Thuja occidentalis 'Brabant' – White Cedar
Thuja occidentalis 'Brabant' is a fast-growing, columnar evergreen conifer and one of the most dependable hedging and screening plants available to UK gardeners. Its dense, feathery sprays of soft, aromatic, mid-green foliage retain their rich colour through all four seasons, providing consistent structure, coverage, and visual interest year-round. With a naturally upright, self-organising habit and a vigorous growth rate, 'Brabant' delivers effective privacy screening and shelter relatively quickly after planting, making it a trusted choice for garden boundaries, windbreaks, and formal planting schemes alike.
Fully hardy, broadly adaptable, and straightforward to look after, Thuja 'Brabant' offers the best of both worlds: the vigour needed to establish a substantial hedge quickly, combined with a temperament that is far more manageable than many comparable fast-growing conifers. Whether used for a clipped formal hedge, a rural shelter belt, or a bold evergreen specimen, it rewards straightforward care with reliable, attractive growth season after season.
Habit & Appearance
Form and foliage. 'Brabant' develops a strongly upright, columnar outline that remains naturally well-defined as the plant matures. Foliage is carried in flat, overlapping sprays of fine, scale-like leaves with a pleasantly soft texture and a mild, resinous fragrance when cut or brushed. In spring, fresh new growth emerges in a slightly bright, lime-tinged green before deepening to a full, lush mid-green through summer. Importantly, 'Brabant' holds this colour far better than many conifers through the colder months, maintaining an attractive, leafy appearance throughout autumn and winter. Left to grow freely, mature specimens are capable of reaching 5–6 metres or more in height, though the plant responds readily to clipping and can be maintained at any preferred height with ease.
Growth rate. Under good growing conditions, 'Brabant' is capable of putting on 40–60 cm of new growth per year, placing it among the faster-establishing hedging conifers available. This vigorous growth rate, combined with a naturally dense branching habit, means that meaningful screening and shelter can be achieved in a relatively short time from planting.
Growing Conditions
Position. Thuja 'Brabant' performs best in full sun to partial shade. It thrives in an open, well-lit aspect but tolerates dappled shade comfortably, making it a versatile option for planting alongside walls, fences, or established trees. Fully hardy throughout the UK, it shows good resilience to exposed, windswept conditions and cold temperatures, making it an excellent candidate for shelter belt planting in open or elevated locations.
Soil. Adaptable to a wide range of soil types including clay, loam, and sandy ground, provided that drainage is reasonable. 'Brabant' tolerates moderately moist conditions better than many conifers but will not perform well in permanently waterlogged or poorly drained ground. On heavier soils, incorporating organic matter and improving drainage at planting will encourage stronger, healthier establishment. A slightly acid to neutral soil pH is ideal, though this species copes well in mildly alkaline conditions too.
Planting spacing. For a dense, uniform privacy hedge, plant approximately 60–80 cm apart. Closer spacing of around 50–60 cm will encourage faster canopy closure for those requiring a quicker initial screen. For shelter belts or more informal settings, wider spacing of up to 1 metre is perfectly workable, as plants will naturally bulk out and fill gaps over time.
Care
Watering. Water regularly and thoroughly during the first full growing season after planting to allow the root system to establish well. This is especially important during dry spells in spring and summer. Once established, Thuja 'Brabant' develops a reasonable degree of drought tolerance and will generally require supplementary watering only during extended dry periods.
Feeding. Apply a balanced, slow-release granular fertiliser in early spring each year to support strong, consistent growth. A feed formulated for conifers or hedging plants is well suited to this purpose. Applying an annual mulch of bark chippings or garden compost around the base of the plants in spring will help conserve soil moisture, suppress competing weeds, and protect roots from temperature fluctuations.
Pruning. One of 'Brabant's' most practical qualities is its naturally tidy, upright form, which requires only modest intervention to keep looking its best. Trimming once or twice a year — ideally in late spring after the first flush of new growth has extended, and again in late summer — is sufficient to maintain a crisp, well-defined hedge line. Always avoid cutting back hard into old, bare wood, as Thuja does not regenerate readily from stems that have lost their foliage. Light, regular trimming carried out from an early stage consistently produces the densest and most attractive results. Plants left unclipped will develop a broader, more relaxed conical form that remains perfectly ornamental in informal garden settings.
Ideal Uses
Privacy and screening hedges – Dense, year-round evergreen foliage provides effective visual and noise screening along garden boundaries and property borders.
Windbreaks and shelter belts – Vigorous, bushy growth offers reliable protection from wind for exposed gardens, smallholdings, and rural plots.
Formal hedging – Responds cleanly and predictably to clipping, making it ideal for achieving crisp, uniform hedge lines in structured garden designs.
Garden boundaries – A natural, attractive alternative to solid fencing that softens the landscape while still delivering clear definition and structure.
Specimen and accent planting –
