Thuja occidentalis Yellow Ribbon - Canadian Arborvitae

Thuja occidentalis 'Yellow Ribbon' is a small conifer that forms a small regular pyramid and charms with its green foliage animated with golden reflections in spring, taking on pretty bronzed tones in the cold. Its rather slow growth, reduced size, and neat appearance allow for numerous uses, in a hedge, as a standalone, in a bed with perennials or shrubs, or even in a large pot on the terrace. It is a very hardy conifer, not demanding on soil type, whose cultivation presents no difficulty in well-drained but rather fresh soil, in a sunny exposure. 

Thuja occidentalis, the Eastern Arborvitae or Northern White Cedar, is sometimes called the Eastern White Cedar or the Arborvitae. It is an evergreen conifer of the cypress family native to northeastern North America. It is distributed over a vast geographical area that perfectly reflects the plasticity of its living conditions. In nature, it reaches a height of 15 to 20m (49ft - 65ft), adopting a beautiful conical habit, and a trunk covered with a highly decorative bark. It is a very hardy species, very well adapted to temperate climates and poor, damp, or occasionally dry soils. Its almost rot-resistant, light, fragrant, and easily flammable wood lends itself to many uses. It has given rise to more than 300 cultivars.

The 'Yellow Ribbon' variety stands out for its reduced size, harmonious pyramidal habit, and its foliage that changes with golden and bronze reflections.  Its growth rate is moderate, so it will reach an average height of 3m (9 in 10ft) with a spread of 1.5m at maturity, after many long years. Growth often slows down after 10 years of cultivation. This conifer reveals an aromatic foliage when crushed, composed of flattened twigs arranged in planes, and covered with scale-like leaves measuring 3 to 5mm in length. Overlapping each other, the leaves give the twigs a flat appearance. The foliage is a green strongly tinged with yellow in spring and summer, a colour that will be accentuated by a very sunny exposure. Then it takes on more bronze to orange hues in autumn and winter. The decorative cones, slender, green and then brown when ripe, measuring 8 to 12mm (0.3 - 0.5in) long and 4 to 5mm (0.2 - 0.2in) wide, are formed by 4 or 5 scales.

The 'Yellow Ribbon' Western Redcedar will find its place in a small garden or in a large rockery, grouped in a small open screen, or planted in groups of three near an entrance. It can also be planted in a beautiful container on the terrace or balcony. It pairs well with more disorderly shrubs, large stones, geometric lines of swimming pools or buildings, and masonry works. It can be associated with complementary grasses or dwarf conifers of different colours or with a prostrate habit (Juniperus horizontalis 'Blue Chip'), globose (Picea abies 'Little Gem'), or even with the indestructible Microbiota decussata whose autumnal colour matches. The real graphic qualities of conifers naturally impose themselves in the design of a contemporary garden, which prefers the aesthetics of forms, silhouettes, and textures over the dance of blooms. These reassuringly permanent plants provide lasting structure to a bed, mark pathways, border terraces, easily replacing the strong presence of trimmed boxwood or holly. The key is to play with volumes and colours.