Green-and-gold
Chrysogonum virginianum · Asteraceae
A native woodland groundcover: low mats of fuzzy green leaves starred with bright yellow flowers in spring, and on and off all summer.
- Size
- 6 in tall, 18 in wide
- Zones
- 5 to 9
- Light
- Part sun to shade
- Flowers
- Late April to mid June
- Pets
- No toxicity recorded
- Job in a bed
- Carpet
A bed built around green-and-gold
The planner designed this bed around green-and-gold when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) naturalistic planting in zone 6, part shade. It chose the other plants from the 513 that suit those conditions, and says below why green-and-gold stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Green-and-gold × 22, yellow
- 2 Christmas rose × 3, white
- 3 Blue wood aster × 3, lavender
- 4 Korean feather reed grass × 1, pink
- 5 Northern sea oats 'River Mist' × 3, green
- 6 Palm sedge × 3, green leaves
- 7 Snowdrop × 12, white
- 8 Yellow trout lily × 12, yellow
Why this plant
- Part of the matrix. The low fabric of grasses and groundcovers that the taller plants come up through.
Why here
- On the front edge. At 6 in it frames the bed without hiding it, and it is in leaf all season. It finishes 73% of the edge.
- 22 plants in 5 runs (9, 5, 3, 3 and 2). Runs of different lengths make the edge a frame, not a ruled line.
Why now
- In flower for 8 weeks. From late April to mid June.
- Fills a gap. For six of those weeks nothing else on the plan is in flower.
Planned as a naturalistic planting: low grasses and groundcovers, the matrix, make up 73% of the planted ground. Something is in flower for 30 weeks between late February and mid October, with a pause of 5 weeks from late June. The back corners are held by Korean feather reed grass and blue wood aster, the tallest plants on the plan.
The planner's own design check: 13 Excellent, 3 Good, 1 Satisfactory. It flags one thing to watch: Nothing on this plan is highly poisonous or an aggressive spreader.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where green-and-gold goes in a border
At 6 in it belongs at the front of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is ground-hugging (up to 6 in).
Its job: carpet. A groundcover planted in threes and fives to cover the soil: along the front, and just behind it.
One of the few carpets that flowers for months in shade. It stays low and well behaved, so it can run between larger woodland plants without swamping them.
- Native groundcover for part shade
- Edging a woodland path
- Under shrubs
What to plant with green-and-gold
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Foamflower: in flower together for six weeks, from late April; spires rising out of its mound; tall enough (10 in) to stand behind it.
- Woodland phlox: blue against yellow, opposite each other on the colour wheel, if you choose those colours, in flower together for five weeks; tall enough (12 in) to stand behind it; happy in the same moist soil.
- Christmas fern: its dark green leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; tall enough (20 in) to stand behind it.
Questions about green-and-gold
Does green-and-gold need sun or shade?
Green-and-gold grows in part sun (4 to 6 hours of sun, including some afternoon sun), part shade (2 to 4 hours of sun, mostly in the morning) and shade (less than 2 hours of direct sun, or bright dappled light). It is one of the few that also put up with deep shade.
It wants soil that stays evenly moist, of average fertility, and a good soak in dry spells.
What zones does green-and-gold grow in?
USDA zones 5 to 9. It is hardy to zone 5, which means it survives winter nights down to about −10 °F (−23 °C).
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does green-and-gold flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers late April to mid June. As a spring flower it moves about a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer, later where it is colder.
| Zone 5 | Late April to mid June |
|---|---|
| Zone 6 | Mid April to mid June |
| Zone 7 | Mid April to early June |
| Zone 8 | Early April to early June |
| Zone 9 | Late March to late May |
Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.
How far apart should green-and-gold be planted?
12 in (30 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 18 in (45 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 6 in (15 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many green-and-gold plants do I need?
At 12 in apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 12 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 11 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 38 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as threes and fives, along the front and just behind it.
In the bed above, the planner used 22 in five groups.
Is green-and-gold poisonous to dogs and cats?
No toxicity is recorded for dogs, cats, horses or people, according to NC State Extension.
"Not toxic" is not "edible": a pet that eats a lot of any plant can be sick.
Do deer eat green-and-gold?
Mostly not. NC State lists it as resistant to deer. No plant is proof against a hungry deer in a hard winter, but this one is low on the menu.
What flowers after green-and-gold?
Green-and-gold is over by mid June. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Astilbe: from late June to mid July, 24 in tall.
- Black-eyed Susan: from mid July to mid September, 24 in tall.
- Carpathian bellflower 'Blue Clips': from late June to late August, 8 in tall.
What does green-and-gold look like in winter?
Green-and-gold holds some of its leaves into winter, more in a mild year or a sheltered spot, and they look tired by March. Cut the old ones off as new growth starts.
Is green-and-gold good for bees and butterflies?
Green-and-gold is visited by pollinators, bees, butterflies and songbirds.
It is native to the United States.
In these guides
- Plants for deep shade
- Deer-resistant plants for shade
- Pet-safe plants for shade
- Native perennials for pollinators
- Native plants for shade
- Plants for butterflies
- Plants for bees
- Plants that feed garden birds
- Low plants for the front of a border
- Groundcover plants
Every fact on record
- Type
- Perennial (groundcover)
- Size
- 6 in (15 cm) tall, 18 in (45 cm) wide
- Plant
- 12 in (30 cm) apart
- Height class
- Ground-hugging (up to 6 in)
- Place in the bed
- Front
- Flowers
- Late April to mid June; daisies; yellow
- Leaves
- Medium texture, semi-evergreen; green
- Shape
- Mat-forming, spreading
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 5 to 9
- Light
- Part sun, part shade, shade
- Soil
- Average, evenly moist
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- Light, in spring
- Family
- Asteraceae
- Comes from
- Eastern U.S.A
- Attracts
- Pollinators, bees, butterflies, songbirds
- Stands up to
- Deer, deep shade
Checked against NC State Extension. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.