Tips on Spacing Your Cedar Hedge

Planting a Cedar Hedge: Key Considerations

When planting a cedar hedge, you may be wondering how close or how far apart the trees should be planted. There are a couple of considerations here: how fast you want your wall of cedars to fill in and which variety you choose.

Choosing Between Western Red Cedars and Emerald Cedars

Both Western Red Cedars and Emerald Cedars are both fast growing. However, they are slightly different trees.

Western Red Cedar

The Western Red Cedar is slightly more stout or “fluffier” than the Emerald Cedar, so it can be planted slightly further apart. The color is also more muted than the Emerald.

Emerald Cedar

The Emerald Cedar is a bit of a brighter green than the Western Red Cedar, and the Emerald has a naturally slimmer and taller growth habit.

Optimal Spacing for Planting

Generally, either of these trees would be planted between two and three feet apart. You would plant them slightly closer if you want your hedge to fill in more quickly, and they can be planted a little further apart if you are not in a hurry.

The spacing is determined by measuring from the center of the trunk of one tree to the center of the trunk on the next tree. They will need to be watered regularly during our dry season for the first couple of years, and they will continue to grow faster if you continue watering them during the subsequent summers.

In our climate on the Lower Mainland, almost everything grows fast. So, how close you plant them is a matter of personal taste and need for privacy. Both trees make excellent hedges, can be pruned as you like, and both will create an excellent privacy barrier.

Pacific West Cedars, based in Langley, British Columbia, farms, supplies, and installs cedar hedging on the Lower Mainland. They offer two kinds of cedars plus boxwoods: Western Red Cedar (Thuja plicata), and Emerald Cedars (Thuja occidentalis “Smaragd”). They work with landscapers, contractors, and also directly with the public.

If you have any questions about this article or would like to talk to us about cedars, we encourage you to call us at (778) 241-5664.