Arborvitae vs Red-tip photinia

Arborvitae and Red-tip photinia are often considered for the same spot in the garden (hedge, screening, specimen, container). 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

Red-tip photinia

Photinia × fraseri 3 m × 2 m after 10 years

An evergreen shrub for hedges and specimens whose new shoots emerge bright red and mature to glossy dark green; trimming in spring and summer brings…

Hedge

Full sun

Part shade

from about CZK 120

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 grows taller, Red-tip photinia 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 -18 °C for Red-tip photinia.
Red-tip photinia copes better with summer heat than Arborvitae.
Red-tip photinia tolerates drought better than Arborvitae.
Red-tip photinia needs less water than Arborvitae.
Arborvitae also takes heavy clay, Red-tip photinia needs a loose, free-draining soil.
Arborvitae has pollen that can cause allergies, Red-tip photinia does not (an estimate: sources differ).

Which one to choose?

Red-tip photinia 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.

Red-tip photinia

In Central Europe its hardiness is borderline: most reliable sources rate it safely hardy only to about -18 °C, although Red Robin and its relatives have come through frosts near -23 °C in sheltered spots. In hard, windy, dry winters the leaves brown and drop and shoot tips die back; it usually resprouts after a spring cut. Water it in dry winters when the ground is not frozen. Leaf spot (Entomosporium) causes reddish-brown spots and, in humid wet sites, heavy leaf drop: keep water off the foliage, keep the plant airy and clear away fallen leaves. Fire blight and powdery mildew also occur, and it dies in waterlogged soil.

The data side by side

Feature	Arborvitae	Red-tip photinia
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 × 3–5 m
Growth rate	Medium (uncertain)	Fast
Light	Full sun, Part shade	Full sun, Part shade
Soil	Average garden soil, Clay, Calcareous	Average garden soil, Sandy, Calcareous, Acidic
Hardiness	down to -40 °C (USDA 3, RHS H7)	down to -18 °C (USDA 6, RHS H6)
Heat tolerance	Low	High
Foliage	Evergreen	Evergreen
Flowering	no data	April–May, white
Water need	High	Medium
Drought tolerance	Low	Medium
Maintenance	Medium	Medium
Planted as a hedge	2.5 plants per running metre	2.5 plants per running metre
For dogs	Toxic (uncertain)	Mildly toxic (uncertain)
For cats	Toxic (uncertain)	Mildly toxic (uncertain)
For children	Toxic	Mildly toxic (uncertain)
Typical price	about CZK 250 (< 40 cm)	about CZK 2,200 (60–100 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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