Dark American Arborvitae

Dark American arborvitae is the native evergreen for a privacy screen that holds its color through winter. Thuja occidentalis 'Nigra' keeps a deep green when most arborvitae fade to bronze or yellow-green in cold weather, which is the reason to choose it over the common form. It grows 20 to 30 feet tall and 6 to 8 feet wide in a broad pyramid, hardy from Zone 3 through Zone 8 in full sun to part sun, and it establishes quickly enough to start screening within a few seasons.

The foliage is flat and scaled, dense from the ground up, and it holds that density without shearing as long as it gets enough light. In deep shade the lower branches thin out.

Arborvitae takes wet ground better than most conifers, which makes it usable along a low property line or a damp edge where spruce and pine would struggle. It also handles clay and alkaline soil.

Deer are the thing to plan for. Arborvitae is one of their preferred winter foods, and in areas with real pressure an unprotected plant will be stripped bare as high as they can reach. If you have deer, this needs fencing or repellent through the first several winters until it grows above browse height. Space plants 4 to 6 feet apart for a solid screen, wider if you want individual form.