'Old Gold' is a low-growing evergreen juniper in the cypress family native to Asia. It is a compact graceful shrub with scale-like leaves with graceful ascending branches and yellow leaves at the tips of new growth. It grows 3-4 feet tall and 4-5 feet wide. This shrub prefers full sun in medium moisture well-drained soils. It is drought tolerant once established. Use in rock gardens, foundation planting, as a ground cover on slopes for erosion control or a specimen plant. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: See the "Pests of Conifers" fact sheet to the left. The Clemson Cooperative Extension Home and Garden Information Center has a factsheet on common juniper diseases and insect pests. More information on Juniperus chinensis .
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Fills a similar nicheJuniperus chinensis 'Angelica Blue'Juniperus chinensis 'Blue Vase'Juniperus chinensis 'Sea Green'
Full plant profile
Growing Conditions
Plant type
Shrub
Life cycle
Perennial
USDA zones
4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b
Light
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Clay; Loam (Silt); Sand; Shallow Rocky
Soil drainage
Good Drainage
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 2 ft. 0 in. - 3 ft. 0 in. | Width: 4 ft. 0 in. - 5 ft. 0 in.
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
3 - Shrub (3-15 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Mounding
Texture
Medium
Foliage
Needled Evergreen
Leaf color
Gold/Yellow; Green
Leaf type
Needles
Leaf arrangement
Opposite
Leaf feel
Soft
Leaf value
Showy
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Soft, thin, scale-like needles on lacy foliage. Golden yellow new growth. Grown for it foliage.
Flower detail
No flowers, but cones are large and brown and fall apart upon maturity. Female cones are blue, fleshy "berry" looking.
Fruit detail
No true fruits, but female cones are blue, fleshy "berry" looking and edible, often used as a seasoning.