Emerald Cedar vs Falsebox - TreeTime.ca

Emerald Cedar vs Falsebox

Thuja occidentalis Smaragd

Paxistima myrsinites

COMING SOON

(new stock expected: fall of 2026)

CUSTOM GROW

Emerald Cedar
Falsebox

Emerald Cedar makes a great addition to landscapes, and is often used to form tight hedges or privacy screens. The thick scale-like foliage adds texture and colour to yards and is commonly used to line driveways. Unlike other cedars it retains its green colour throughout the fall and winter.

It is a semi dwarf species, which generally needs little pruning, but if desired it responds well to trimming. Its attractive, columnar shape and dense foliage makes it a desired landscape feature.

The Emerald Cedar won the award of merit from the Royal Horticultural Society.

Falsebox is a hardy, native evergreen shrub found in forests, rocky slopes, and open woodland sites. Though small and easily overlooked among the leaves, the maroon flowers still supply nectar and pollen for pollinators such as native bees and flies. Blooming in spring, they provide an important early-season food source. Its year-round greenery adds visual interest through the winter.

Falsebox is a low-growing shrub that tolerates a wide range of conditions, including drought once established. It thrives particularly well beneath the shade of mature trees, where few other plants succeed. With its resilience and ecological value, Falsebox is well-suited for naturalization, restoration projects, and diverse landscape plantings.

Emerald Cedar Quick Facts

Falsebox Quick Facts

Zone: 2a
Zone: 5a
Height: 4 m (13 ft)
Height: 0.5 m (1.5 ft)
Spread: 0.9 m (3 ft)
Spread: 0.5 m (1.5 ft)
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: any
Moisture: normal
Moisture: dry, normal
Growth rate: slow
Growth rate: slow
Life span: medium
Life span: medium
Growth form: prostrate to spreading
Spreading: layering - medium
Suckering: none


Foliage: evergreen, leathery leaves
Bark: reddish-brown
Flowers: small, maroon-purple, fragrant
Bloom time: summer
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: AB, BC
Other Names: smaragd arborvitae, thuja occidentalis emeraude
Other Names: false box, mountain boxwood, mountain lover, myrtle boxwood, oregon boxleaf, oregon boxwood