Tips to Save Money Planting Arborvitae Trees

First and foremost arborvitae trees can add a lot of curb appeal to a home, privacy between property lines and more without the need for a fence.

Of course this comes at a dollar value. With people trying to save money by penny pinching where they can it is easy to fall victim to the “made in China mentality.” In reality cheaper is not better, it is just cheap. Just think of the mold that came over from cheap China sheetrock or the lead in childrens toys.  When making an investment in the quality and enjoyment of your outdoor space, initial price is not the way to save money.

A customer asked us for an estimate on removing a row of old nasty shrubs and installing a privacy hedge for him. The cost was more than he anticipated but assured us he would be having us do the work if he decided to go through with it.

One month later whike driving by, I “Arbor Al” noticed that the arborivitae hedge had been installed and the shrubs removed. Apparently he found a lower price and chose to hire them. I quoted him with the trees being an initial 5-6 feet tall. This woukd have been an appropriate height for the situation. The trees he had installed were all of only 3 feet tall. He would need to wait years for them to grow up and award him the privacy he lost from the shrubs being removed. Which gave him the screening he so desperately needed.

Most importantly I drove by again one month later to find all the trees dead.

One month after that I noticed the trees had been replaced and the new ones were now already once again half dead.

So although the homeowner got a great price up front, he ended up paying way more money in the long run than if he had just hired us to purchase quality nurserey stock and properly plant it in the first place.

If cost is a factor in determining which company to hire and if the situation permits then consider asking the best reputable company if they could plant a smaller tree in order to keep cost lower. Going cheap now almost always cost more down the road.  Paying a reasonable price for a quality job like you see in the above picture will last many years to come.