Alyssum 'Mountain Gold'

Alyssum 'Mountain Gold': A Carpet of Sunshine

Alyssum 'Mountain Gold' (Aurinia saxatilis) transforms garden spaces with its vibrant display of golden-yellow blooms, creating a luminous carpet that mirrors the warmth and brightness of the sun. This perennial, known for its resilience and dazzling floral show, is an exceptional ground cover that brings life and light to rockeries, borders, and alpine gardens. With its ease of care and spreading habit, 'Mountain Gold' is a treasure for gardeners seeking to add a splash of enduring color and texture to their landscapes.

Product Characteristics:

• Height: A low-growing beauty, 'Mountain Gold' reaches a modest height of 10-15 cm, making it an ideal choice for ground cover and front-of-border placements.
• Spread: It boasts an impressive spread of 30-40 cm, allowing for a dense coverage that suppresses weeds and blankets the ground in vibrant color.
• Flower Colour: The blooms are a brilliant golden-yellow, offering a cheerful contrast against the grey-green foliage and brightening any garden corner.
• Flowering Period: From early to late spring, it produces a profuse bloom that covers the plant in a sea of gold, signaling the joyful return of life to the garden.
• Foliage: Its foliage is a silvery-grey, forming a beautiful backdrop to the luminous flowers and adding texture and interest even when the plant is not in bloom.
• Sunlight Requirements: Prefers full sun, thriving in bright conditions that enhance its flowering and color intensity.
• Soil Requirements: Well-drained soil is essential, reflecting its alpine origins and ensuring healthy growth and bloom production.

Uses and Benefits: Alyssum 'Mountain Gold' is exceptionally versatile, perfect for rock gardens, slopes, and crevices where its cascading habit can be fully appreciated. It also serves as an excellent edging plant, creating defined lines of bright color along paths and borders. Beyond its ornamental appeal, 'Mountain Gold' is drought-tolerant, making it a sustainable choice for water-wise gardens and xeriscaping projects.

Companion Plants: Pair with other drought-tolerant and sun-loving plants such as Lavender, Sedum, or Thyme for a harmonious and low-maintenance garden display. Its golden-yellow blooms also beautifully complement blue and purple flowers, creating a striking color contrast that enhances the visual appeal of the garden.

Care Instructions: Alyssum 'Mountain Gold' is delightfully low maintenance, requiring minimal care once established. It prefers infrequent watering, promoting deeper root growth and improving drought resistance. Deadheading the spent blooms can encourage a longer flowering period and prevent self-seeding, if desired.

History: Native to the Mediterranean and parts of Asia, Aurinia saxatilis has been cherished in gardens for its ornamental qualities and adaptability. 'Mountain Gold' is a selected cultivar prized for its enhanced floral display and robust growth habit, embodying the plant's natural beauty and resilience.

Final Thoughts: Alyssum 'Mountain Gold' is a celebration of light and life in the garden. Its cascading golden blooms and silver-grey foliage create a stunning visual effect that uplifts and transforms. Easy to care for and striking in appearance, 'Mountain Gold' is a golden opportunity for gardeners to bring a touch of alpine sunshine to their outdoor spaces, creating landscapes that are vibrant, inviting, and alive with color.