Botanical Name: Platycladus orientalis
Common Names: Oriental Arborvitae, Chinese Arborvitae, Biota, Eastern Arborvitae
📌 Product Description
Platycladus orientalis is a hardy, evergreen conifer valued for its dense, upright growth and distinctive flattened sprays of scale-like foliage. The foliage ranges from mid-green to yellow-green depending on cultivar and seasonal conditions, often deepening in winter.
This adaptable tree forms a narrow, pyramidal to columnar shape and responds well to pruning, making it suitable for hedging, screening, or formal garden structure. It is particularly appreciated for its resilience in dry conditions and tolerance of a variety of soil types.
Widely used across South Africa, Oriental Arborvitae is ideal for privacy planting, wind protection, and structured evergreen backdrops.
📏 Size When Fully Grown
Height: 5 – 10 m
Spread: 2 – 4 m
Growth Habit: Upright, pyramidal to columnar evergreen
Growth Rate: Moderate
🌱 Best Growing Conditions
Light: Full sun to light partial shade
Soil: Well-draining soil; tolerant of sandy, loamy, and slightly alkaline soils
Water:
- Water regularly during establishment
- Drought tolerant once established
- Avoid prolonged waterlogged conditions
Feeding: Apply a balanced slow-release fertiliser in early spring to encourage healthy growth.
Maintenance:
- Prune to shape or maintain hedge height
- Best trimmed in spring or late summer
- Generally low maintenance once established
🌦️ Planting & Growing Season (South Africa)
Best Planting Time: Spring or early autumn
Active Growth: Spring and summer
Climate Suitability: Suitable for most South African regions, including inland and semi-dry areas
Frost Tolerance: Tolerates light to moderate frost
Wind Tolerance: Good wind resistance
🌼 Additional Benefits
- Reliable evergreen screening
- Drought tolerant
- Adaptable to various soil types
- Low maintenance
- Suitable for formal or informal gardens
🌿 Ideal Uses
✔ Privacy hedge
✔ Boundary screening
✔ Windbreak
✔ Formal garden structure
✔ Estate and farm planting
