Plant Primer: Year-round Yellow Ribbon arborvitae spruce up garden borders

Yellow Ribbon Arborvitae

Light: full to part sun

Height: 10 feet

Spread: 3-5 feet

USDA Hardiness Zone: 3

Origin: North American selection

Winter is fast approaching, and a plant with loads of year-round interest is the Yellow Ribbon arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis ‘Yellow Ribbon’).

This compact evergreen shrub has foliage like fish scales. The visual texture is fine and creates a delicate look in the garden. In spring, the new foliage emerges orange, then fades to a lovely shade of yellow. The interior and shaded foliage will darken to medium green.

In the winter, the yellow foliage stands out against our gray days. Yellow Ribbon arborvitaes are pyramidal in shape with branches to the ground.

This plant does best in a garden border or with a tree ring of mulch, keeping grass from mixing into the lowest branches.

See Yellow Ribbon arborvitae in the Crane Ornamental Grass and Conifer Collection at Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens.

— Barbara Arnold

Franklin Park Conservatory