle on garden edits and additions.  I've done it most Winters - educating myself about plants, shrubs and trees.  Sketching out edits to beds.  Thinking about what I should/could add to the garden in various spots.

With the temps so low lately, I only get out to the backyard garden to dump our kitchen scraps into the compost bins.  I scurry from the backdoor to the bins in the back of the yard.  And then scurry right back.  So, I only have brief glimpses to notice/document the garden.

But, one of the spots that I have been looking at (on these walks) is along the south fence line where we have three Green Giant Thujas that are spaced about five-feet apart.  

These three went in the ground in April of 2022 and were small(ish).  Looking back at the photos from when they were planted, the tips of these trees (are they trees??? I think so.) were just to the height of the fence.  

I've been posting a little bit about 'winter interest' the past few weeks and these three trees deserve their own post on that topic.

Below is a photo showing the three Green Giant Thujas on the left.  In the middle is the over-turned wine barrel (that I use for a water feature) and a Black Walnut tree standing tall.  On the right is....the potential area for even more of these Green Giant Thuja evergreen trees.

Here, below, is an annotated version of that same photo.  The green ovals are the three existing.  The three teal ovals are where some new ones could grow.

The three existing trees were - as I mentioned - planted small.  I don't know if that's the reason why all three have thrived, but it certainly was a factor.   They've managed to grow, despite being in the shade.  And, despite being planted near a Black Walnut tree. 

They're providing screening and structure.  And, I think....having three more there makes sense.   In fact....there might be a couple of other spots - in the way back - that could use some of these Green Giant Thujas. 

Based on my experience...these Thujas always go on sale at the big box store in Spring.  I'm thinking that I should put three on my shopping list for 2025.  More evergreens.  More conifers.  More screening.  And...more 'winter interest'.