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White Cedar 'Smaragd' | Thuja Occidentalis 'Smaragd' | 1m Instant Hedging Length
  • White Cedar 'Smaragd' | Thuja Occidentalis 'Smaragd' | 1m Instant Hedging Length
  • White Cedar 'Smaragd' | Thuja Occidentalis 'Smaragd' | 1m Instant Hedging Length
  • White Cedar 'Smaragd' | Thuja Occidentalis 'Smaragd' | 1m Instant Hedging Length
  • White Cedar 'Smaragd' | Thuja Occidentalis 'Smaragd' | 1m Instant Hedging Length
  • White Cedar 'Smaragd' | Thuja Occidentalis 'Smaragd' | 1m Instant Hedging Length
  • White Cedar 'Smaragd' | Thuja Occidentalis 'Smaragd' | 1m Instant Hedging Length
  • White Cedar 'Smaragd' | Thuja Occidentalis 'Smaragd' | 1m Instant Hedging Length
  • White Cedar 'Smaragd' | Thuja Occidentalis 'Smaragd' | 1m Instant Hedging Length
  • White Cedar 'Smaragd' | Thuja Occidentalis 'Smaragd' | 1m Instant Hedging Length
  • White Cedar 'Smaragd' | Thuja Occidentalis 'Smaragd' | 1m Instant Hedging Length
White Cedar 'Smaragd' | Thuja Occidentalis 'Smaragd' | 1m Instant Hedging Length

Instant Hedging

White Cedar 'Smaragd' | Thuja Occidentalis 'Smaragd' | 1m Instant Hedging Length

£320.00
Select Instant Hedging Height

AT A GLANCE

Commonly chosen for its elegant, slim habit and jewel-green colour, Northern White Cedar ‘Smaragd’ (Thuja occidentalis ‘Smaragd’, often sold as Emerald) forms a refined, year-round privacy screen. Its soft, feathery evergreen sprays and naturally narrow, upright shape deliver a smart, contemporary look for both modern and traditional properties.

  • Evergreen
  • Conifer
  • Full Sun
  • Partial Shade
FREE Delivery

Enjoy FREE mainland UK pallet delivery on all our instant hedging. Orders are typically dispatched and delivered within 30 working days of purchase. 

Your plants arrive securely wrapped on pallets, ensuring they stay protected and ready for planting. Deliveries are curbside only and require solid access for an 18-tonne lorry and pump truck.

For properties with restricted access or locations outside our standard delivery network, contact our team for tailored delivery advice and a personalised quote.


Read our Delivery Policy for full details.
Planting

We offer an optional professional planting service for customers who’d like our team to take care of the complete installation. Please note this is an add-on only service and must be purchased with our instant hedging.

 Our standard planting package starts at £1,500, which includes the planting of up to 18 instant hedging units (1 m each). To learn more about preparing for your planting day or to add our professional service to your order, visit our Professional Planting product page and visit our Terms of Service.

 If you’d rather plant your hedge yourself, we’ve created a DIY Planting Guide with step-by-step advice on site preparation, positioning the units, and helping your new hedge establish successfully.
Size & Handling

Each instant hedging unit is a mature, ready-grown hedge section designed to provide instant privacy and structure from the moment it’s planted. Supplied in convenient 100cm lengths, every section arrives pre-clipped, approximately 40cm deep, and grown to your chosen height for a finished, professional look straight away.

Your hedge will be delivered in strong cardboard troughs, measuring around 30–40cm wide and 35cm deep, with pre-cut lifting points for use with lifting hooks or or careful two-to-four-person handling.

These are substantial, field-grown hedge units, and proper handling is essential. Each section typically weighs between 100–200kg (and occasionally more), so please ensure suitable help or mechanical equipment is available to move and position your hedging safely and efficiently on site at the point of delivery.
Why Choose Instant Hedging

Each instant hedging module is made from 3–5 mature plants per linear metre, carefully grown together over several years to form a dense, seamless living screen. From the moment it’s planted, your hedge provides instant privacy, structure, and an established look that feels like it’s been part of your garden for years.

Unlike buying individual plants that need time to fill out, often leaving gaps and uneven growth, our instant hedging gives you a complete, uniform hedge straight away. There’s no need to measure planting distances, worry about spacing, or wait years for coverage.

Every section is professionally grown, pre-clipped, and evenly spaced, ensuring a consistent height and clean, finished face from day one. Simply choose your desired height and measure the metres you need. It’s that easy to transform your outdoor space with a ready-made, mature hedge.

