Old Gold juniper

Sun

Full sun gives the strongest gold colour and densest growth; light shade produces greener, looser growth.

Water

Water regularly during establishment; once established, water during prolonged drought. Avoid persistently wet roots.

Soil

Well-drained sandy, loamy or stony soil; tolerates clay if drainage is good. Grows in mildly acidic to alkaline soil.

Height

2-3 ft (0.6-0.9 m), sometimes taller with age

Spread

4-6 ft (1.2-1.8 m)

Foliage

Fine, mostly scale-like evergreen foliage with golden-yellow outer growth and greener shaded interiors; often turns bronze-gold in cold weather.

Growth

Slow to moderate; usually grows wider faster than it grows taller.

Care needed

Low

• Deer resistant
• Drought tolerant
• Cold hardy
• Heat tolerant
• Wildlife

Northern hemisphere months. In Australia, shift them by six.

Difficulty

Easy

Toughness

Very tough

Pick your zone, country, light and whether you have pets.

1. Planting day

   1.6 ft (0.5 m)

2. After 1 year

   1.8 ft (0.55 m)

3. After 2 years

   2 ft (0.6 m)

4. After 3 years

   2.1 ft (0.65 m)

5. After 5 years

   2.5 ft (0.75 m)

   full size

About 5 years to full size.

From a typical nursery size, at an average rate for this kind of plant. A rule of thumb, not a forecast.

Cats and dogs

Mildly toxic: may upset a stomach

Growth rate

Moderate

• Plant with the root flare at soil level and leave room for its full spread.
• Water deeply when the root zone begins to dry during the first one or two growing seasons.
• Keep a thin layer of mulch over the roots, leaving the stems and crown clear.
• Feed lightly in spring only if growth is weak or the soil is poor.
• Keep lawn sprinklers from repeatedly wetting the foliage and saturating the soil.

Pruning. In late winter or early spring, remove dead or damaged shoots and shorten stray branches back to a leafy side shoot. Avoid routine shearing and never cut into bare old wood, which usually will not regrow.

Late winter

Check for broken branches and remove damaged growth before new growth begins.

Spring

Plant when the soil is workable and drains freely; water the root ball thoroughly.

Late spring

Check shoot tips for browning and remove affected tips in dry weather.

Summer

Water young plants deeply during dry spells; inspect dusty foliage for spider mites.

Autumn

Refresh mulch without burying the crown, and clear leaves lodged inside the branches.

Late autumn

In cold climates, water before the ground freezes if autumn has been dry.

• Use as a low evergreen anchor in a sunny mixed border, contrasting its gold foliage with blue or purple flowers.
• Plant on a well-drained bank for broad, low cover, allowing space for branches to spread naturally.
• Combine with rocks, gravel and blue-foliaged conifers for year-round colour and texture.
• Repeat along a broad path or driveway where its mature spread will not obstruct access.

Garden styles it suits: Low-maintenance, Dry gravel garden, Winter interest, Japanese, Modern and Desert / xeriscape.

Plant it with: Lavender, Catmint, Russian sage, Blue fescue, Sedum and Dwarf mugo pine.

Wildlife: Dense branches provide shelter for small birds. Any berry-like cones that develop may be eaten by birds; the flowers offer little value to pollinating insects.

• Root rot in wet soil: improve drainage or move the plant to a raised position; do not keep the root zone constantly moist.
• Spider mites causing stippled, dull or bronzed foliage: check for mites by tapping shoots over white paper, rinse foliage and use a labelled treatment if damage continues.
• Juniper tip blight causing dead shoot tips: prune affected tips back into healthy growth in dry weather, clean tools and improve airflow.
• Brown gaps after hard pruning or shading: avoid cutting into leafless wood and give the plant full sun; badly bare sections rarely fill in.

Do not eat the foliage or berry-like cones, or use them as culinary juniper berries. Juniper foliage and oils can irritate skin and cause digestive upset if swallowed; keep people, cats, dogs and horses from eating them. Toxicity information specific to this hybrid cultivar is limited, so the severity of larger ingestions is uncertain.

• Gold Coast juniper (Juniperus × pfitzeriana 'Gold Coast')

  Usually has a more vigorous, upright-arching habit and brighter yellow new growth; young plants can be difficult to distinguish without a reliable label.

• Golden Mop false cypress (Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Golden Mop')

  Has conspicuously long, drooping, thread-like foliage rather than the short, finely branched sprays of Old Gold juniper.

Juniperus is the Latin name for juniper, pfitzeriana honours the horticulturist Wilhelm Pfitzer, and 'Old Gold' describes the foliage colour.

Propagation. Take semi-ripe cuttings in late summer or early autumn and root them in a free-draining medium with protection from drying out. Seed does not reproduce the cultivar reliably.

Accepted botanical name

Juniperus pfitzeriana

Sources: GBIF (CC BY 4.0). The care and design notes are LandscapeGPT's own.