Arborvitae vs Oval-leaved privet

Arborvitae and Oval-leaved privet are often considered for the same spot in the garden (hedge, screening). The data below shows where they differ: size, hardiness, care, toxicity and price.

Arborvitae

Thuja occidentalis 3.5 m × 1.2 m after 10 years

A dense evergreen with scale-like foliage, planted in its columnar and conical forms (such as fast Brabant or slim Columna) as a clipped hedge or…

Hedge

Full sun

Part shade

from about CZK 140

Oval-leaved privet

Ligustrum ovalifolium 3 m × 2 m after 10 years

An undemanding hedging shrub with glossy dark green leaves that thickens up quickly, grows in almost any soil and copes well with city air. It keeps…

Hedge

Full sun

Part shade

Shade

from about CZK 59

Key differences

Arborvitae: We do not recommend it for most Central European gardens. In Central Europe thuja hedges are dying on a large scale, for several reasons that reinforce each other. The plant comes from cool, humid sites and cannot cope with hot, dry summers without watering: shoot tips brown and whole branches die.
Arborvitae is evergreen, Oval-leaved privet is semi-evergreen.
Arborvitae grows taller, Oval-leaved privet spreads wider: 3.5 m × 1.2 m and 3 m × 2 m after ten years (an estimate: sources differ).
Arborvitae is hardier: down to -40 °C, against -23 °C for Oval-leaved privet.
Oval-leaved privet tolerates drought better than Arborvitae.
Oval-leaved privet needs less water than Arborvitae.
Oval-leaved privet also grows in shade, Arborvitae does not.

Which one to choose?

Oval-leaved privet is the safer choice: we do not recommend planting Arborvitae in most gardens.

Watch out for

Arborvitae

In Central Europe thuja hedges are dying on a large scale, for several reasons that reinforce each other. The plant comes from cool, humid sites and cannot cope with hot, dry summers without watering: shoot tips brown and whole branches die. Weakened plants are attacked by the juniper jewel beetle (Lamprodila festiva, also called Ovalisia festiva): its larvae eat the phloem under the bark, a branch or the whole plant suddenly turns red-brown and dies, and oval exit holes are left on the trunk. Nothing works against the larvae under the bark; infested parts can only be cut out and destroyed. Fungal shoot and scale-leaf blights and the thuja bark beetle add to the damage. For these reasons experts no longer advise planting new thuja hedges; yew, privet or a mixed hedge is a safer choice. The dwarf globe forms are the same species and suffer from drought and fungal browning just the same; the jewel beetle mainly goes for exposed, sun-warmed trunks, so it is less common on small globes branched to the ground, but nothing shows that they are immune. In winter frozen soil and wind can brown the foliage, and wet snow splays columnar forms apart.

Oval-leaved privet

In the colder winters of Central Europe you cannot count on year-round screening: it drops its leaves in hard frost and shoots of young, not yet established plants may die back, although it resprouts in spring. Yellow variegated forms can be scorched after their first winters. It is notably susceptible to honey fungus, and powdery mildew, leaf spots and aphids occur. It does not tolerate waterlogging. In favourable spots it can seed itself around.

The data side by side

Feature	Arborvitae	Oval-leaved privet
Group	Hedge	Hedge
Size after 10 years	3.5 m × 1.2 m (uncertain)	3 m × 2 m (uncertain)
Ultimate size	0.5–20 m × 0.5–4.5 m (uncertain)	3–5 m × 2–4.5 m
Growth rate	Medium (uncertain)	Fast
Light	Full sun, Part shade	Full sun, Part shade, Shade
Soil	Average garden soil, Clay, Calcareous	Average garden soil, Clay, Sandy, Calcareous
Hardiness	down to -40 °C (USDA 3, RHS H7)	down to -23 °C (USDA 6, RHS H7)
Heat tolerance	Low	Medium (uncertain)
Foliage	Evergreen	Semi-evergreen
Flowering	no data	June–July, white
Water need	High	Medium
Drought tolerance	Low	Medium
Maintenance	Medium	Medium
Planted as a hedge	2.5 plants per running metre	4 plants per running metre
For dogs	Toxic (uncertain)	Toxic
For cats	Toxic (uncertain)	Toxic
For children	Toxic	Toxic (uncertain)
Typical price	about CZK 250 (< 40 cm)	about CZK 59 (40–60 cm)

Prices are rounded, indicative values. Toxicity data is for information only. If your pet or child has eaten a plant, contact a vet or a doctor. Data updated: October 26, 2026

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