The message
from Chris Hogg contains these words:

On Fri, 11 Jul 2003 12:18:21 +0100, "Martin Newman"
wrote:

In the June 2003 edition of Gardeners world magazine, Alan's top hedges, Mr
Titchmarsh suggests the Thuja Plicata as "the hedge we would all love".
However, Mr Titchmarsh does not tell us the variety of this tree, and as
there are many different varieties of this kind, I would be most
grateful if
anyone could tell me the variety he is talking about.
We are currently deciding what to plant for our new hedge in our back
garden, and this hedge seems to be most suitable for our needs. The
hedge is
described as:

An evergreen that grows to 1.2 - 1.5m (4-5ft) which then stops. It just
needs a few light clips a year and won't go beserk!

Bloom actually recommends
T.p. atrovirens for hedging as being more consistent in form and
colour than the species itself. But if you can't get it, just go for
the true species, Thuja plicata.

I'm surprised to see that AT says it grows to 1.2 - 1.5m and then
stops, as you quote. Bloom says it's a fast growing pyramidal tree,
reaching 5 - 7m after 10 years, ultimately reaching 30 - 60m. The RHS
encyclo. gives it's ultimate height as 20 - 35m, and also recommends
T.p. atrovirens for hedging.
I doubt that conifers actually stop growing, but just get very slow
when they reach their mature height. Conifers that have a low mature
height such as you're seeking are usually slow growing. If someone
discovered what you describe, they'd make a fortune! It's every
gardener's dream. Thuja plicata has been around in the UK for about
150 years and while I'm sure it makes an excellent hedge, if it did
what AT describes, no-one would ever grow anything else.


I agree. Thuja plicata atrovirens seems to be the variety normally sold
for hedging, but it carries on growing! I have a single specimen which I
planted five years ago and it's about 9'. However, growth is steady
rather than dramatic and I think it's quite easily maintained compared
with, say, Leylandii.
Janet G