The common name of arborvitae,
Thuja occidentalis, means tree of
life and this common name was given when in the winter of 1535-36 the explorer Jacques
Cartier used a tea made from its leaves to cure scurvy due to the now known vitamin
C content. The name arborvitae would
give it a place in a faith themed garden.
Other common names include northern white-cedar, which is different than the Atlantic white-cedar, Chamaecyparis
thyoides (L.) B.S.P., that is in the same family. There are many cultivars
of arborvitae with shapes ranging from tall narrow spires to small round shrubs. Another prominent landscape arborvitae known
as ‘green giant’ is a clone of a hybrid between the western red-cedar, T. plicate, and T. standishii. It can be
used similarly to