arborvitae landscaping ideas

20 Creative Arborvitae Landscaping Ideas

If you like arborvitae trees like me, you will enjoy the below arborvitae landscaping ideas that you can use in your front yard, backyard, or in a way that serves a purpose, hides something, and enhances the beauty of your overall landscape.

These arborvitae trees are also called Thuja occidentalis, and they are dense, hardy shrubs or trees that are easy to take care of and popular around the country. 

These arborvitae trees are planted together to create a hedge, privacy screen, windbreaker, or a magical round ball that you have seen somewhere. 

Creative Arborvitae Landscaping Ideas 

The arborvitae landscaping ideas I will share with you will have different heights, shapes, and colors. Use them according to your yard and what you want to achieve with it. 

I will give the problems that people face and the possible solutions using these Thuja or Arborvitae trees. So let’s begin. 

Read, also: Ten best driveway landscaping ideas for your yard

1. Use It Like a Privacy Screen

Use arborvitae Like a Privacy Screen in the backyard

The best use of an arborvitae tree is to use it like a privacy screen if you do not have a big wall or fence covering your yard.

You can use them in your backyard or front yard or create a private park in the middle of your yard to have a private chat or something like a private park.

Just plant these trees at a distance and then grow. On average, arborvitae trees will grow about 3 inches per year. They are thick and strong trees that also attract people’s attention. 

But you have to maintain them by cutting the excessive leaves and cleaning the surrounding area for a fresh look and feel. Do it at least once in three months when they grow up.

2. Develop a Strong Living Fence

Develop a Strong Living Fence

Now building a living fence is not too different than setting them up like a privacy screen. But still, I want to talk about the fence.

A living fence with strong trees will work as a big wall in your yard where nothing can pass. 

For that, you have to set the arborvitae tree very close to each other. Where on the privacy screen, you can maintain a distance.

But here, the fence must be thicker than the privacy screen to make it like a wall. 

3. Add Arborvitae to Your Walkway

Add Arborvitae to Your Walkway

You can also use the arborvitae tree in your walkway in pots or plant them beside the walkway if you have the space and the soil to grow them.

Use pots, plant those Thuja plants, and place them on the side of your walkway. It does look beautiful. 

4. Create Corridors with Arborvitae

Create Corridors with arborvitae

When talking about pathways, you can also use them to build a corridor to your house. They look very green, and people will love to expand their type of landscaping in your yard. 

They do cost a bit more than those previous arborvitae landscaping ideas in maintenance, but they can change the whole look of your corridor if you use them creatively.

5. Use Arborvitae to Hide Something

Use Arborvitae to Hide Something

If you have something in your yard like a transfer box, a small pond, or something dirty, you can use these trees to hide them. They attend good height and are dense in nature. 

That is why they can hide almost everything unless you do not want to wait that long for them to grow. In that case, you have to use a wooden fence and plant some climbing trees to hide your things.

6. Combine with Shrubs to Build a Contrast

Combine with Shrubs to Build Contrast

If you want something different with your arborvitae landscape designs, you can combine the arborvitae tree with small shrubs or other similar plants. 

Use small shrubs and then plant those Thuja plants at a distance to make a design. The design ideas are limitless, so you try as you like and based on your landscape design preference.

7. Use as Emerald Green Arborvitae Landscape

Use as Emerald Green Arborvitae

If you want something classy or modern with your landscape design, you can go with Emerald Green Arborvitae. When it rains, the water stays on the leaves and looks amazing. 

I choose this design only to feel the beauty of it, especially in the rain. But you can use it if you do not have the rain often.

It looks elegant and can create a different look in your yard because of the Emerald Green color.

8. Use Arborvitae as a Windbreak

Use Arborvitae as a Windbreak

Most people search for backyard arborvitae landscaping ideas to build a windbreak. They are normally used to protect crops. But they also can be used in your yard.

If you live in a place where winds normally disturb the landscape of your yard, then you should use the arborvitae tree to set up a windbreak to reduce the mess in your yard.

9. Set up The Magical Ball for Your Small Garden

Set up The Magical Ball for Your Small Garden

Now finally the magical ball that almost 99 percent of people use in their front and back yards. There is nothing extra to talk about these magical arborvitae balls. You just set them up and then maintain them over time. That is it.

10. Use Thuja Globe in the Pots 

Use Danica Globe in the Pots

Use this globe Thuja in a pot if you do not have the capacity to plant those big green trees. Buy some globe trees and set them up in your garden or yard. It will give you the vibe of those big arborvitae trees.

11. Set them in Different Shapes

green huge arborvitae
Roland zhCC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

12. Make Glow in the Full Sun

Thuja tree
CdaMVvWgSCC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

13. Egde Your Corner with Arborvitae

Arborvitae small size
pxhere.com

14. Make Something Unique with Them

long Arborvitae
pxhere.com

15. Just Let them Grow Side By Side

arborviatae
pxhere.com

16. Edge them With Wood or Brick

PIXNIO 14172 1024x768 1
pixnio.com

17. Plant a Bold Looking Arborvitae

Thuja plant
AthantorCC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

18. Plant them Near the Fenceline

garden fence with thuja
pexels.com

19. Combine them With Brown Mulch

yard thuja
F. D. Richards on Flickr

20. Plant them Over a Shelve

arborvitae landscaping FAQs

Last Words

So these are my top ten backyard arborvitae landscaping ideas for anyone who wants to build a fence, a windbreaker, a privacy screen, or enhance the beauty of their landscape. 

Use the ideas according to your yard and how you want it to look. Maintain them for a clean environment. I wish you the best of luck in setting those up. See ya!

Arborvitae Landscaping FAQs

What is the lifespan of an arborvitae tree?

Arborvitae trees can live up to 150 years if you take good care of them.

Where do arborvitae trees grow best?

These trees grow best in the USDA hardiness areas like Dallas, Texas. They can grow best in a versatile place.

What looks good with the arborvitae landscape?

You can lay a wooden bench beside the trees or build a fence with a rock border. Both look good with arborvitae landscape.

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Nazim Ali

Nazim Ali is an engineer who loves fixing things at home. He loves to try new things and share the knowledge with the world.