Expert: Jim Hyland - 3/30/2007

Question
Are Thujas and Italian Cypress the same tree?  I am buying some Thujas and they told me to plant them 3 ft apart.  They will be against another building I want to cover, so will that be too close together?
Thank you, Ingrid


Answer
No they are not the same tree--they both belong to the family Cupressaceae. The family is broken down into genera-cypress is in the genera Cupressus and thuja is in the genera Arborvitae.
They should be planted 5-6 feet apart for a thick barrier, They will grow to about 5 feet wide and can be to 20-30 feet tall. They can be trimmed to any height or width.
They could be planted 3 feet and the every other one would need to be cut later. I would stay with five feet.