Meet the wonderful Western Teddy Thuja
Thuja western Teddy is a small coniferous plant that looks like a ball. This variety is new, however, very popular among landscape designers and gardeners for its unique shape. The plant fits perfectly into the design of any personal plots, parks, is in demand when decorating flower beds, rock gardens. Thuja gets along well on various soils, is unpretentious in care.
Belongs to evergreen species. It has a spherical crown, thin shoots covered with needles, which practically does not prick. The needles have a bluish-green tint, sometimes dark, becoming brown in color closer to winter. Thuja does not grow quickly and can only grow by 2-3 cm in a year.According to the description, thuja western Teddy reaches its maximum size in 10 years, which are 0.3-0.4 m in diameter.Roots are branched, superficial, sensitive to compaction soil.
Thuja western Teddy landing and leaving
It is desirable that the soil is not heavy, peat and slightly clayey sandy loam are suitable. The mixture is considered ideal:
- 1 part sand;
- 1 part peat;
- 1 piece of leafy land.
To improve growth, it is advisable to include mineral fertilizers - 5 g per 1 kg of the resulting substrate. This will help the roots grow better in the soil. If landing from a container, the thuja Western Teddy should be well watered. The planting pit should be much wider than the root system; drainage from gravel or expanded clay should be placed on its bottom, with a layer of 15-20 cm.The distance between plantings should be about 40-50 cm.
When planting, the neck of the root system should be placed at ground level. After planting, the thuja should be watered abundantly and the trunk circle should be mulched with peat or special bark.
Care
The plant is good for watering and loves sprinkling. Therefore, after planting the thuja western Teddy, it is supposed to be watered regularly, at least 1-2 times a week, after loosening it to a shallow depth. If the planting is done in hot weather, the frequency of watering is increased. Basal mulching also helps to retain moisture and reduce moisture evaporation. In the spring, when the plant awakens, it is recommended to water the shrub more abundantly.
According to the description, thuja Teddy has frost resistance, so it tolerates winter weather well. But, nevertheless, in late winter and early spring, when the sun shines brightly enough, the needles are very sensitive to burns. In order to avoid this, it is advisable to cover the branches of the plant with spruce branches or special fiber. In winter, with the onset of severe snowstorms and wet snow, it is recommended to tie the bush branches so as not to damage the crown. It is advisable to remove wet snow from the branches.
This variety of thuja also needs annual sanitary pruning, which is carried out in the spring. This removes all dried and damaged branches. If necessary, circumcision can be carried out, this will ensure the correct formation of the crown. It should be remembered that you need to cut off no more than a third of the shoot.
Thuja is fed in spring, April or May is suitable for this. For this procedure, use a mineral complex of fertilizers for conifers or nitroammophos feeding. Potassium-phosphate fertilizers are applied in autumn.
Pest control
In order to avoid damage to the plant by fungal pests and some other insects, preventive treatment should be carried out. The event takes place in April using Bordeaux liquid. In case of infection, the shrub is treated with insecticides twice, after 10 days.
Plant care should also include weeding and loosening the soil to help oxygenate the shrub.
How to properly plant and care for the western Teddy thuja can be seen in the specified photo.
Use in landscape design
For the green thuja compositions Western Teddy fits perfectly. It is ideal for both parks and private areas outside the city. The plant grows in an original way in single and group plantings in gardens and squares, suitable for organizing alpine-style slides. Can be grown in containers and special flower boxes. Moreover, the shrub is recommended to be used to decorate loggias, placed on the roofs of terraces and houses. You can take a closer look at the use of thuja Teddy in landscape design in the photos that are presented below.