The Master Gardener Articles

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Want to Brighten Up Your Winter Landscape?

If you want to brighten up your winter landscape, consider the many evergreen plants which are gold tipped or gold throughout. The gold is expressed even more in full sun. Don’t mistake this gold color for a sick plant. The color is genetically determined. Consider the following, Abies koreana ‘Aurea’, a bright golden dwarf, Korean fir with short, stubby needles that are gold all year long. It grows 3-6 inches annually. It develops spectacular purple cones as it matures to 8 feet. It prefers partial morning sun. Intense long term heat may result in some defoliation. Also consider Abies concolor ‘Winter Gold’; it is a rare tree that grows at about half the rate of its blue cousin, Abies concolor ‘Candicans’. It has long, brilliant, curvaceous needles and a soft golden glow.

Some conifers are gold all year, while others transition into gold as the cold weather sets in. Two of the brightest are Pinus virginiana ‘Wate’s Golden’ and Pinus Mugo ‘Honeycomb’. Both plants are lime to dark green during the summer depending on the amount of shade they receive. However, as the weather turns cold, the gold color abounds. Pinus virginiana ‘Water Golden’ is an attractive, multileadered pine with prolific buds, growing 6 inches annually until it reaches a height of 18 feet. The gold color intensifies in direct proportion to pruning. Pinus Mugo ‘Honeycomb’ is a short, stubby dwarf with a tight growth pattern, growing only 2 inches a year.

For more information on this subject contact George McVey at OSU Extension,  gmcvey@ag.osu.edu or call 644-8117 or 1 800 589-8584.

(Reference: American Nurseryman, February 15, 2006, p 16-21)