I don't think it'll be a problem, since they do tolerate shade. You want to be careful that the foliage doesn't directly touch the arborvitae, or it'll make a brown patch.

Thanks...I wonder, if I got brown patches on the bottom, would pruning allow for regrowth? Not that I am planning on it but just wondering if it is that type of evergreen that won't regrow when pruned?

Thanks
pm2

Emerald is one of my evergreen staples. I have more than two dozen throughout my gardens. They will take almost total shade, all the way to full sun. Several years ago, I had one that nearly died. It turned brown almost all over and looked absolutely dreadful. I figured out that it had been planted too deeply, so I lifted it, amended the soil and re-planted it with a prayer. Not only did it survive, but it replaced all that brown foliage too. Maybe this will help you with your question.

Be aware that they sometimes turn brown in places during the winter, but mine always seem to drop the brown and regrow green in the spring.

I agree with the above poster that you don't want to crowd them in your beds.

Donna, thanks. Tell me, do you have them in beds with other shrubs or with perennials or grasses? What is considered crowding it, how much space should I give one?

Thanks
pm2

They need just a few inches around the perimeter. I like them with feather reed grass and Autum Joy sedum, plants that stay in their spot LOL.

The brown patches can be very lightly pruned, but if cut too deeply, it won't regrow. I have never cut one, just kinda ran my hand over the brown tips. They do get brown on the inside in winter, as some evergreens do. Just shoot a spray of water in there on a warm spring day, to clean it up.

Wow donna, that might be what I need to do with my chokeberry. I moved it, and the planting hole sank a little bit. I'll try moving it to higher ground LOL.

It may be too late to respond to this, but I don't check this forum as often as I should evidently. I do have most of my Emeralds in mixed borders with other shrubs and perennials. I love their effects. They are nice in groupings too, for instance three in a triangle. I am careful to not allow any other plant to touch their foliage for fear of dieback. Otherwise, they play very nicely with anything I have ever put near them.