What to Plant in Front of Arborvitae

Plant compact panicle hydrangeas, dwarf spirea, or ornamental grasses in front of sunny arborvitae, and choose hostas, heucheras, ferns, or woodland sedges for a shaded foreground. The best choice depends on the light reaching the planting bed, its moisture, and the arborvitae’s eventual size, not just which flowers look good against green foliage. Start by reserving room for the hedge, then build a lower planting layer that complements it without crowding its branches or roots.

What Makes a Good Arborvitae Companion

Arborvitae supplies the tall, evergreen background. Foreground plants add what that background lacks: flowers, contrasting foliage, rounded shapes, and movement.

Design around the arborvitae’s future canopy, not the empty space around it today.

A young hedge may leave plenty of sunny ground available. As it grows, its branches extend outward, its shade deepens, and its roots compete with nearby plants for moisture. A shrub that fits beside a newly planted tree can eventually become trapped beneath it.

Good companions therefore have three things in common:

Compatible growing conditions. Their light and moisture needs suit the actual planting spot.
A manageable mature size. They can develop their natural shape without pressing into the hedge.
A contrasting form. Mounded shrubs, broad leaves, and airy grasses usually stand out better than another tightly packed row of upright evergreens.

The ground immediately beneath the branches does not need to be planted. An accessible mulched strip can be healthier and easier to maintain than forcing flowers into a crowded root zone.

How to Plant a Layered Border in Front of Arborvitae

A successful layered border matches companion plants to foreground light, moisture, mature hedge size, and available space.

Step 1: Check the Foreground’s Light and Moisture

Observe the planting bed throughout the day. Check the foreground itself, not just the tops of the arborvitae. A hedge can receive ample sunlight while shading the ground beside it.
Distinguish late-afternoon shade from a genuinely shady site. Sun through most of the day followed by shade after 3 p.m. can suit arborvitae. That is different from a foreground shaded from midday onward, where sun-loving flowering plants may struggle.
Check moisture beneath the surface. Evergreen branches can intercept rainfall, while established roots draw moisture from the surrounding ground. Do not assume a shaded bed is moist or that rainfall has watered the soil beneath the hedge.

Notice whether the outer edge has different conditions from the hedge base. You may have room for sun-loving flowers along the lawn and shade-tolerant foliage plants farther back, but those areas should not automatically receive identical irrigation.

Step 2: Reserve Space for the Mature Hedge

Match foreground plants to the arborvitae variety. Emerald Green commonly reaches 12 to 15 feet tall and 3 to 4 feet wide at maturity. Green Giant can grow large, so confirm the expected dimensions on the chosen cultivar’s plant label and mature-size listing. Compact shrubs and low perennials generally suit Emerald Green’s narrower scale. A Green Giant screen needs a much deeper landscape bed if you want substantial shrubs in front without eventual crowding.
Mark the hedge’s expected front edge. Position companions so their mature foliage will remain outside that edge, with an accessible gap where maintenance is needed. Use both plants’ mature widths rather than applying one trunk-to-flower distance everywhere.
Set new hedge spacing separately from companion spacing. For a narrow hedge such as Emerald Green, 3 to 4 feet apart, measured center to center, is a common range. Confirm the exact value in the chosen arborvitae cultivar’s spacing guidance; do not automatically apply that narrow-hedge spacing to Green Giant.

Use this table to choose plants for the conditions you identified; cold hardiness and mature spread still need to match your location and available space.

Companion Plant	Best Light	Moisture and Drainage	Best Role in the Border
Compact panicle hydrangea	Sun to partial shade	Even moisture and good drainage	Flowering shrub layer with large blooms
Dwarf spirea	Sun; tolerates some partial shade	Average, well-drained soil	Rounded shrubs that soften a straight hedge
Compact ninebark	Sun to partial shade	Average, well-drained soil	Contrasting foliage and a more informal shrub layer
Coneflower	Sun; some tolerate light shade	Well-drained soil; requirements vary by species	Flowering drifts along the brighter outer bed
Catmint or perennial salvia	Sun	Well-drained soil, generally on the drier side once established	Low flowering groups away from heavily irrigated areas
Feather reed grass	Sun to light shade	Average moisture and good drainage	Upright accents without another solid evergreen wall
Little bluestem	Sun	Well-drained soil, often relatively dry once established	An airy native-grass layer at the sunny outer edge
Hosta	Partial shade to shade	Reliable moisture without waterlogging	Broad-leaved mounds beneath the visual line of the hedge
Heuchera	Usually partial shade; cultivar tolerance varies	Well-drained soil with moderate moisture	Low foliage color near paths and bed edges
Christmas fern or western sword fern	Partial shade to shade	Moisture appropriate to the species; good drainage	Woodland texture, with species chosen for the region
Pennsylvania sedge	Partial shade to shade	Dry to average, well-drained soil once established	A low, meadowlike layer in suitable eastern gardens

