Growing guide · Shrubs

Thuja occidentalis

How to grow Arborvitae 'Bobozam (Mr. Bowling Ball®)'.

A perfect ball, no shearing required.

Light
Full sun, part sun
Water
Moderate
Zones
3–8
Size
2–2.5 ft tall and wide
Spacing
2.5–3 ft apart.
Pets
Not on the ASPCA pet-safe list; keep it out of reach
Round globe-shaped evergreen shrub with soft, lacy bright green foliage

Light

Full sun to part shade.

Water

Water weekly the first two years and in summer drought.

Planting and soil

Plant in spring or fall with the root ball level with the soil.

Feeding

Slow-release evergreen fertilizer in spring.

Pruning

None needed.

Through the year

Evergreen; foliage can bronze slightly in winter, then greens up in spring.

If something's off

Deer browse arborvitae hard in winter; protect it where deer are heavy. Snow can splay it open; brush heavy snow off.

Plays well with

Plant it with friends.

Creeping Juniper 'Wiltonii'
Juniperus horizontalis 'Wiltonii'Creeping Juniper 'Wiltonii' from $64.99
Ninebark Diabolo®
Physocarpus opulifolius 'Monlo'Ninebark Diabolo® from $75.99
Groundcover Rose Red Drift®
Rosa 'Meigalpio'Groundcover Rose Red Drift® from $64.99

Why we stock it: A small native evergreen that holds a tidy shape with no pruning.

Grows wild in 10 states (USDA PLANTS records). About 46 native butterfly and moth species use Thuja as a host (Narango et al. 2020).

That's everything we know about growing it. Thanks for reading.

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Kits with Arborvitae 'Bobozam (Mr. Bowling Ball®)'.

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