Aralia 'Sun King'

Aralia 'Sun King': Chartreuse Sunshine for Deep Shade

Gold to chartreuse leaves on reddish stems, glowing in the shade like it brought its own lighting crew. 'Sun King' rules the dark corners and takes a few seasons to fully claim the throne. ALL HAIL THE SHADE.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Aralia cordata 'Sun King'
• Common Name: Golden Japanese Spikenard
• Height: 90–180 cm (3–6 ft). Young plants start smaller and bulk up over a few seasons.
• Spread: 90–120 cm (3–4 ft)
• Flowers: Small cream-white flowers in rounded clusters on tall stalks, followed by dark purple-black berries that are not for eating
• Bloom Time: Mid to late summer (July to September)
• Foliage: Large compound leaves in gold to chartreuse on reddish stems. Brightest gold with a few hours of sun, more lime green in deep shade.
• Features: Perennial Plant of the Year 2020

Where to Plant: Use it as a focal point in a woodland garden, a shady border or under high tree canopy, anywhere you need size and light at the same time. It reads like a shrub in summer but dies back to the ground each winter, so cold Canadian winters don't trouble it.

Companion Plants: Use the gold leaves of 'Sun King' to light up a moist, shady bed with white and pink flowers below. Pulmonaria 'Raspberry Splash' opens raspberry-pink flowers at 30 to 35 cm in April and May over spotted leaves. Tiarella 'Cutting Edge' adds creamy bottlebrush spikes at 20 to 25 cm in May and June. Astilbe 'Diamond' brings white plumes at 75 to 80 cm from June to August. Carex 'Evergold' edges the bed with arching cream-striped blades at 30 to 45 cm.

Plant Care: Plant it in rich, moist, well-drained soil. Morning sun with afternoon shade is the sweet spot: enough light to keep the gold, without hot afternoon sun that can scorch the leaves. Water during dry spells, especially the first season, and keep a layer of mulch over the roots. It doesn't need much feeding in good soil. Cut the stems to the ground after frost in late fall, or in early spring. Give it room from the start. It grows into a large clump and is happiest left undisturbed, so dividing is rarely needed.

History: Aralia cordata grows wild in shady forests of Japan, Korea and eastern China, and plantsman Barry Yinger spotted 'Sun King' at a Japanese garden centre on top of a department store and brought it to North America. The Perennial Plant Association named it the 2020 Perennial Plant of the Year.

Final Thoughts: Give it room to bulk up and let the bees find its cream flowers, but the berries are for looking, not eating. Deer bow out. A ROYAL DECREE FOR DULL CORNERS.