This variety of Eastern Arborvitae is frequently used for spiral topiary, as are these four Belvedere Inn specimens. The art of topiary, created by the Romans, is high maintenance because the plants require frequent trimming to maintain their desired shape.
This amazing species has foliage so rich in Vitamin C that Jacques Cartier — the explorer who claimed what is now Canada for France — cured his party of scurvy during the winter of 1535 by boiling the leaves into a tea (under Indian instruction).
