Cephalotaxus harringtonia Korean Gold

The Cephalotaxus harringtonia Korean Gold, also known as Japanese cowtail pine, has a slightly spreading, columnar silhouette, of beautiful elegance, reminiscent of a yew. It is a small-sized conifer, with soft, dark and glossy foliage, and young shoots that are golden and turn green in winter. Hardy and slow-growing, this vigorous and resistant variety prefers cool, sandy, slightly acidic soils. This bright cephalotaxus adapts to all exposures. It is remarkable at the back of a border, in a large rockery, as a solitary specimen, or planted in groups of 3 subjects.

Cephalotaxus harringtonia, sometimes called Japanese Pine or Japanese Plum Yew, is a conifer of the Cephalotaxaceae family, native to Korea, Japan, and certain regions of China. In nature, this species reaches barely 6 metres (19 feet 8 inches) in height and a spread of 1.50 metres (4 feet 11 inches), forming a bush wider at the top of the crown than at the base of the branches.

The cultivar Korean Gold is a particularly elegant and bright form of this species. It has a columnar and slightly spreading habit, reaching 2 metres (6 feet 7 inches) in height and 90 cm (35.4 in) in spread after 10 years of cultivation. It produces many upward-directed branches, with disordered branching towards the base, unbranched at their tips. They are covered with curved needles, lemon yellow to golden yellow from spring to autumn, then a magnificent very dark shiny green, resembling those of yews (Taxus). They measure 3 to 5 cm (1.2 to 2 in) in length, are recurved, and arranged in a 'V' shape. They are distributed in two rows, on either side of the branches. The underside of the needles has two very wide silver stomatal bands. Pretty fleshy fruits appear on the female plants in May-June. They are not particularly visible and resemble pale green olives, which turn browner as they ripen in November. The male plants, on the other hand, produce small pale yellow sacs filled with pollen in spring. With time, its bark becomes dark red-brown and peels off in scales.

The Korean Gold cephalotaxus, with its dense silhouette and bright foliage, is ideal for forming a backdrop at the back of a border, or planted in groups of 3 that will welcome visitors at the entrance of the garden or house. The real graphic qualities of dwarf conifers naturally impose themselves in the design of a contemporary garden, which prefers the aesthetics of shapes, silhouettes, and textures over the dance of flowers. These plants, with their reassuring permanence, structurally define a border, mark pathways and border terraces, easily replacing the strong presence of trimmed boxwood. They serve as a setting for small roses, peonies, or tousled grasses with very complementary temperaments. They can also be associated with shrubs or ground cover plants such as aubrietas, cerastiums, as well as flowering shrubs. The key is to play with volumes and colours.