Can a green giant grows in a shady area?

(Question)

Hi,
I leave in a condo building in Toronto. My unit is at the second floor and it is above the garbage room. There is an exhaust louver beside the bottom of my balcony. Sometimes the exhausted air from the garbage room is blowed to my balcony and into the unit. I am thinking that a green giant may block the exhausted air from blowing to the balcony. My unit faces north. There is no sunlight around the balcony. Can I plant a green giant? If the green giant is not a good idea, what would you like to recommend?
Thanks in advance.

(Answer)

Giant arborvitae (Thuja x ‘Green Giant’) is a fast-growing cedar cultivar that reaches 11-13 M tall, and 3-4M wide at maturity. It is much too large for pot culture; moreover, it needs full sun to thrive. A tree that needs full sun but does not receive it will eventually become weak and vulnerable to pests and diseases, and therefore prove to be a poor investment in the long run.

Please take a look at this previous answer for recommendations for trees for a north-facing balcony:

balcony gardening

On the other hand, perhaps you can also consider an evergreen climber like English ivy (Hedera helix); it is inexpensive, fast-growing, and tough. Although it is an invasive vine, it would be contained in a planter on a balcony and therefore pose little danger to local flora.

We wish you the best of luck finding a suitable plant to mitigate the garbage room exhaust situation.