Dwarf golden evergreen shrubs?

13 years ago

I was planning to use an arborvitae 'golden globe' in a new bed at my kids school b/c it only gets 3' x 3', has a great color and usually doesn't need pruning. Unfortunately I'm having trouble finding them in my area so I'm looking for alternatives. I found a few other varieties, such as 'Fire Chief' and 'Rhinegold' but they have a different type of foilage.

This are going between a blue upright juniper and sedum 'autumn joy' and feather reed grass. We wanted something small to make a somewhat informal hedge.

Can anyone recommend another variety or plant? We want evergreen as opposed to deciduous to deter the kids from cutting through.

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Comments (8)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
13 years ago
why dont you mail order them???? ... see link ..

btw.. you are talking about conifers.. not shrubs ...

anyway .... obviously.. for $3.50 you are going SMALL!!!!

call girards ..... and see how much bigger they can mail and still be price efficient ...

and.. keep in mind... EVERY conifer has an annual growth rate ... and most.. will continue to grow at that rate forever .... w/o researching.. i am going to guess this one is about 3 to 6 inches per year... MOST SIZE ESTIMATES ARE AT 10 YEARS .... and from 10 years on.. they will continue to grow at the annual rate ... [or... divide 3 feet (your est.) .. 36 inches by 10 years.. and your growth rate is about 3.6 inches per year .. go figure on that .. lol ]

so its a matter of what size you buy them.. how well they prosper [might be questionable at a school] .. and how fast you can run away from the project.. lol ...

i bet.. even with shipping.. you can mail order cheaper than buying local ...

good luck

ken

PS: note that they have a secondary name for the plant at the link ... so search both names

Here is a link that might be useful: link
forensicmom
Original Author
13 years ago
Thanks for the link Ken. I was actually looking for larger plants b/c they would more then likely withstand the abuse the kids can give better then the smaller ones. The PTA has approved the money to buy larger plants. Most mail order plants are VERY small, so I want to stay away from them. Some fast growing perennials might be worth it but we're only getting 3 perennials (3 sedum 'autumn joy').
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You are definitely going for the right look for a foundation planting, namely a layered series of different textures with evergreen at the back. But I agree that a total of 5 feet from foundation out is not enough width to get that job done. You have enough sun to work with and you have a vision, so why not do it up right: expand the bed 3-4 feet, move the roses out a few feet, and then put in some spreading yew or a globe arborvitae-type thing about 2-3 feet out from the house. You'll have to trim the yew or whatever you put there, but it will give you the look you want. Yews are incredibly overplanted on the foundation, but for the back row of a layered planting, I think they work just fine. Put a low layer in front of the roses, maybe some Blue Star Juniper, then you can keep the layered thing going on during the winter. The Blue Star is fairly slow growing, (especially living on the east side), so don't expect it to fill in quickly. Instead, cough up the cash and plant several. If you think widening the bed is daunting, just lay down wet cardboard on the turf and cover with lots of mulch. Then cut out wide holes for your plantings. The grass will be long gone in a year. Boxwood could work against the foundation too, but it grows like molasses. Just my thoughts, based on having been in a similar situation. Get what you want the first time around, so you don't have to do it again later.
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Oh yes, sacrificing the flowering criteria definitely opens up a lot more possibilities! :) Helleri hollies get about that height. I just bought some hollies called "Little Rascal," and they only get about two feet high by three feet wide (supposedly...that's what they say). I fell in love with the foilage on these. It's kind of crinkly. I bought them kind of late in the spring, though, and out of three now I'm down to two. :( I probably haven't watered them enough. I hope they do better once they're established. What about arborvitae? There is a globe arborvitae that doesn't get huge, but I'm not sure it stays below three feet. I'll tell you another plant I think has some awesome cool foilage - plum yew. But I don't know the ultimate size of those either. I *think* they stay small-ish...? I've seen some in our neighborhood that are about 2-3 feet right now. But, don't know how old they are. You should go to a good nursery and look around and get them to make suggestions. Bates Nursery is good if you're north of town. If you're east, Needham's and Bagatta's. Needham's has a good Web site and Bates' Web site is even better as it lists their exact inventory. :) You could spend some time looking around on those. Bates' site links you to pictures on Monrovia for a lot of their plants. Hope that helps!
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gardener365
13 years ago
Here are a few:
Pinus strobus UCONN Gold (Porterhowse Nursery)
Chamaecyparis pisifera Juniperoides Aurea (soft can be sheared).
Chamaecyparis pisifera Golden Mop (can be sheared).
Chamaecyparis obtusa Fernspray Gold

Dax
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
13 years ago
go to the link ...

use the zip code seller finder it find who they might supply in your area .... i think i have seen that at this site ...

if that fails.. call them ... if they allow such ...

they are one of the biggest suppliers in the US ....

at worst .... try ordering them in for spring delivery to a local supplier ....

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: link
flora_uk
13 years ago
I know this isn't what you asked but I was thinking that when kids (and adults) 'cut through' it's usually because they are taking the most logical route from a to b. Just a thought but would it be less of an uphill battle to make a path through the bed and use the money for more plantings elsewhere? Or is there a safety issue about the short cut? In which case would something prickly work, maybe a variegated holly which is evergreen although not a conifer?
Dave in NoVA • N. Virginia • zone 7A
13 years ago
Golden euonymous will work but needs to be trimmed. There are smaller dwarf varieties...unless deer are an issue.
mrgpag SW OH Z5/6
13 years ago
forensicmom - generally speaking - where is your "area"?
flora_uk
13 years ago
Just learned a new expression (to me) for these cut through paths. They are apparently known as 'desire lines' which I think is rather charming.

Dwarf golden evergreen shrubs?

Comments (8)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5

forensicmom
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Dwarf golden evergreen shrubs?

Comments (8)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5

forensicmomOriginal Author

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ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5

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Dave in NoVA • N. Virginia • zone 7A

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forensicmom
Original Author