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Click the Play arrow to hear Paul Parent and David Wilson as they discussed
Chamaecyparis ‘Vintage Gold’ on the
The Paul Parent Garden Club radio show (April 15, 2007).
[6:57 minutes]
This marvelous, compact growing evergreen - with graceful, fern-like foliage - will provide you with dramatic, year-round color!
Click on the picture, or text link below the picture, for larger view
This selection of Japanese False Cypress has bright golden, ferny leaved foliage that is soft to the touch and holds its color well throughout the seasons. Even in the midst of summer and the depths of winter, it beams out bright, non fading color.
Growing to around 18 to 30" tall by about the same wide, it forms a neat, compact, rounded mound. In time, older maturing plants may become a little larger than this; they can be trimmed to maintain shape and height.
Like most conifers, Chamaecyparis ‘Vintage Gold’ is easily grown in any reasonably nutritious, well-drained soil. Good planting practices, where copious amounts of organic matter are mixed into the planting hole, will encourage fast establishment and ensure that the new plant grows satisfactorily.
Good drainage is very important; ‘Vintage Gold’ detests heavy, poorly draining sites. By making sure the position selected has good drainage, you should find ‘Vintage Gold’ easy and very accommodating to grow.
Mulching and an occasional dressing with a well balanced fertilizer will also help to maintain vigor and keep the foliage looking fresh and colorful. ‘Vintage Gold’ responds well to an occasional light shearing; if desired, it is possible to trim to accentuate the shape and intensify the dramatic foliage effect. This is best carried out in summer or in early spring after the worst of the winter weather has past. Trimming with hedging shears is probably easiest. Be careful to clip only the young, juvenile growth - not the older woody stems - and you should find that it can be easily maintained to a desired height.
‘Vintage Gold’ is hardy in Zone 4 and does best in sun to partial shade.
‘Vintage Gold’ is a strong growing plant that is quick to establish, making it a terrific addition to new gardens and places where quick results are required. Elsewhere, it brings a brilliant color contrast to foundation plantings, mixed borders, raised beds, sloping banks, and rock gardens. It makes a terrific ground cover and looks impressive when planted in groups, too. The neat, compact habit brings a colorful, year-round presence to the fronts of beds and borders!
This new introduction was found by Greg Stropkey at his Seven Springs Nursery in Painesville, Ohio. It was discovered as a sport on Chamaecyparis ‘Golden Mop’. Greg says he was out walking through his nursery fields one day when noticed one of the "mops" had a distinctly different look. He liked the soft, ferny foliage, so he took some cuttings and began to develop this impressive new variety.
‘Golden Mop’ is one of our most popular and reliable coniferous evergreens, regularly out selling other golden leaved conifers by a strong margin. Any progeny stemming from this outstanding selection has to command attention. In our trials, we have found it to be just as reliable as its parent. We have been impressed by its graceful, ferny foliage, its bright non-fading color, and its dense, compact habit.
He named it ‘Vintage Gold’ because "like a good wine, it improves with age." Greg says that as he watched his young plants mature they "just seemed to get better and better." He says "the older it gets, the better it becomes, so the name ‘Vintage Gold’ is appropriate.
We are delighted to introduce you to this exciting new evergreen. It may be called ‘Vintage Gold’, but I can assure you, it is as bright and shiny as a new penny. Come visit us soon; we think you'll like this just as much as we do.
Until next time, remember.... Enjoy your gardening. It's good for you!
