Are you ordering a whole bunch Mel? Musser Forests' website says they have them 10 for $27.50. Is that a good deal? I was going to suggest that you ask this question in the Conifers forum, then noticed you already tried. You might try posting a similar question in the trees forum.

I have ordered from Mussers and received very good plants from them, and very good plants for the money. I don't know about the thuja. It looks like a pretty tree, one that I have always wanted to try but never got to it.

I aked about places to purchase Thuja on a few different web sites. And the Botany Shop was recommended most. I checked their prices and they were better than most other sources. In addition, they are located in Joplin! So I'm going to make a trip there this week to purchase about 30 of the Thuja.
I'll let you know how it goes in case anyone else is interested. I understand they also have some new varieties of Elm Trees which I'm interested in. (No, I have no association with them.. but would like to support a more local company if the product is of good quality)
thanks for the input,
Mel

Thought you might find the info on this person's website interesting since it involves the same tree and the Botany Shop in Joplin.

Visited there once and was just amazed at the location, plants, and people.

Here is a link that might be useful: Thuja Green Giant experience

We just ordered from the Botany Shop and were really impressed with the quality of plants and the service. The order came complete with stakes and ties and the plants were very healthy and actually larger than we expected. When does that ever happen?!

I am ordered Thuja GG from the Botany Shop as I read many good reviews on this grower. I opted for a larger 3gal tree and two smaller 1 gal trees. There is an incredible price difference -- $45 for the 3 gal plus shipping is "fat." If you have patience in waiting for the trees to grow (although they are fast growers) you can save a lot of dough going with the smaller specimens.

I had bought my 8 Green Giant trees from Gurneys last year and would NOT do so again. They were of a good price, but too puny and most of them died even tho I took extra care and precautions with them. I have had better luck and success taking cuttings off my existing Cedar and Arborvitae, with them growing just about as fast as the surviving green Giant trees, last year. strong

I can recommend the Botany Shop. I order the 1 gallon size two years ago - they were approximately 30 inches tall. All of the them (16 or so) survived an unusally cold snap in the winter that included near 0 degrees F and high winds with only a little browning of some tips and selected branches, which I removed in the spring. These were planted in a windy hilltop clearing for a privacy screen.

Now they average 6 to 7 feet tall and some have already grown 1 foot this year. These things really take off after a year of getting settled, but give them room to grow.