how far apart to plant green giant arborvitae
For Green Giant arborvitae, a good rule of thumb is to plant them about 6–8 feet apart trunk‑to‑trunk for a healthy, long‑term hedge, and 5–6 feet apart if you want a very fast, dense privacy wall and are willing to prune more often.
Ideal spacing at a glance
- Tight privacy screen (fast wall): 5–6 ft apart; fills in quickly but can need more pruning and long‑term management.
- Standard hedge / privacy screen: 6–8 ft apart; most commonly recommended balance of quick coverage and tree health.
- Natural look / individual specimens: 8–10 ft (or even up to 10–15 ft) apart so each tree can show its full form without crowding.
You can also think about how big they get: mature Green Giants can reach about 12–20 ft wide, so giving them at least 6–8 ft between trunks helps them grow together into a screen without badly competing for light, water, and nutrients.
Simple spacing table (HTML)
| Planting goal | Recommended spacing | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Fast, dense privacy hedge | 5–6 ft apart | Quick solid wall, expect more pruning and management long term. | [5][1][3]
| Standard privacy screen | 6–8 ft apart | Common pro recommendation; good balance of speed and health. | [7][3]
| Natural, looser hedge | 8–10 ft apart | More individual tree shape, slower to close gaps. | [1][3]
| Specimen trees (not a hedge) | 10–15 ft apart | Each tree has room to reach full width and show off its form. | [3][1]
Quick example
If you have a 40‑ft run along a property line and want a solid but not overcrowded hedge, spacing at about 6–7 ft would mean you need around 6 trees (40 ÷ 6–7 ≈ 6), and they should knit into a nice wall over the next few years as they grow.
Bottom note: Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.