Step 3: Choose a Small Plant Palette and Arrange It

Choose one main foreground feature. This might be flowering shrubs, a grass-based border, or a sweep of broad-leaved perennials. A clear main layer looks more intentional than a collection of unrelated specimens.
Add a lower edging layer where there is room. Keep the shortest plants toward the viewing side. In a shallow bed, one repeated perennial may work better than trying to fit shrubs, grasses, and ground covers together.
Repeat plants rather than buying one of everything. Repetition gives a long hedge rhythm and makes care simpler. For habitat value, include regionally native flowering plants or grasses that genuinely match the site.
Lay out the plants in their pots before digging. Allow for mature spread, not nursery-container size. Check the arrangement from the house, path, or patio where you will normally see it, and leave access to irrigation equipment and the hedge base.

Do not combine plants merely because they appear in the same table. A moisture-loving hydrangea and a dry-site grass may belong in different parts of a large border rather than beside each other on one watering zone.

Step 4: Protect the Hedge Before Planting Around It

Address deer access first. Deer commonly browse the bottom 4 to 5 feet of arborvitae. Where browsing is a problem, arrange appropriate physical protection before foreground planting makes the lower branches harder to reach; a decorative shrub layer is not reliable deer protection.
Locate irrigation lines and other buried services. Decide where maintenance access must remain open before filling the bed.
Work carefully around established roots. Avoid tilling the existing hedge’s root zone. If a planting hole encounters substantial roots or a dense root mat, move the companion outward rather than cutting through the roots to force it into place.
Keep the existing ground level around the arborvitae. Do not create a raised planting mound against its trunks or bury the lower branches to make room for new flowers.

For a mature hedge, smaller planting stock is often easier to fit into available spaces without extensive digging. If there is no suitable opening, a mulched gap is a legitimate finished part of the design.

Step 5: Plant, Water, and Mulch the Border

Plant without burying crowns or root flares. Set each plant at its appropriate planting depth, keeping shrub root flares visible and perennial crowns at the correct soil level. Backfill and gently firm the soil without compacting it heavily.
Water the new root balls and surrounding soil thoroughly. Check that water reaches each plant rather than running away from the planting area. Correct any settling that leaves a crown buried or roots exposed.
Mulch the open soil. Apply a 2–3 inch mulch layer behind and between the foreground plants, keeping mulch away from arborvitae trunks and perennial crowns. Do not pile it against the hedge or use it to cover a planting-depth mistake.
Check moisture during establishment. Keep the new root balls from drying out, but do not water already-wet soil simply because another part of the bed is dry. Adjust watering as the plants root into the surrounding ground.

The finished border should have visible space for growth and no plants tucked tightly beneath low evergreen branches.

Planting Combinations for Sun and Shade

Sunny flowering borders, grass-based borders, and shaded foliage borders are flexible layout options, not fixed planting recipes. Choose cultivars whose mature sizes fit the bed.

A Sunny Flowering Border

Use a repeated group of compact flowering shrubs as the middle layer, then place flowering perennials toward the lawn or path. For example, dwarf spirea can provide the structure, with flowering perennials in loose drifts and catmint along the front.

Avoid arranging every plant in a rigid parallel row. Let the perennial groups overlap visually while keeping their actual growing space separate from the hedge.

This design suits a border where seasonal flowers matter more than having evergreen foliage at every level.

A Grass-Based Border

Use upright feather reed grass as occasional accents rather than creating another continuous screen. Arrange coneflowers or other suitable flowering perennials between the grass groups so the foreground remains varied and open.

For a sunny, well-drained outer edge, little bluestem can replace the more formal grass accents. Keep the design lower and looser than the arborvitae backdrop so the two layers remain distinct.

