Exciting colours and stylish forms can be yours with 'Golden Conifers'. As the beauty of the autumn leaves begins to give way to the tracery of winter branches, ornamental conifers really come into their own. They give the garden important solid features and by planting species and varieties with unusually coloured leaves you can get maximum value from their structure and form.
Most of the golden conifers available in this country are dwarf varieties which makes them highly adaptable for use in smaller gardens, or in areas of special interest such as rock gardens. In these situations they can provide colour and interest, especially when many other garden plants are dormant. The leaves of some take on a bronze tinge in winter which is an added colour bonus and all will look fabulous encrusted with hoar frost or dusted with a covering of snow.
Here are a few species and varieties that deserve a special mention. From the family of the White cedar, Thuja occidentalis 'Rheingold' is highly valued for its golden-yellow foliage. Added colour bonuses include the fact that foliage is pink-tinged when young and turns bronze in winter. 'Rheingold' reaches a height of 1-2m. Another White cedar, 'Golden Globe' has lots to offer as a plant for a rockery or small garden. A spherical, dwarf shrub, it has bright golden foliage and grows to an approximate height and spread of 1m.
If you're looking for a tree with a columnar-conical form to fulfil a particular garden design theme, look out for 'Stoneham Gold' (Thuja plicata). This tree is slightly bigger than the others so far, achieving a height and spread of about 2m at maturity and has a rounded, irregular growth habit. From the family of the Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria) 'Elegans compacta' is an attractive conical shrub that has dark green juvenile foliage which turns bronze in winter.
No survey of golden conifers would be complete without a mention of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) 'Gold Coin'. This slow growing shrub sports intense golden foliage and achieves a height and spread of approximately 2m.
Grow these conifers in deep soil with good drainage. They will do best in sheltered, sunny positions. Japanese cedars will tolerate chalky soils and are happy in partial shade. Thujas need shelter from cold drying winds. None of these conifers require regular maintenance, being slow growing and small. If they do need a trim to keep them in shape at any point, spring or late summer are the times.
The golden conifers have lots to offer the gardener and garden designer in terms of their colour, form and ease of maintenance. They work beautifully alongside heathers or in rock gardens as accent plants. Trees with geometric shapes can provide formality and structure all year round.
