Gold flower

Gold flower: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Low, spreading shrub 40–50 cm tall and up to 80 cm wide, with arching stems.

Leaves

Oval, 3–5 cm, opposite, dark green with a bluish-green underside; in mild winters some stay on the plant.

Flower

Cup-shaped, 5–6 cm across, with five golden-yellow petals, at the tips of the new shoots.

Stamens

A dense ring of long yellow stamens with reddish anthers at the heart of the flower.

Stems

Reddish, especially on young shoots; they regrow from the base every spring.

Flowering: July–September · Plants: April–May · Pruning: March

Why grow it?

• Three months of large golden-yellow flowers, from July to September.
• Bees and bumblebees love collecting its abundant pollen.
• A low shrub or ground cover for banks, edges and difficult, dry spots.
• Grows on sand, loam and clay, from acid to chalky.
• Little work: one prune a year in March is enough.

Gold flower: where does it grow best?

• Sun or partial shade; it flowers best in sun.
• Any free-draining soil: sand, loam or clay, acid, neutral or chalky.
• Dry to moist; it dislikes waterlogged soil in winter.
• In cold areas preferably somewhat sheltered, for example against a south-facing wall or among other shrubs.
• Plant 60–80 cm apart; as ground cover, 2–3 plants per square metre.

Light

Sun and partial shade

Soil type

Sand, loam or clay

Acidity

Not fussy

Moisture

Dry or normal

Size

0.5 m tall, 0.8 m wide

Hardiness

Hardy (to -15 °C)

Goes well with

• Lavender: Purple-blue spikes next to the gold, in the same sunny, dry spot.
• Bluebeard: Blue flowers in August–September; another shrub you cut back in March.
• Hardy plumbago: Low, blue-flowered ground cover with red autumn colour.
• Hardy geranium: Purple or blue flowers that fill in around the base of the shrub.
• Ornamental grasses: Airy stems that contrast nicely with the dense, rounded shrubs.

Gold flower: when and how to plant it?

Plant in April–May.

1. Plant in April–May, so the plant is well rooted before its first winter.
2. Dig a hole twice as wide as the root ball and mix in some compost; on heavy clay add coarse sand as well.
3. Set the plant at the same depth as in its pot and firm the soil well.
4. Leave 60–80 cm between plants.
5. Water well straight away and regularly in dry weather during the first season.
6. Spread a mulch of wood chips or compost around the plants.

Care

Watering

In dry weather during the first year. Once established it tolerates a fair amount of drought; water only in long heatwaves.

Feeding

After the March prune, a spadeful of compost around the base is enough.

Mulching

A layer of wood chips or compost keeps weeds down until the plants join up.

Deadheading

Not needed: the petals drop by themselves and new buds keep coming.

Weeding

Weed regularly in the first year; after that the planting closes up.

Tip: Be brave and cut it back hard in March, to a hand’s breadth above the ground. It flowers on this year’s shoots and stays compact and full of flowers.

Gold flower: when to prune it?

Pruning months: March.

When: In March, before the new shoots really get going.

How:

• Cut all stems back to a hand’s breadth, about 10–15 cm, above the ground.
• Remove dead and frosted stems completely.
• It flowers on this year’s new shoots, so hard pruning costs no flowers.
• For a slightly larger shrub, shorten the stems by half instead of cutting them almost to the ground.

Caution: Do not prune in autumn: the old stems protect the base through the winter.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Softwood cuttings

In May–June: 8–10 cm cuttings from non-flowering shoots, lower leaves removed, in moist cutting compost under plastic. Roots form within a few weeks.

Semi-ripe cuttings

In July–August: slightly firmer 10 cm cuttings, in a cold frame or under plastic. Plant out the following spring.

Gold flower: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −15 °C: protect young plants.

• Hardy to about −15 °C. In a normal Belgian winter it stays outside without trouble.
• In severe winters the stems die back, but after the March prune it regrows from the base.
• In cold areas: a layer of leaf mould or mulch around the base protects the roots.
• In a pot: stand it against a sheltered wall and wrap the pot in hessian.

Diseases and pests

• Rust: Orange to brown powdery pustules on the undersides of the leaves, which then drop. Remove affected leaves, cut back hard in March and water at the base, not over the leaves.
• Bare, untidy shrub: Without an annual prune it becomes open and woody, with few flowers. Cut it back short every March.
• Frost damage: Brown, dry stems after a hard winter. Cut them out in March; the plant usually regrows from the base.
• Few flowers: Too much shade or too little pruning. Give it more sun and cut it back short in March.

Through the year

• March: Cut everything back to a hand’s breadth above the ground. Add compost.
• April: Planting. The new shoots appear.
• May: Planting. Mulch. Take softwood cuttings.
• June: Water in dry spells, especially young plants. First buds.
• July: Flowering. Take semi-ripe cuttings.
• August: Full flower. Watch out for rust.
• September: Last flowers.
• November: Leave the stems in place as winter protection.

Good for wildlife

Bees

Nectar and pollen for honeybees and wild bees.

Did you know?

• Hypericum flowers make no nectar, but plenty of pollen. Bees and bumblebees visit mainly to gather pollen.
• The English name St John’s wort comes from the wild Hypericum, which flowers around St John’s Day, 24 June.
• This hybrid was raised around 1887 by the French nurseryman Moser at Versailles and is still one of the best-known garden Hypericums.