The change in the branch tips is the cones i.e. the 'flowers' developing. Not a disease and nothing to worry about.

cones or pollen sacs ...

they are conifers.. which are trees .

but they really arent shrubs ... as the word is used by gardeners ...

i know its a common term.. but if you google that word.. you will get a lot of info that simply may not apply to what you are looking up ...

there are forums here for each ...

ken

they are conifers.. which are trees

Ken - really - give it a rest. I don't know where this insistence comes from, but it's silly! And not exactly accurate. Some conifers are trees, but some are shrubs and some are even groundcovers. 'Conifer' describes a type of plant. 'Tree' (or shrub or groundcover) describes a growth habit. One does not necessarily equate to the other.

And there is no need to send the poster elsewhere. He is just as likely to get his answer here as he as at either the Conifers or Trees forums. As is obvious, because you answered it.

gal you are an intolerant bigot ...

if he ever wants to prune it.. he better look up.. how to prune a conifer.. rather than how to shear a shrub ...

and if he wants to use a search engine.. he should know proper terminology.. especially if he likes this type of plant ... e.g. if he saw an audi.. and keeps going to the ford dealership ... is he ever going to find it ...???

plus.. i like to drive attendance in other forums... its how one can encourage new gardeners ...

when you have typed an answer like this .. think about deleting it ... i have done it hundreds of times ... why you find so much joy in attacking someone else ... repeatedly .... for basically no good reason.. is beyond me ...

ken

"an intolerant bigot"

Well, that's a bit strong! And the same label might just as easily be applied to you for dogmatically insisting that all conifers are trees. And the only reason I brought it up was that you do this consistently and if you want to encourage new gardeners - as you state - then giving them meaningful, accurate information would be a bit more helpful than a broad and somewhat misleading generalization.

I agree that terminology is important but how it is used is equally important. The only relevant terminology here is that this is a conifer. Using the comparison of an Audi to a Ford makes no sense in this instance unless you were comparing the plant in question - a conifer - to something like a maple or a rhododendron. The type of plant, not its growth habit.

FYI, arborvitae like 'Smaragd'/Emerald Green, 'Danika', etc. are frequently referred to as shrubs due to their relatively compact size and the fact they start to branch so low to the ground (no clear trunk). From MOBOT: "This American arborvitae cultivar is a semi-dwarf, evergreen shrub with a compact, narrowly pyramidal habit." (emphasis mine) They are just as often referred to as trees, as they typically have only a single stem/trunk emerging from the roots. Neither term is definitive as to how to care for them - they are only descriptors.

Nick,

Your Emerald Green Arborvitae is fine. Since you just planted it last fall, just make sure this summer you mulch good and keep and eye on watering it till it's at least settled in.

It takes a couple years for it to settle in real good. The cones are those little things on the tips of the branches.

Looks good!