If your garden is suffering from too much dark, sober green (lots of yew or cedar hedging, for example) or if you just want to lighten a shady corner, you can improve matters significantly by tucking in some plants with brilliant yellow-green (chartreuse, lime) or gold foliage. Gold-leafed plants also look fabulous beside perennials with red, orange, lavender or purple flowers, but may clash with pink blooms.

Here are some suggestions for adding a little gold dust to your garden:

Trees:

The ‘Sunburst’ honey locust (Gleditsia triacanthos ‘Sunburst’) has fern yellow-green leaves in spring that darken as summer progresses. It grows to about 30 feet and provides airy shade, without casting gloom. Less well-known is the elegant lime-gold form of the black locust, Robinia pseudoacacia ‘Frisia’, which grows to about 30 feet. If you love Japanese maples, there are several with gold or chartreuse foliage to choose from, including Acer palmatum ‘Katsura’, Acer palmatum ‘Aureum’ and the golden fullmoon maple Acer shirasawanum ‘Aureum’.

Evergreens:

If you’ve got lots of patience, plant the beautiful golden threadleaf cypress Chamaecyparissus pisifera ‘Aurea’, which grows very slowly to a mature height of 12 feet (there’s a dwarf variety too) or try low spreading junipers like ‘Old Gold’, ‘Gold Star’ or ‘Gold Coast’. Gold conical white cedars (arborvitae) include ‘Berckman’s Gold’, narrow ‘Yellow Ribbon’, ‘Rheingold’, ‘Golden Champion’ and ‘Sunkist’. There are several gold-variegated euonymus varieties including ‘Emerald ‘n Gold’ but my favorite and one of the hardiest is ‘Gold Tip’, which grows 4 feet tall and wide.

Shrubs:

The dwarf flowering spriaeas ‘Goldflame’ (24 inches) and ‘Goldmound’ (15 inches) add spots of brilliance to the garden, although their raspberry-pink summer flowers can sometimes seem to quarrel with the yellow-green of the leaves. Taller at 6 feet is golden mock orange, Philadelphus coronarious ‘Aureus’ with lightly scented white June flowers. Golden ninebark, Physocarpus opulifolius ‘Luteus’ grows to about 8 feet and has small, creamy-white, powderpuff flowers in June, but its foliage tends to turn green in summer. The dwarf form ‘Dart’s Gold’ reaches about 3 feet and stays gold longer. If you’ve got lots of space, plant a golden elder, Sambucus canadensis ‘Aureus’, 12 feet tall and almost as wide, with big, creamy flower clusters followed by edible berries. Or pick a feathery gold form of European elder like Sambucus racemosa ‘Plumosa Aurea’ or the excellent ‘Sutherland Golden’, both about 8 feet in height. Where it’s hardy, Lonicera nitida ‘Baggesen’s Gold’ is a wonderful, dwarf honeysuckle; a better bet for cold gardens is the golden Japanese barberry Berberis thunbergii ‘Aureus’. Golden hops (Humulus lupulus ‘Aureus’ dies back to its roots in most places, but it will grow up to 9 feet from multiple stems in a summer and is one of the few gold-leafed vines to accent the garden. Another is Hedera colchica ‘Sulphur Heart’, an aptly-named ivy with luxuriant gold-centered leaves And for an exotic gold accent that will persist through winter, consider one of the exciting new yuccas such asYucca filamentosa ‘Golden Sword’ or ‘Garland Gold’.

Perennials:

One of the best ways to add a golden splash to a perennial border is with a hosta. Gold-leafed or gold-variegated hostas are plentiful but need a good dose of morning sun to color well. Large ones include ‘Zounds’, ‘Sum and Substance’, ‘Paul’s Glory’ and ‘Gold Standard’; smaller ones include ‘Wogon’, ‘Gold Edger’, ‘Golden Prayers’ and ‘Golden Tiara’. . The frothy, acid-yellow flowers of lady’s mantle, Alchemilla mollis last a long time and are especially effective spilling over paths or as a carpet under red roses or purple Siberian iris. Tradescantia ‘Sweet Kate’ has chartreuse leaves and rich-purple flowers. Heuchera ‘Lime Ricky’ has become a wildly popular addition to the big family of heucheras grown for their lacy,colourful leaves.. And for a great groundcover between flagstones in shade, try golden pennywort, Lysimachia nummularia ‘Aurea’ with tiny yellow flowers and gold-green leaves.

Ornamental Grasses:

There are three excellent gold-variegated grasses that enjoy part-shade. Golden Hakone grass, Hakonechloa macra ‘Aureola’ grows 15 inches and looks lovely cascading over a pond edge; it should be in every garden. Skinner’s golden brome grass, Bromus inermis ‘Skinner’s Gold’ grows 3 feet and is hardy to Zone 1. Finally, Bowles’ golden grass, Millium effusum ‘Bowles Golden’ has bright-chartreuse, arching leaves and grows to 2 feet.

Herbs:

Many plants grown as herbs are also perennials that make colorful additons to the border. There’s a gold-leafed form of feverfew, Tanacetum parthenium ‘Aureum’, that makes a superb, little, lacy border edging and its white daisy clusters only add to its charm. A golden form of tansy called Tanacetum vulgare ‘Isla Gold’ is another good bet. And you can light up a sunny border with golden lemon balm, Melissa officinalis ‘All Gold’, a gold-leafed selection that reaches 2-3 feet in height (‘Variegata’, a.k.a. ‘Aurea’ might be easier to source). Or considser the fabulous, green-and-gold-variegated leaves of Salvia officinalis ‘Variegata’. There are also a few gold-leafed forms of oregano, including Origanum vulgare ‘Aureum’ and frilly ‘Gold Crisp’ that make great companions to low, purple-flowered annuals like verbena.

Annuals:

For shade, and especially for containers in shade, nothing beats the hundreds of lime, gold and gold-variegated varieties of coleus (Solenostemon scutelleroides). One of the most popular container annuals continues to be the chartreuse-leaf form of sweet potato vine, Ipomoea batatas ‘Margarita’. With its heart-shaped leaves and brilliant coloring, it is superb in pots and hanging baskets where it can trail over the edge – but don’t underestimate its need for space. The gold-leafed form of licorice plant, Helichrysum petiolare ‘Limelight’ is excellent both in pots and at the front of the border. New to the vinca clan is the gold-variegated trailing vinca Vinca mimor ‘Illumination’. And you can even have annuals with decidedly chartreuse blossoms, including zinnia ‘Envy’ and nicotiana ‘Starship Lemon-Lime’.

Adapted from a column that appeared originally in the Toronto Sun

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