SAVE 5%

WHEN YOU BUY 5+ METERS

SAVE 10%

WHEN YOU BUY 10+ METERS

SAVE 15%

WHEN YOU BUY 25+ METERS

SAVE 20%

WHEN YOU BUY 50+ METERS

SAVE 25%

WHEN YOU BUY 100+ METERS

White Cedar 'Smaragd' | Thuja Occidentalis 'Smaragd' | 1m Instant Hedging Length

White Cedar 'Smaragd' | Thuja Occidentalis 'Smaragd' | 1m Instant Hedging Length

‘Smaragd’ is ideal when you want neat lines, lasting colour and minimal width. Slower and finer-textured than many fast growers, it stays tidy with light maintenance, holds an exceptional emerald tone through winter, and fits beautifully in tight boundaries and front gardens. If you’re after a crisp, evergreen hedge that looks premium without dominating the space, ‘Smaragd’ is a standout choice.
GROWTH & MAINTENANCE OF White Cedar 'Smaragd' | Thuja Occidentalis 'Smaragd' | 1m Instant Hedging Length

As a free-growing specimen, ‘Smaragd’ typically reaches 3–6 m tall and 0.6–1.2 m wide. For hedging, a final working height of 1.8–3.5 m keeps it dense, elegant and easy to manage.

You can tailor height to your design:
• Hold at the supplied height with light, regular trims for a uniform screen.
• Allow extra height where space allows — plan safe access for occasional top work.

To keep greenery right down to the ground, keep the hedge slightly wider at the base than the top so light reaches lower foliage.
Planting Position & Access

Thuja ‘Smaragd’ thrives in full sun to partial shade and prefers moist, well-drained soil. Avoid persistent waterlogging. Where possible, leave 0.5–1 m of working space to reach both faces and the top safely — good access keeps maintenance simple and lines crisp.
Spacing & Interaction with other plants

When planting alongside companion plants consider the following.
• Positive companions: low, non-competitive groundcovers and a 5–7 cm organic mulch to stabilise moisture, suppress weeds and build soil life.
• Avoid: heavy root competition from thirsty trees/shrubs and soil compaction along the root zone.

Watering White Cedar 'Smaragd' | Thuja Occidentalis 'Smaragd' | 1m Instant Hedging Length

Watering is the single most important job when establishing northern white cedar hedging, which prefers balanced, even moisture to avoid tip bronzing. In production it’s watered little and often; once planted it benefits from slow, deep soaks that reach the entire root zone. Check the top few centimetres—water when dry, hold when damp. Keep drainage dependable so water never sits in the pit, noting that sandy soils and exposed sites will need more frequent attention. A tidy mulch collar helps hold moisture while keeping stems clear. Early morning with a slow trickle is best. For the first 12–24 months maintain steady moisture through the growing months and only top up in extended winter dry spells; after establishment, water mainly during long, hot droughts.
Early establishment phase

In the first 12-24 months, during the warmer growing months keep root zones evenly moist—water when the top few cm are dry, mulch to hold moisture, and avoid waterlogging, and in the dormant months water only in long dry spells; maintain mulch and free-draining but not bone-dry soil.
How to notice under-watering

In order to notice under watering, look out for uniform bronzing at the tips, fine twig brittleness, and premature inner frond shed with a very dry root zone.
How to notice over-watering

In order to notice over watering, look out for persistently limp, dull-green sprays, tip dieback with blackened bases, and a sour, saturated root zone.
3+ Years after planting

Once established (after 2–3 years), water during prolonged droughts to maintain even moisture; retain mulch and ensure reliable drainage.

feeding White Cedar 'Smaragd' | Thuja Occidentalis 'Smaragd' | 1m Instant Hedging Length

AT PLANTING

Incorporate a balanced slow-release fertiliser or root-stimulating granules into the planting area (following manufacturer instructions) so your hedge gets a strong start.

YEARLY FEEDS

Apply a general-purpose, slow-release fertiliser in early spring (March/April) so the hedge has nutrients as growth starts. In later spring you can consider a light feed if growth appears weak or colour is faded.

FOLLOW CAUTION

Avoid excessive high-nitrogen feeds in summer, you don’t want rampant, weak growth that flops. For hedges, steady, controlled growth is far better than fast, floppy shoots.

TRIMMING White Cedar 'Smaragd' | Thuja Occidentalis 'Smaragd' | 1m Instant Hedging Length

How and when to trim

Trim lightly in late spring once new shoots appear to encourage fullness, and again in late summer to refine shape. Use hand shears for precise cuts and avoid taking too much at once, as cedars do not regrow from bare wood. Avoid trimming in frost or very hot weather.
QUICK TIPS

Technique for the perfect ‘Smaragd’ hedge
• Keep the profile slightly wider at the base for light to lower foliage.
• Use sharp shears or a hedge trimmer for clean, even faces.
• Prefer small, regular trims over infrequent hard cuts to keep a plush, leafy surface.
• Important: Do not cut back into old brown wood with no green; ‘Smaragd’ will not reliably reshoot from bare interior wood. Always leave a sleeve of green on each stem.
HARD CUT BACK AND REDUCTION

