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3.5
3.5" Perennial
3 or more $6.00 ea
Regularly: $6.99 ea

Yellow Alyssum

Scott's Nursery Ltd.

$6.99
Title

Drench your spring garden in an absolute cascade of shimmering, molten gold. This timeless alpine classic forms low-growing, spreading mounds of beautiful, felted silver-grey foliage that completely disappear beneath an overwhelming explosion of brilliant yellow blossoms. The dense flower clusters create a rich, light-reflecting carpet that seems to glow in the spring sun, adding instant old-world cottage charm and dramatic brightness to stone borders, rocky slopes, and patio containers.

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Plant Details

Mature Size:

8" H x 18" W

Zone:

3-9

Watering:

Low

Type:

Herbaceous Perennial

Growth Rate:

Moderate - Fast

Light:

Full Sun

Plant Profile

Common Names:

Basket of Gold, Gold Dust Alyssum, Rock Madwort, Perennial Gold Dust, Yellow Alyssum

Scientific Name:

Aurinia saxatilis

Type:

Spiller / Groundcover / Rockery Ornamental

Growth Details:

Mature Size: 6 to 12 inches tall with a spreading width of 12 to 20 inches.

Growth Habit: Creeping, low-slung, mat-forming groundcover.

Form: Low-profile, dense, rounded cushion.

Growth Rate: Medium to fast.

Flowering: Profuse, crown-coating terminal clusters of small, four-petaled blossoms.

Flowering Time: Mid-spring through early summer (Typically April to June).

Flower Colour: Bright golden-yellow or canary-yellow.

Environmental Needs:

Exposure: Full sun. Absolutely thrives in open, sun-baked, and unprotected spaces.

Soil Preferences: Poor, gritty, sandy, or rocky soils with rapid, sharp drainage.

Soil Tolerance: Exceptional resilience in nutrient-poor substrates, gravelly dirt, and shallow ground; completely intolerant of heavy, soggy winter clay, which triggers root rot.

Watering: Low. Allow the soil profile to dry out completely between watering intervals.

Container Role: Performs beautifully as a spreading Filler or an elegant, cascading Spiller over the rims of rocky planters and patio pots.

Special Features:

Disease Resistances: Highly resistant to common garden pests and leaf spots; vulnerable only to crown decay if soil drainage is poor.

Native Species: No (Native to Central and Southern Europe).

Fast Growing: Yes (Quickly establishes dense carpets).

Attracts: Highly alluring to wild honeybees, bumblebees, butterflies, and early-season pollinators.

Uses: Rock gardens, rock wall crevices, pathway edging, xeriscaping, and low-water containers.

Resistance: Highly deer-resistant and rabbit-resistant due to the tough, woolly texture of its leaves. Exceptional drought, heat, and frost tolerance.

Care Guide

Ornamental & Landscape Value

Seasonal Interest:

Bloom Information: Highly showy, carpet-like display of fragrant yellow blooms that completely coat the silvery foliage framework.

Fall Colour: No change; the felted foliage retains its distinct silver-grey tone beautifully right through autumn and winter.

Garden Value:

Ornamental Interest: Dense cushions of woolly silver-grey foliage topped by intense sheets of fragrant, golden-yellow flower clusters.

Landscaping Uses: Ideal for cascading over dry stone retaining walls, filling pockets between paving stones, accenting rock gardens, and framing sunny pathway borders.

Garden / Landscape Benefits: Serves as a fantastic, water-wise weed suppressor that thrives in harsh, sun-baked environments where traditional perennials wilt.

Wildlife & Human Value:

Wildlife Value: Provides a critical, early-season nectar and pollen platform for vital indigenous bees and emerging butterflies.

Human Value: Delivers exceptional, low-maintenance curb appeal and neat, year-round structural texture along harsh concrete walkways without needing irrigation.

Planting & Care Guide

Planting Considerations:

Best Time To Plant: Early spring as soon as the ground can be worked, or early autumn.

Spacing: Space individual starts 12 to 15 inches apart to allow the creeping branches room to root and knit a solid carpet.

Location Tips: Position on a slope, rockery, or raised bed to guarantee flawless water drainage away from the crown during winter.

Companion Plants: Pairs magnificently with purple Creeping Phlox, dark-foliaged Heucheras, white Candytuft (Iberis), and early spring-blooming bulbs.

Care:

Light Requirements: Demands absolute full sun to maintain a tight, compact foliage cushion and maximize spring flower density.

Moisture Requirements: Exceptionally low; requires moderate water only until established, after which it becomes highly drought-tolerant and self-sufficient.

Maintenance, Fertilization: Shear the entire plant back by one-third immediately after the spring flowering wave finishes to clean up old seed heads and keep the silvery foliage mat dense and tidy. Avoid heavy fertilizers, as lean soil preserves its tight, non-flopping habit.

Tolerances:

Punishing summer heat, severe drought, poor or rocky soils, intense winds, and browsing wildlife.

Tips For Success:

Thinning / Pinching: Not required, but stems can be trimmed easily if they spread past their designated boundaries.

Support / Staking: Completely unnecessary; hugs the ground profile tightly.

Special Needs: Absolute soil drainage is mandatory. Wet winter soil is fatal to this species.

Mulching: Mulch strictly with fine gravel, grit, or sand around the base to protect the foliage from moisture retention. Avoid heavy bark mulches.

Winter Protection: None required; its alpine genetics allow it to survive sub-zero, snow-covered winters without taking damage.

Fruit Profile