Need a source for Juniperus chinensis Aurea

I want this conifer REALLY bad. Anyone know of a US source? Retail?
Please help!

I would suggest asking a reputable nursery or large garden center to special order one for you. It would probably be in the spring as it's kind of late for fall shipments from West Coast sources such as Monrovia. If you don't have one nearby, search out a reputable landscaping company or independent landscaper. They should be able to special order one from a wholesale nursery, which might not carry it, but could special order it for the company who would then sell it to you. Most retail specialty conifer sources sell smaller plants, although this juniper should grow fairly quickly. If you can get one special ordered, you could get a larger plant, and since it's a relatively fast-growing juniper, it should be more reasonable in cost than say a false cypress.

Good luck.

Thanks, Hoosier for the great idea. I didn't think of that.

I had some time, so have searched some of the online wholesale nursery websites to see if I could find this plant for you. Even the largest, Monrovia and Iselie don't list it! You might have to settle for a smaller plant from a smaller, retail conifer specialist. Another possiblility would be 'Yellow Ribbon' arborvitae, which is very hardy and quite drought tolerant once established. You can see photos of it if you use Google Images or got to the Monrovia website and do a search for it.

Thanks much, Hoosier. I guess they only have it in Britain for now. I think I'm going to go with a few inexpensive yellow Chamaecyparis. Just off the top of your head do you know which one might be the fastest growing? I've found a better spot for Berrima Gold.

I think there are a lot of j. chinensis aurea cultivars.
And I think the nomenclature is cloudy at best, with some overlap between some plants noted as 'j. chinensis', others as 'x media', as well as others.

Here's what I found perusing the various catalog links I have.
Coenosium Gardens lists j. chinensis aurea.
The other listings are for gold-variegated j. chinensis cultivars.
You might check these out to see if they're similar to the plant Resin is alluding to.
The nursery is listed first, then the yellow variegated j. chinensis offerings next.

Avant Gardens. Juniperus chinensis compact yellow form

Forest Farm. Juniperus chinensis (media) Daub's Frosted
Variegated Juniper

Lazy S. Juniperus chinensis 'Saybrook Gold'

Girard's Nursery.
Juniper Chinese 'Shimpaku Gold' (Juniperus Chinensis 'Shimpaku Aurea')

Coenosium Gardens. JUNIPERUS CHINENSIS 'AUREA' 3
JUNIPERUS CHINENSIS 'KAIZUKA VARIEGATED' 7
JUNIPERUS CHINENSIS SARGENTI VARIEGATED 3

Rich's Foxwillow Pines. Juniperus chinensis 'Kuriwao Gold' Chinese Juniper
Juniperus chinensis 'Mac's Golden' Chinese Juniper
Juniperus chinensis 'Shimpaku Gold' Chinese Juniper
Juniperus chinensis 'Variegated Kaizuka' Chinese Juniper.

One of my favorite plants is the j. chinensis Saybrook Gold referenced above.
It has beautiful yellow foliage, thrives in full sun, grows quickly and has very graceful pattern of growth. The tips of the branches droop really gracefully. But it's distinctly vase-formed, not upright. It will quickly gain height (mine is 5ft tall), but it takes up a lot of space. If the size / form fits your spot, you might want to check it out.

Edited to add: Happy Thanksgiving!!

This message was edited Nov 25, 2010 9:18 AM

Thanks, weerobin. I have Saybrook Gold and Daub's Frosted and some others. I'm looking for an upright yellow evergreen. Tall-growing.

You should check out the j. chinensis aurea listed by Coenosium.
It's a great little nursery which sends big healthy plants.
Their website is a bit of a disaster, but very nice people to deal with.
I've been very pleased with all their plants.

Just to confirm, J. chinensis 'Aurea' is upright (conic, maturing broad columnar), and can get to be at least 16m tall (that's the height of the UK champion specimen).

Resin

Thanks, Resin. It would be perfect for the spot I want to plant.
Weerobin, I see where they do grow it but it says they don't propagate from plants on that list. If you go to their catalog it's not listed for sale. Unless I'm missing something.

Bummer.
I also see it looks like they are winding down their nursery business by 2013 and just selling off current stock. Otherwise, I'll bet they would have propagated one for you.

I would think there would be other suppliers somewhere, but I don't know where else to suggest. Sorry.

One more suggestion, I see j. chinensis Aurea listed at Stanley & Sons nursery.
They're wholesale only, but I would think a local independent nursery in your area should be able to order for you.

That's going to be the problem, getting a plant that is not just a one-gallon start of what you want. I agree that your best bet would be ordering from a wholesale nursery through a local landscaper or independent nursery. Be sure to check with them before early spring as they usually put in their spring shipment orders before the end of January. You could get your best price if what you want is shipped with the nursery's full order, rather than on a half-empty truck from the West Coast.

