Aurinia Species, Basket-of-Gold, Gold Alyssum, Gold Dust, Golden Alyssum

Our second year with six small plants rescued from the Home Depot Orphan Plant Table, unlabled little pathetic things, but they have thri...Read Moreved and I am so happy to grow them in our rock garden. They are welcome early spring bloomers (early April in Zone 6a) that I have paired with short bearded iris, purple/blue columbines, hyacinths, purple-y coral bells, muscari, and wonderful (but invasive in some gardens) chartreuse creeping jenny.

I wanted Basket of Gold originally for their nectar blossoms for early spring butterflies, but they have been so much more for me.

I really enjoy the reliable show of bright golden color here in north central Indiana in April. I think it is underutilized because the ...Read Moretentative growth of the seedlings is so unlike the blast of color the mature plant gives. Probably best thought of as a very short shrub.

Sort of a ubiquitous spring bling sidewalk plant here in Portland, along with Iberis sempervirens. I grew mine by direct seeding last spr...Read Moreing, where the little guys quickly got overshadowed! Still they hung tough, and are a constant earmark in the winter garden (thriving without their competitors.) They didn't flower for me the first year (too young), but now in March they are starting their first tentative show of flowers, a yellow to match the daffodils. I liked the tenacity of the ever green-gray foliage enough to start more seeds this season so I can underplant a few open frame shrubs and roses that get swamped by stoloniferous grasses (and then escape the mower).

I've just enjoyed the look and bounteousness of this hardy perennial plant! When the flower is finished blooming for the season, the gree...Read Moren leaves and woody stems stay behind to provide ample coverage. Because I wasn't sure what this plant was last year, I didn't prune or cut back the dead foilage. But it bounced back this year and has done well. My alyssum is somewhat invasive; it has spread a little into my gravel driveway, but that's proof enough that it can withstand extreme conditions such as poor/rocky soil, lack of water, and pet traffic (my dog is always running through them!) This would be a perfect choice for a rock garden or if you're strapped for water. A pleasant aroma as well.