‘Holmstrup’ arborvitae is a woody, needled evergreen shrub in the cypress family (Cupressaceae). It is a cultivar of the American arborvitae, which is native to North America. This shrub is adaptable to a variety of soil types but prefers moist, well-drained loams. It is not drought tolerant. It grows well in full sun, partial shade, or dappled sunlight. Avoid full shade, though, or the foliage will thin out dramatically. ‘Holmstrup’ arborvitae’s foliage is an attractive deep green with scale-like leaves in dense horizontal sprays that hold their color well through cold winters. The foliage has an attractive fragrance. This shrub is slow growing and will take 10 years to reach 10 feet tall and 2.5 feet wide. The form is a narrow pyramidal shape. Use this shrub in foundation plantings, as a hedge, or as a focal point in small gardens. It also works well as a lawn planting or as a feature in a winter garden. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: Damage from deer browsing can be a serious problem. Leaf miners may damage leaf tips. Bagworms, mealy bugs, scales, and spider mites are occasional visitors. Canker can occasionally be a problem. VIDEO Created by Elizabeth Meyer for "Trees, Shrubs and Conifers," a plant identification course developed in partnership with Longwood Gardens. More information on Thuja occidentalis .
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Dappled Sunlight (Shade through upper canopy all day) | Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage
Available space
6-feet-12 feet
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 6 ft. 0 in. - 15 ft. 0 in. | Width: 2 ft. 0 in. - 3 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Slow
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
2 - Understory (15-40 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Dense; Pyramidal
Texture
Medium
Foliage
Needled Evergreen
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Needles
Leaf feel
Rough
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Scale-like dense foliage in vertical sprays
Fruit detail
Seed cones are not showy
Bark color
Light Brown; Red/Burgundy
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Unknown
Wildlife value
Deer browse the foliage, which also provides cover and habitat for birds. Foliage is aromatic.
Native Americans used this plant to prevent scurvy; the sap contains vitamin C. They shared this practice with French settlers, which gave rise to the name arborvitae, meaning tree of life. They also used this plant for canoes.