Thuja occidentalis ‘Yellow Ribbon’ – This conifer is a good accent plant with the new growth emerging a bright golden-yellow in spring. It has an upright pyramidal shape and needs part to full sun to colour well. Looks great when paired with burgundy shrubs such as Berberis ‘Rose Glow’ and Cotinus ‘Royal Purple’. Makes a beautiful hedge. Grows 5-10′ high by 2-3′ wide. Zone 3.
Thuja occidentalis ‘Rheingold’ – This RHS Award of Garden Merit winner has unique soft feathery foliage with new growth of bright gold (often tipped in orange) maturing to chartreuse. In winter it takes on bronzed tinting. This dwarf conifer looks great in the background of a heather border and develops a rounded cone form with minimal pruning. Grows 3-5′ high by 4′ wide. Zone 3.
Thuja occidentalis ‘Danica’ – A fairly common dwarf conifer much in part to a dense rounded growth habit that is easy to maintain. The emerald green foliage grows about 4-6″ a year and often takes on a bit of bronzing in the cold winter weather. These Thuja work well as an informal hedge but look best with some separation between plants. Grows 2′ high and wide. AGM. Hardy to zone 4.
Thuja occidentalis ‘Golden Tuffet’ – This branch sport of Thuja occidentalis ‘Rheingold’ has coarser rope-like foliage which is lime green in the inner part of the plant, with golden-yellow tips. These take on golden-orange to bronze highlights in winter. It also has an unusual growth habit which has been described as mushroom to pincushion shaped. Grows 2-3′ high by 3-4′ wide. Zone 3.
Thuja plicata 4 EVER GOLDY – A new (2006) golden form of Western Red Cedar that was discovered in a Dutch nursery. The spring growth is a bright chartreuse which takes on a golden-orange tint in winter. The young stems also turn reddish at this time. It has a conical growth habit and puts on about 8″ of new foliage a year. Grows 15-20′ high by 6-8′ wide. Hardy to zone 5.
Mike's Garden Top 5 Plants 