A grass border is especially effective where wind movement and winter seed heads are part of the desired look.

A Shaded Foliage Border

Use hostas as the broad-leaved layer, ferns as the finer-textured layer, and heucheras near the viewing edge. Repeat a limited selection of foliage colors so the border does not become visually busy.

Where the site is relatively dry and root competition is strong, a locally appropriate woodland sedge may be more practical than a moisture-demanding flowering display. Preserve open spaces where planting would be impractical.

Special Cases for Arborvitae Borders

Golden Arborvitae

Golden foliage needs contrast more than it needs additional yellow plants. Purple, burgundy, blue-green, and deep green companions can help the arborvitae remain the focal point.

For golden cultivars such as ‘Jantar’ or ‘Amber Gold’, plan the foreground around the arborvitae’s expected mature height and width. A ten-year size is not a promise that growth stops then.

Use that scale to choose companions that remain visibly lower. Dark-leaved heucheras can work where the light suits them, while purple-flowering perennials can provide contrast on the sunny side. Avoid surrounding the golden plant with equally bright foliage unless you deliberately want a high-contrast display.

A Narrow Bed or an Established Hedge

When there is little room between the arborvitae and a walkway, skip the additional shrub layer. A low perennial planting, or simply a clean mulched strip, can look better than shrubs that require constant trimming to stay passable.

Do not remove healthy lower arborvitae branches just to squeeze plants underneath. Keeping the hedge’s natural lower foliage usually provides a better backdrop than exposing its interior and trying to conceal it afterward.

If the bed is densely rooted, containers placed beyond the branch line can add seasonal color. Keep them clear of trunks.

A Border Beside a Vegetable Garden

Place vegetables on the brighter, more open side of the planting rather than filling spaces among arborvitae roots. A hedge is a long-term landscape feature; annual vegetable beds need accessible soil and room for repeated planting and harvest.

A permanent flowering strip can make a useful transition between the evergreen screen and the vegetable garden. Keep the flowering strip separate from the crops.

How to Check That the Planting Works

A good border should remain functional after the nursery pots are gone and the plants begin filling out. Check that:

Foreground plants have suitable light at their own height.
Their mature outlines will not press into the arborvitae.
New root balls receive water without leaving the whole bed saturated.
Paths and lawn edges will remain usable as plants spread.

Watch how the light changes as the hedge grows. A perennial that once flowered well may eventually need moving to the brighter outer edge; adding fertilizer will not replace missing sunlight.

Start by marking the hedge’s future footprint and identifying the sunniest and shadiest parts of the foreground. Those two observations will narrow the plant list more effectively than choosing flowers by color alone.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I Grow Boxwoods in Front of Green Giant Arborvitae?

Yes, compact boxwoods can grow in front of Green Giant arborvitae where they have suitable light, drainage, and room outside the trees’ mature canopy. Compact boxwoods can provide a lower, rounded evergreen layer. Leave space for both plants to develop rather than planning to keep them apart through constant pruning.

What Can I Plant With Arborvitae and Blue Point Junipers?

Low, mounded plants usually complement arborvitae and Blue Point junipers better than another row of tall, upright evergreens. Dwarf spirea and low flowering perennials can soften a sunny planting, while a compact, broad-spreading evergreen may work where its growing requirements match the site. Use the juniper’s blue-green foliage as part of the color scheme rather than introducing many competing foliage colors.

What Pairs Well With Fire Chief Arborvitae?

Low-growing companions work best when you want the arborvitae’s rounded form to remain visible rather than disappear behind taller shrubs. Dark-leaved heucheras can provide contrast in suitable partial shade, while low purple-flowering perennials can work on the sunny side. Leave enough space around the arborvitae to show its full outline.

What Works in a Camano Island Flower Garden in Front of Arborvitae?

Western sword fern, fringecup, and locally suited woodland sedges are useful candidates for a shaded border. In a brighter foreground, flowering shrubs and perennials can provide a more colorful layer, provided their moisture needs fit the site. Choose plants for the actual light and summer moisture beneath the hedge rather than assuming every planting area stays damp.

What can you plant instead of arborvitae?

Junipers or cedars are alternatives where heavy clay soil or heavily alkaline secondary water makes arborvitae unsuitable. This substitution is specifically recommended for those challenging soil or water conditions rather than as a universal replacement.