Arborvitae 'Rheingold'
Thuja occidentalis 'Rheingold' · Cupressaceae
A soft, feathery cone of rich old gold in summer that deepens to coppery orange in winter.
- Size
- 5 ft tall, 4 ft wide
- Zones
- 3 to 7
- Light
- Full sun
- Flowers
- Grown for its leaves
- Pets
- No toxicity recorded
- Job in a bed
- Anchor
A bed built around arborvitae 'Rheingold'
The planner designed this bed around arborvitae 'Rheingold' when this page was made: a 16 × 8 ft (4.9 × 2.4 m) English border in zone 6, full sun. It chose the other plants from the 966 that suit those conditions, and says below why arborvitae 'Rheingold' stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Arborvitae 'Rheingold' × 1, chartreuse leaves
- 2 Bloody cranesbill 'Max Frei' × 7, pink
- 3 Winter heath × 21, white
- 4 Tatarian aster 'Jindai' × 4, purple
- 5 False sunflower 'Summer Sun' × 3, yellow
- 6 Sunset hyssop × 3, orange
- 7 Eastern bee balm × 5, pink
- 8 Dutch iris × 3, blue
- 9 Golden garlic × 12, yellow
- 10 Easter lily × 5, white
Why this plant
- The only plant grown for its leaves. Leaf lasts all season, where a flower lasts a few weeks.
- A classic partner for winter heath. Both are on this plan. A pairing gardeners have proved outranks a general rule.
- Part of the bed's structure. Shrubs and grasses keep their shape when the perennials die down. So does winter heath.
Why here
- Anchors a back corner. At 5 ft it is the tallest plant here, and the tallest close the ends of the bed, where they stand in front of nothing.
- A step in the back row. Next to Tatarian aster 'Jindai' (4 ft): no two neighbours there are the same height, so the back steps up and down like a skyline.
- One plant, alone. A shrub is seen as an object, and needs clear ground around it.
Why now
- Here for its leaves, all year. They cover the six weeks between early March and late November when nothing on the plan is in flower.
- One of two evergreens. They are what the bed has to show from November to March.
Planned as an English border: 7 of the 8 groups (88%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. Winter heath repeats along the bed to tie it together. The most in flower at one time is 4 kinds, from late May.
The planner's own design check: 12 Excellent, 5 Good.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where arborvitae 'Rheingold' goes in a border
At 5 ft it belongs at the back of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is tall (4 to 5 ft).
Its job: anchor. A shrub that gives the bed permanent structure. Planted singly, as soon as the front edge is laid; everything else is arranged around it.
The warmest colour of any hardy conifer, and at its best in winter with heathers and red-stemmed dogwoods. It needs full sun to colour.
- Gold and copper foliage all year
- Winter gardens
- Conifer and heather beds
What to plant with arborvitae 'Rheingold'
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Heather: adds the flowers, late July to mid September; spires rising out of its mound; low enough (16 in) to stand in front of it.
- Winter heath: adds the flowers, late January to mid April; low enough (10 in) to stand in front of it.
- Mugo pine.
Questions about arborvitae 'Rheingold'
Does arborvitae 'Rheingold' need sun or shade?
Arborvitae 'Rheingold' grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day).
It wants soil that stays evenly moist, of average fertility, and a good soak in dry spells. It copes with soil that stays wet.
What zones does arborvitae 'Rheingold' grow in?
USDA zones 3 to 7. It is hardy to zone 3, which means it survives winter nights down to about −30 °F (−34 °C).
Above zone 7 it struggles: the zones measure winter cold, but a plant's top zone usually means the summers are too hot or the winters too mild for it to rest.
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
How far apart should arborvitae 'Rheingold' be planted?
3½ ft (100 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 4 ft (120 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 5 ft (150 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many arborvitae 'Rheingold' plants do I need?
At 3½ ft apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 1 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 4 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 3 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as one, planted singly: it is the bed's structure, and everything else is arranged around it.
In the bed above, the planner used one in one group.
Is arborvitae 'Rheingold' poisonous to dogs and cats?
No toxicity is recorded for dogs, cats, horses or people, according to NC State Extension.
"Not toxic" is not "edible": a pet that eats a lot of any plant can be sick.
Do deer eat arborvitae 'Rheingold'?
They may. NC State does not list it as resistant to deer or rabbits. Where they visit, protect it, or plant it among ones they avoid.
What does arborvitae 'Rheingold' look like in winter?
Arborvitae 'Rheingold' keeps its chartreuse and bronze leaves all winter, so it is one of the plants that hold a bed together from November to March, when the perennials have gone. It is grown for winter gardens as well.
Is arborvitae 'Rheingold' good for bees and butterflies?
Arborvitae 'Rheingold' is visited by songbirds.
It is native to the United States and Canada (this is a named variety of the native plant).
More Thuja
- Arborvitae 'Degroot's Spire' Thuja occidentalis 'Degroot's Spire'
- Arborvitae 'Emerald Green' Thuja occidentalis 'Smaragd'
- Arborvitae 'Hetz Midget' Thuja occidentalis 'Hetz Midget'
- Arborvitae 'Mr. Bowling Ball' Thuja occidentalis 'Bobozam' (Mr. Bowling Ball)
- Globe arborvitae 'Danica' Thuja occidentalis 'Danica'
- Globe arborvitae 'Little Giant' Thuja occidentalis 'Little Giant'
In these guides
Every fact on record
- Type
- Shrub
- Size
- 5 ft (150 cm) tall, 4 ft (120 cm) wide
- Plant
- 3½ ft (100 cm) apart
- Height class
- Tall (4 to 5 ft)
- Place in the bed
- Back
- Flowers
- None: grown for its foliage
- Leaves
- Fine texture, evergreen; chartreuse, bronze
- Shape
- Rounded, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 3 to 7
- Light
- Full sun
- Soil
- Average, evenly moist
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- None needed
- Family
- Cupressaceae
- Comes from
- Central & E. Canada to N. Central and Eastern North America
- Attracts
- Songbirds
- Stands up to
- Wet soil, black walnut, pollution
Checked against NC State Extension and VASCAN (plants of Canada). Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.