I bought this because I had one space left where I needed a large tree (eventually) and I just didn't feel like spending $100 plus shipping on a bigger one. I have to replace the radiator on my tractor, yadda, yadda, yadda.... These little trees are relatively expensive when you factor in shipping, BUT I needed one now and nobody had them locally this time of year, so what was I gonna do? A significant amount of research went into this selection. These Green Giants are SUPPOSED to be hardy and insect/disease proof, so let us hope that is the case. It was about 20" tall when it arrived and seems to be in good shape. I put it in the ground the same day and gave it the best start I possibly could, with high quality planting soil, lots of water, root stimulator AND I dug the hole a LOT bigger than required so the developing roots will have an easy time of it for the next few years before they hit the 100% native soil. I have a lot of deer around here, so the fact they do not really like to eat this type of arborvitae is also a plus, although they normally don't come right up next to the house. I don't hunt them, at least not from the back porch, so they do approach fairly closely, though. If they ever start snacking on my trees, they will find themselves in the crosshairs, pronto. I have two Leyland cypresses that I bought locally because they were marked down a lot at the end of the season, so this will be a good comparison since one of them is the same size as the thuja. Who will win the growth wars? The Leylands have some potential insect and disease attack vectors, something I did not know until after I planted them, unlike the thuja. In six years I hope to have a twelve or fifteen feet tall and five feet wide thuja Green Giant specimen. Without competition from other trees right up against it and with the application of loving care, this dude (or dudette) will one day be fifty to sixty feet tall and fifteen to twenty feet wide.Read full review
Verified purchase: Yes
Verified purchase: Yes
Beautiful plants with great roots and shipped well
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: New