Juniperus x pfitzeriana Old Gold

Juniperus x pfitzeriana 'Old Gold' is a very hardy hybrid juniper, forming a small spreading bush, very compact and compact. It is adorned with fine and flexible foliage, golden yellow at the base, bright yellow at the tips, taking on beautiful bronze highlights in winter. This highly colourful conifer is perfect for colonizing a large slope, or filling out a bed in a small garden. Honey-bearing, it produces pretty little fruits, first red-purple then black-blue when ripe, appreciated by birds. It prefers sun and well-drained soil, even poor, occasionally dry and chalky.

Also called Juniperus chinensis or Juniperis x media 'Old Gold', this juniper belongs to a group of quite old hybrids, mainly derived from Juniperus chinensis, the Chinese juniper. It is a very hardy and very ornamental conifer belonging, like its parents, to the cypress family.

After 10 years, 'Old Gold' forms a beautiful bush with a compact and spreading habit, measuring 50cm (19.7in) in height and 1m (3ft 4in) in width. It grows slowly when young, then its growth accelerates somewhat as it ages. Eventually, it will reach about 90cm (35.4in) to 1m (3ft 4in) in height and 2m (6ft 7in) to 2m (6ft 7in) in width. Its thin and flexible branches, with a feathery appearance, are covered with very tight leaves and emit a penetrating odour when rubbed, which can be perceived as unpleasant. The young spring shoots are bright yellow, then take on a darker yellow shade nuanced with green in summer, before adorning themselves with bronze highlights in winter. The fruits that form on the female plants are berries called galbuli; they are black-blue when ripe and rich in therapeutic principles. Junipers have a shallow root system that makes them vulnerable to strong winds and difficult to associate with perennials.

'Old Gold' juniper is a small, hardy and bright conifer that has proven its vigour and robustness on slopes and in large rock gardens, among rocks. With its moderate growth and golden mantle all year round, it will work wonders when planted alone or in borders, planted in groups of 3 subjects together with conifers with an upright or bushy conical habit. It also grows very well in pots. The real graphic qualities of conifers naturally impose themselves in the design of a contemporary garden, which prefers the aesthetics of shapes, silhouettes and textures to the dance of flowering. These plants with their reassuring permanence durably structure a bed, mark the paths, line the terrace, easily replacing the strong presence of trimmed boxwood or holly. They go well with windswept grasses with a very complementary temperament. They can also be combined with heathers (Erica x darleyensis), lavenders, rosemary, or even frugal roses (Rosa chinensis 'Mutabilis'). The key is to play with volumes and colours.