Renovation is possible in stages on established plants, but be conservative and do not cut past the green. Spread major height/width reductions over 2–3 seasons to maintain a leafy exterior.
A closer look at White Cedar 'Smaragd' | Thuja Occidentalis 'Smaragd' | 1m Instant Hedging Length

Native to the northern forests of Canada and the northeastern United States, Northern White Cedar has been admired for centuries for its resilience and fragrant, enduring foliage. Introduced to British horticulture in the 18th century, it quickly found favour for evergreen structure in large gardens and estates. Its graceful, layered form and consistent colour through all seasons make it a dependable choice for natural screens, embodying a balance of softness, strength, and year-round interest.
Plants that pair well with White Cedar 'Smaragd' | Thuja Occidentalis 'Smaragd' | 1m Instant Hedging Length

Northern White Cedar’s finely layered sprays create a calm, textural backdrop for mixed perennial and evergreen compositions. Its cool green tone complements Hydrangeas, Hellebores, and silver-leaved plants like Artemisia or Pittosporum. Underplant with Ferns, Heucheras, or Spring bulbs to introduce softness and colour beneath its upright frame. The gentle scent of its foliage blends beautifully with Lavender or Sarcococca in fragrant gardens, while its evergreen density offers reliable structure beside flowering feature trees like Magnolia or Amelanchier, uniting year-round greenery with seasonal beauty.
Latin name and origins of White Cedar 'Smaragd' | Thuja Occidentalis 'Smaragd' | 1m Instant Hedging Length

Botanically, Thuja occidentalis translates as “western thuja,” referring to its native range across the northeastern United States and eastern Canada. The Thuja genus comprises five evergreen species found in North America and Asia, all prized for their feathery, aromatic foliage and long-lived timber. The species epithet occidentalis signifies its western discovery relative to the eastern Thuja orientalis (now Platycladus orientalis), which shares similar structure but a more upright habit. This cedar’s soft, layered greenery and natural cold hardiness make it especially valued for creating uniform, fragrant screens in northern climates where other conifers struggle.

Wildlife Friends of White Cedar 'Smaragd' | Thuja Occidentalis 'Smaragd' | 1m Instant Hedging Length

Northern White Cedar’s layered, feathery foliage forms an ideal habitat for nesting and roosting birds, especially in colder regions where evergreen cover is limited. Its resinous scent and year-round foliage provide both protection and warmth, while the tree’s structure shelters insects that serve as a food source for small birds. It quietly enriches local ecosystems, offering continuous life support through the most dormant months of the year.
Tips for encouraging wildlife in your hedge

In the first 12-24 months, during the warmer growing months keep root zones evenly moist—water when the top few cm are dry, mulch to hold moisture, and avoid waterlogging, and in the dormant months water only in long dry spells; maintain mulch and free-draining but not bone-dry soil.
Toxicity Notes

Northern White Cedar shares the same chemical profile as its cultivar ‘Brabant’, with thujone and aromatic resins concentrated in its evergreen foliage. While the scent is pleasant and insect-repellent, ingestion by livestock or pets can cause mild poisoning. Wildlife such as Regulus regulus (goldcrest) and Troglodytes troglodytes (wren) interact safely with the plant, as they feed on insects rather than foliage. Handling is safe for humans, though skin-sensitive individuals may prefer gloves during heavy pruning. When maintained properly, Northern White Cedar is a secure and stable hedge species with negligible practical toxicity risk.
Foliage

The foliage on Northern White Cedar hedging plants forms finely tiered fans that generate a calm, humid microclimate—ideal for roosting Regulus regulus and foraging Troglodytes troglodytes. The persistent greenery harbours aphids, springtails, and spiders that sustain insectivorous birds, while the bouncy litter beneath supports earthworms and woodlice for hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus). In exposed gardens, this foliage functions as a living windbreak, stabilising temperature and moisture to keep the surrounding wildlife web active through winter.
Fruits

The fruits on Northern White Cedar hedging plants are tiny, elongated cones that form on mature shoots during late spring and ripen to a soft brown by early autumn. Each cone holds several winged seeds that are dispersed by wind and sometimes by small birds, including Regulus regulus (goldcrest) and Parus major (great tit), which forage among the branches for insects and seeds. The cones and fine foliage provide crucial winter refuge for beneficial invertebrates such as Coccinella septempunctata (seven-spot ladybird) and Chrysoperla carnea (green lacewing). The result is a living, self-sustaining microhabitat that nourishes insect and bird life throughout the year.
Flowers

The flowers on Northern White Cedar hedging plants are similarly modest, emerging in spring as minute, cone-like structures that rely on wind for pollination. While they lack scent and nectar, their appearance signals the renewal of the growing season, and the dense, layered foliage around them forms a safe habitat for beneficial insects such as hoverfly larvae (Syrphidae) and spiders, which in turn attract small insectivorous birds. Flowering and cone formation are most dependable when the plant receives good light and consistent moisture, especially in temperate, sheltered locations where cold winds are limited.

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