Juniper 'Old Gold'
Juniperus x pfitzeriana 'Old Gold' · Cupressaceae
A compact, spreading juniper with tiers of arching branches whose tips are bronze-gold all year.
- Size
- 3½ ft tall, 6 ft wide
- Zones
- 4 to 9
- Light
- Full sun
- Flowers
- Grown for its leaves
- Pets
- No toxicity recorded
- Job in a bed
- Anchor
A bed built around juniper 'Old Gold'
The planner designed this bed around juniper 'Old Gold' 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 715 that suit those conditions and its dry soil, and says below why juniper 'Old Gold' stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Juniper 'Old Gold' × 1, chartreuse leaves
- 2 Verbena 'Homestead Purple' × 4, purple
- 3 October daphne × 12, pink
- 4 Italian bugloss 'Dropmore' × 3, blue
- 5 Stiff goldenrod × 3, yellow
- 6 Autumn sage × 3, white
- 7 Threadleaf coreopsis 'Zagreb' × 8, yellow
- 8 Grecian windflower × 12, blue
- 9 Surprise lily × 7, pink
- 10 Lady tulip × 12, red
Why this plant
- The only plant grown for its leaves. Leaf lasts all season, where a flower lasts a few weeks.
- The bed's only structure. Shrubs and grasses keep their shape when the perennials die down, and it is the only one here.
Why here
- At the back. At 3½ ft it is seen over verbena 'Homestead Purple' (10 in) in front of it, and has nothing behind it to hide.
- A step in the back row. Next to autumn sage (2½ ft) and stiff goldenrod (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 10 weeks between early March and late November when nothing on the plan is in flower.
- The only leaves in winter. From November to March it is what there is to look at.
Planned as an English border: 8 of the 9 groups (89%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. The flowering is at its height from mid August, with 5 kinds out together. Autumn sage flowers longest, for 23 weeks.
The planner's own design check: 10 Excellent, 6 Good, 1 Satisfactory. It flags one thing to watch: Nothing on this plan is highly poisonous or an aggressive spreader.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where juniper 'Old Gold' goes in a border
At 3½ ft it belongs in the middle of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is moderately tall (3 to 4 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.
A golden evergreen that holds its colour through winter and needs no pruning if given room. It makes a strong, low mass at the corner of a bed.
- Gold evergreen mass
- Corners and foundations
- Low-care planting on dry soil
What to plant with juniper 'Old Gold'
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Juniper 'Blue Star': low enough (24 in) to stand in front of it; happy in the same dry soil.
- Dwarf fountain grass 'Hameln': adds the flowers, late July to mid September.
- Sedum 'Autumn Joy': adds the flowers, mid August to mid October; bold leaves against its fine ones; low enough (24 in) to stand in front of it.
Questions about juniper 'Old Gold'
Does juniper 'Old Gold' need sun or shade?
Juniper 'Old Gold' grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day).
It wants dry, sharply drained soil, of average fertility, and little watering once settled.
What zones does juniper 'Old Gold' grow in?
USDA zones 4 to 9. It is hardy to zone 4, which means it survives winter nights down to about −20 °F (−29 °C).
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
How far apart should juniper 'Old Gold' be planted?
5 ft (150 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 6 ft (180 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 3½ ft (100 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many juniper 'Old Gold' plants do I need?
Usually one. At 5 ft (150 cm) across, it is a plant you place, not one you mass. For a hedge or screen, set them 5 ft apart: three plants for a 10 ft run.
In the bed above, the planner used one in one group.
Is juniper 'Old Gold' 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.
Is there a native plant like juniper 'Old Gold'?
Juniper 'Old Gold' is not native to North America. These North American natives come closest to doing its job:
- Juniper 'Grey Owl': the same job in a bed and the same size.
- Arborvitae 'Hetz Midget': the same job in a bed; 24 in narrower, wants moist soil.
- Sweetfern: a carpet, not an anchor, 12 in narrower.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
What does juniper 'Old Gold' look like in winter?
Juniper 'Old Gold' keeps its chartreuse and green leaves all winter, so it is one of the plants that hold a bed together from November to March, when the perennials have gone.
More Juniperus
- Creeping juniper 'Blue Chip' Juniperus horizontalis 'Blue Chip'
- Creeping juniper 'Blue Rug' Juniperus horizontalis 'Wiltonii'
- Creeping juniper 'Mother Lode' Juniperus horizontalis 'Mother Lode'
- Japanese garden juniper Juniperus procumbens 'Nana'
- Juniper 'Blue Arrow' Juniperus scopulorum 'Blue Arrow'
- Juniper 'Blue Star' Juniperus squamata 'Blue Star'
- Juniper 'Gold Cone' Juniperus communis 'Gold Cone'
- Juniper 'Grey Owl' Juniperus virginiana 'Grey Owl'
- Juniper 'Sea Green' Juniperus chinensis 'Sea Green'
- Juniper 'Skyrocket' Juniperus scopulorum 'Skyrocket'
- Shore juniper 'Blue Pacific' Juniperus conferta 'Blue Pacific'
In these guides
- Pet-safe plants for a sunny border
- Evergreen shrubs for structure
- Shrubs under 4 feet for small gardens
Zone guides: Zone 4 · Zone 5 · Zone 6 · Zone 7 · Zone 8 · Zone 9
Every fact on record
- Type
- Shrub
- Size
- 3½ ft (100 cm) tall, 6 ft (180 cm) wide
- Plant
- 5 ft (150 cm) apart
- Height class
- Moderately tall (3 to 4 ft)
- Place in the bed
- Middle
- Flowers
- None: grown for its foliage
- Leaves
- Fine texture, evergreen; chartreuse, green
- Shape
- Mounding, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 4 to 9
- Light
- Full sun
- Soil
- Average, dry and sharply drained
- Water
- Low
- Feeding
- None needed
- Family
- Cupressaceae
Checked against NC State Extension. 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.