January 2021 - 54

GREEN GOODS
The Golden Glow of Shrubs
Don't let the name fool you.
Euonymus fortunei 'Summer Runner'
looks lovely in warm weather, but wait
until you see it glowing in the winter!
The gorgeous variegated foliage and
spreading habit creates great hedges,
but it also makes a fabulous focal
point in the garden or planted in a
container on a balcony. 'Summer
Runner' even works well as a lowmaintenance
ground cover. Reaching
only 12 inches tall and spreading 20
inches wide, it's the ideal tough shrub
for sun or semi-shade, performing well
in USDA Zone 4a.
When snow blankets the garden
and gray skies make moods gloomy,
we all need a bit of 'Happiness' -
especially of the Euonymus japonicus
variety. Bright golden foliage provides
light and looks beautiful in borders or
in a balcony container. The compact,
24-inch-tall shrub performs well
in sun or semi-shade. Cold hardy
to USDA Zone 6b, it's also disease
resistant, making this golden beauty
a winter must-have.
If the landscape needs to turn up
the volume during bleak wintery days,
add Ilex aquifolium 'Golden DJ' to
planting plans. The refined, dark green
foliage with yellow, serrated edges
looks lovely in mass plantings and borders, works well as a
vibrant hedge, but also makes a gorgeous golden statement
when filling a container alone or in a combination planting.
'Golden DJ' reaches 47 inches high and 20 inches wide.
Winter hardy to USDA Zone 6a is easily adaptable, thriving in
sun, part-shade or full shade.
Rather than add another standard green conifer to the
garden, choose the eye-catching Juniperus 'Lemon Pfizz'.
More compact - but also more vibrant than comparable
varieties - the lovely lemon color remains true all year. The
densely branched, low-spreading habit makes it excellent
for mass plantings. It doesn't burn in full sun and performs
well in semi-shade and both hot and cold temperatures,
hardy to USDA Zone 5b. 'Lemon Pfizz' also resists tip blight
and offers good drought resistance once established.
Another conifer offering a golden glow for the winter
garden is Thuja plicata 'Golden Spire'. This spectacular
yellow conifer doesn't suffer from sunburn and is hardy
to USDA Zone 6a.
For the perfect bright pyramid, Thuja occidentalis 'Sunny
Smaragd' stands out from the conifer crowd. The gorgeous
bright yellow color and upright habit grows faster than
'Golden Smaragd' and boasts a warmer, richer yellow hue.
It's easy to grow in sun or semi-shade, doesn't suffer from
sunburn, and can stand alone as a pretty specimen in
containers. Hardy to USDA Zone 4a.
54 | LAWN & GARDEN RETAILER | JANUARY 2021
Ilex aquifolium
'Golden DJ'.
Golden Charm for Winter Gardens
Whether a great burst of brightness or movement in the
garden is the goal, here are some perennial possibilities with a
golden glow to appear through all or part of the " off-season. "
Hakonechloa macra 'Sunflare' is a new introduction of
the extremely popular Japanese forest grass. Its vibrant
chartreuse leaves become intense golden yellow when
exposed to full sun, accented with deep crimson, randomly
appearing highlights. Older, mature plants display more
crimson foliage. The plant shows off its fall colors with
a combination of chartreuse and gold and saturated
with tones of burnt orange and burgundy red. The neat,
compact mounding habit with graceful cascading foliage
looks lovely swaying in the breeze. The plant eventually
reaches 12-18 inches tall and 18-24 inches wide and is
hardy to USDA Zone 5a. It can be used in woodland gardens,
water features, slopes, perennial borders, mixed containers,
mass plantings or alone as a container specimen.
Fern lovers, rejoice! You're no longer limited to green in
the garden! Dryopteris wallichiana 'Jurassic Gold' creates a
gorgeous golden spark in the garden. Selected as the People's
Choice winner at the 2020 Farwest New Varieties Showcase
and the 2019 winner of the Horticulture Week Business
Award, 'Jurassic Gold' creates the perfect " wow " factor in
landscapes. Young golden-orange spring shoots fade to bright
golden-yellow and green as they mature. The landscape
January 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of January 2021
