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Basket-of-Gold

Aurinia saxatilis (aw-RIN-ee-ah saks-ah-TIL-iss)

Family: Brassicaceae Non-native Herbaceous (1-3 ft)

Basket-of-gold is an evergreen perennial in the mustard family (Brassicaceae) native to mountainous and rocky areas of Europe. The Genus name comes from the word aureus meaning golden. The specific epithet means found among rocks. This is a low-growing spreading plant that reaches a height of 6-12 inches and a width of 1- 1.5 feet. It prefers full sun in very well-draining sandy and rocky soils. It is drought and deer-tolerant. Basket-of-gold will struggle in zones higher than 7. Propagates by seed in the early spring or division in the fall. The mass of yellow flowers appears in spring and last 4-6 weeks. The foliage will continue as an attractive ground cover in cooler summer areas. Basket-of-gold was given the Award of Garden Merit by the Royal Horticultural Society. Use this plant as a ground cover, in a rock garden or cascading over walls or rocks. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: Aphids. Plants can be short-lived.

Source: NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox ↗ NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, 54 attributes.

How it fits the guild

Guild layer 4 - Herbaceous (1-3 ft)
See companions & conflicts ↓

Companions & Conflicts

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 niche Epimedium x versicolor 'Sulphureum' Lonicera maackii Petrosedum rupestre 'Angelina'

Full plant profile

Growing Conditions
Plant type
Ground Cover; Herbaceous Perennial; Perennial
Life cycle
Perennial
USDA zones
3a, 3b, 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b
Light
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Soil texture
Sand; Shallow Rocky
Soil drainage
Good Drainage
Available space
Less than 12 inches; 12 inches-3 feet
NC region
Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 0 ft. 6 in. - 1 ft. 0 in. | Width: 1 ft. 0 in. - 1 ft. 6 in.
Growth rate
Medium
Maintenance
Medium
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous (1-3 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Cascading; Rounded; Spreading
Texture
Fine
Leaf color
Gray/Silver; Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf shape
Linear; Oblanceolate; Spatulate
Leaf margin
Entire
Leaf feel
Soft; Velvety
Leaf value
Showy
Leaf size
3-6 inches long, 1-3 inches wide
Hairs present
Yes
Leaf detail
The gray-green basal leaves are 4-5 inches long and spatulate in shape. The stem leaves are smaller and linear to oblanceolate.
Flower color
Gold/Yellow
Flower value
Showy
Flower form
Corymb; Panicle
Flower shape
Cup
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
Bright yellow, gold, apricot corymbose panicles blooms appear April-May. They are cup-shaped with 4 petals
Bloom time
Spring
Fruit color
Brown/Copper; Green
Fruit type
Siliqua
Fruit detail
The fruit dries and splits to reveal seeds
Stem detail
Green stems
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Non-native
Origin
Central Europe to N. Balkan Peninsula
Attracts
Bees
Food & Medicine
Harvest time
Summer
Fruit type
Siliqua
Landscape Use
Landscape location
Container; Hanging Baskets; Naturalized Area; Rock Wall
Landscape theme
Drought Tolerant Garden; Pollinator Garden; Rock Garden
Design feature
Border; Mass Planting
Garden tags
#showy flowers #yellow flowers #drought tolerant #cascading #naturalizes #rocky soils tolerant #dry soils tolerant #garden walls #deer resistant
Problems & Resistance
Resistant to
Deer; Drought; Dry Soil
Propagation
Division; Seed

Planted at Hunnicutt

Nobody’s planted this one yet.