Choosing the right evergreen for privacy, windbreaks, or simply adding structure to your landscape can be a daunting task, especially when two formidable contenders stand out: the Green Giant Arborvitae and the Leyland Cypress. Both species offer rapid growth and dense foliage, making them popular choices for homeowners and landscapers alike. However, despite their shared purpose, they possess distinct characteristics that can significantly influence their long-term success and suitability for specific environments. This article delves into a comprehensive comparison of these two magnificent trees, exploring their growth habits, aesthetic qualities, care requirements, and resilience, to help you make an informed decision that best aligns with your landscape goals and site conditions.
Growth habits and mature size
Understanding the growth habits and eventual mature size of any plant is paramount for long-term landscape success, and this holds especially true for large evergreens like the Green Giant Arborvitae and Leyland Cypress. The Green Giant Arborvitae (Thuja standishii x plicata) is renowned for its vigorous, upright growth, typically adding 2-3 feet in height per year under optimal conditions. It forms a dense, pyramidal to conical shape, maintaining a relatively narrow base that widens slightly with age. At maturity, these trees can reach an impressive height of 40-60 feet with a spread of 12-20 feet, creating a substantial, living wall. Their branching structure is strong, making them less prone to damage from heavy snow and ice.
The Leyland Cypress (Cupressocyparis leylandii), on the other hand, is famous for its even more aggressive growth rate, often exceeding 3 feet annually, with some reports of up to 4 feet in ideal settings. This hybrid conifer develops a dense, columnar to broadly conical form, quickly establishing an imposing presence. Mature Leyland Cypress can soar to heights of 50-70 feet, and sometimes even taller, with a spread of 15-25 feet. While its rapid growth is a major draw, this speed can also be a double-edged sword, demanding more frequent pruning to maintain a desired size and shape. Its relatively weaker branch structure compared to the Green Giant can make it more susceptible to breakage in harsh weather conditions once fully mature.
Aesthetic appeal and landscape use
Beyond their growth rates, the aesthetic qualities of these evergreens play a crucial role in their selection for various landscape applications. The Green Giant Arborvitae boasts lush, deep green, scale-like foliage that remains vibrant throughout the year. Its foliage is finely textured and forms a uniform, dense screen that is visually appealing and provides excellent visual and sound dampening. The consistent, refined pyramidal shape makes it an ideal choice for formal hedges, stately property borders, or as a strong vertical accent in larger landscapes. Its natural elegance blends well with many architectural styles, offering a classic evergreen look.
The Leyland Cypress features softer, feathery, needle-like foliage, typically in shades of blue-green to grayish-green, which can vary slightly depending on the specific cultivar. This lighter texture can give it a somewhat more informal appearance compared to the Green Giant. Its rapid growth makes it unparalleled for quickly establishing privacy screens and windbreaks, creating an immediate impact in newly developed areas. However, its robust growth and eventual massive size mean it requires significant space. Without regular pruning, Leylands can become quite wide and somewhat unruly, potentially overwhelming smaller yards. The aesthetic choice often boils down to preference for foliage texture and the desired level of formality in the landscape design.
Environmental resilience and care requirements
The resilience to environmental stressors and the ongoing care required are critical factors for the long-term health and vitality of your chosen evergreen. The Green Giant Arborvitae is remarkably hardy, thriving in USDA Zones 5-9. It demonstrates excellent adaptability to a wide range of soil types, preferring well-drained loams but tolerating clay soils reasonably well, provided they aren’t waterlogged. It exhibits good drought tolerance once established, though consistent moisture is beneficial for optimal growth. Perhaps one of its most celebrated attributes is its notable resistance to deer browsing, a common frustration for many gardeners. Furthermore, it generally shows good resistance to many common diseases and pests that affect other conifers, making it a relatively low-maintenance option.
The Leyland Cypress is also quite hardy, suitable for USDA Zones 6-10, making it a good choice for warmer climates. It prefers well-drained, acidic to neutral soils but can tolerate various conditions. While it establishes quickly, it requires consistent watering during its initial years and can become stressed during prolonged dry spells. A significant consideration for Leyland Cypress is its susceptibility to certain diseases, most notably Seiridium canker and Botryosphaeria canker, especially in stressed conditions or humid environments. These cankers can cause branch dieback and, if not managed, can be fatal. Deer tend to browse Leyland Cypress more readily than Green Giants, particularly when other food sources are scarce. Its rapid growth also necessitates more frequent pruning—often annually—to maintain density and prevent it from becoming too large or developing a sparse interior.
Long-term considerations and suitability for specific needs
When making a final decision, it’s essential to look beyond immediate gratification and consider the long-term implications for your landscape. For those seeking a truly low-maintenance privacy solution, the Green Giant Arborvitae often comes out ahead. Its inherent pest and disease resistance, combined with its strong branch structure and natural resistance to deer, translates to fewer interventions over its lifespan. While it grows fast, its ultimate size and shape are generally more manageable without constant heavy pruning. This makes it ideal for homeowners who prefer to plant and largely forget, trusting the tree to grow into a stately, enduring screen.
The Leyland Cypress, while offering incredibly fast privacy, requires a more hands-on approach. Its vulnerability to canker diseases means proactive monitoring and potentially more intensive care, especially in humid or stressful growing conditions. Regular, often annual, pruning is crucial to maintain its health, density, and desired size, preventing it from outgrowing its space or becoming leggy. If you have a large property where ultimate height and spread are not concerns, and you are willing to commit to regular maintenance, the Leyland Cypress can provide an unmatched speed of screening. However, for smaller yards, or if deer are a known problem, or if minimal ongoing care is a priority, the Green Giant Arborvitae presents a more resilient and less demanding long-term solution.
| Feature | Green Giant Arborvitae | Leyland Cypress |
|---|---|---|
| Growth Rate | Fast (2-3 ft/year) | Very Fast (3-4+ ft/year) |
| Mature Height | 40-60 ft | 50-70+ ft |
| Mature Spread | 12-20 ft | 15-25 ft |
| Foliage Texture | Fine, scale-like | Soft, feathery, needle-like |
| Foliage Color | Deep green | Blue-green to grayish-green |
| Hardiness Zones | USDA 5-9 | USDA 6-10 |
| Deer Resistance | High | Moderate to Low |
| Disease Resistance | Excellent | Moderate (susceptible to cankers) |
| Pruning Needs | Low (to maintain shape) | Moderate to High (to manage size/density) |
In conclusion, both the Green Giant Arborvitae and the Leyland Cypress offer compelling advantages for creating effective privacy screens, windbreaks, and landscape structure. The Green Giant Arborvitae stands out for its robust resilience, excellent deer resistance, and generally lower maintenance requirements, making it a superb choice for homeowners seeking a reliable, long-lived, and relatively hands-off evergreen solution in USDA Zones 5-9. Its dense, uniform growth provides a classic, elegant privacy screen with minimal fuss.
Conversely, the Leyland Cypress truly shines when rapid establishment and ultimate height are the top priorities, particularly in USDA Zones 6-10. Its unparalleled growth rate can deliver a formidable screen in a remarkably short time. However, this comes with the caveat of potentially higher maintenance, including more frequent pruning and vigilance against specific diseases like canker. Ultimately, the best choice hinges on your specific site conditions, climate zone, long-term maintenance commitment, and personal aesthetic preferences. By carefully weighing these factors, you can select the evergreen that will best flourish and fulfill your landscape vision for years to come.
Image by: Max Böhme