One other idea I just had is if you have a Flower & Garden Spring show in your area, or at least within driving distance, displays of plant material are usually sold to the public at the end of the show. Many high-end landscapers bring in unusual and showy (colorful) cultivars for their layouts. I know the show we have in Indianapolis always has plants for sale in the displays that I rarely see at nurseries or garden centers.

Weerobin and Hoosier, Thanks for the suggestions. Hoosier what I am looking for is a 1 gallon or less. I don't mind waiting. Most of my trees, shrubs, conifers, etc. are from very small plants....some just seedlings or rooted cuttings.
I appreciate everyone's help. I'll keep looking and thinking. Just want to have it by March or April I hope.

Great idea, Resin. I plan to do just that.

Rich's Foxwillow Pines at richsfoxwillowpines.com has a nice golden upright cultivar of juniper communis called 'Gold Cone'. They sell smaller plants, too. It should be a good substitute for j. chinensis 'Aurea' if you can't find it anywhere. M. Dirr (Manual of Woody Landscape Plants) writes, "Upright, columnar, compact habit, 9' by 3'; bright yellow-tipped foliage, extremely vibrant, from New Zealand..."

Just found some great photos for you to compare the 'Aurea' and the new cultivar 'Gold Cone'.

Go to Amazon.com and search for the Timber Press Pocket Guide to Conifers by Richard L. Bitner. It will let you check inside the book. Go to page 88 for a photo of j. chinensis 'Aurea' and page 93 for a photo of j. communis 'Gold Cone'.

Thanks, Hoosier. I do plant to acquire Gold Cone. I hope next year. But for this particular spot I would like to have something that grows at least 15-20 feet. I think J.c. Aurea does doesn't it?

Yes, j.c. 'Aurea' will get nice and tall, but can you find it anywhere? I'll keep looking and let you know if I find a source.

Just thought... wouldn't there be a gold form of Leyland's cypress that would be good in your zone?

I have 5-6 Gold Cone junipers.
In my experience, they are very cute in youth, but lose the conical shape with maturity.
Partly due to snow injury.
Also bagworms can wreck it's symmetry before you recognize the infestation.
So by the time it would get the height kildawabbit wants, I don't think it would have the nice form it's famous for.
I think it's better suited for a dwarf conifer garden, where it works beautifully for a small vertical accent.

BINGO!!!

http://www.evergreenplantnursery.com/Gold-Rider-Leyland-Cypress-p/cypgrl1.htm

This one seems perfect. Forms a tight column which is what I want.

Mark this thread SOLVED! I just ordered one. :-D

killdawabbit do you have a picture of your daub's frosted? i saw this at a nursery this fall and it really stood out - they were large and $$ with no offer of a fall discount so i passed - when i researched it the pics on line were different than the nursery - just wondering if that one had been trimmed to keep a round shape.

thx

I've got a photo 'Daub's Frosted' for you. It is the lowest-growing spreading juniper (other than the groundcover juniper, 'Mother Lode') that I know of, staying 2' X 4'. The photo is of a clump of them so of course it's wider. I've seen them growing singly and they do grow in a very nice circular form without pruning. One of my favorites, but hard to find in this area. BTW, the golden color is best on the new growth, extending into summer. Gets a little greener late in the summer, but still very attractive, and very flat-topped.

thx Hoosier - i am beginning to believe these were mis-labled where i saw them as they were a dark green with some yellow "frosting" at the end and were a 3'X3' ball.

wha, my daub's is very small. Too small for a good pic.
Hoosier, that Is beautiful! Makes me very glad I got mine.

killda:

You should be able to look forward to your columnar gold conifer achieving this potential in a couple years...

Thanks, VV. Is that Gold Rider Leyland? I hope so. If it is then it's exactly what I was looking for.

Also, do you by any chance know of pic that represents spring and/or summer color?

This message was edited Jan 2, 2011 5:39 PM

I'll leave it to the conifer experts to determine its exact identity, but I can vouch for its authenticity - I took that picture on December 29, 2010.

Here's another, with fuller context. It doesn't seem to need much more elaboration.

VV, are you pics of yellow conifers in general? Or do they have specific names?

VV great shot of that columnar gold conifer, who ever it is and where ever you shot it in Dec. I think I need one or maybe many. Patti

Cool. I have a small Gold Rider now.
Resin, do know how many other yellows there are?

'Castlewellan' and 'Robinson's Gold' (VV's photo is likely to be one of these two, given its size); there are probably some other newer ones as well.

Resin

Thanks. I will check them out.