Detail of Thuja koraiensis foliage. Photo: courtesy of Bruce Crawford.
by Bruce Crawford, Manager of Horticulture, Morris County Park Commission
Evergreens are a group of plants that naturally garner a gardener’s attention during these bleak days of winter. There are many types of evergreens from which to choose, including those with painfully sharp needles to those with more user-friendly scale-like and soft foliage. Of course, the emphasis may not be totally on foliage, since some evergreens offer wonderful bark or perhaps an invigorating fragrance from the foliage. There are a number of evergreens that meet these criteria, but one genus that readily comes to mind is Thuja, commonly called Arborvitae!
