Garden Scheme
Aurinia saxatilis
Basket-of-Gold is a low, mounding evergreen groundcover that brings a concentrated sweep of gold flowers in spring. At roughly 9 inches tall and 18 inches wide, it reads as a soft, spreading edge rather than a tall border plant. Use Aurinia saxatilis where its compact silhouette can remain visible: along sunny fronts, over stone, or across a dry slope.
Space Basket-of-Gold 15 inches apart, measured center to center (40 cm).
The mature spread is about 18 inches (45 cm), so plants set at that distance grow together into a continuous carpet.
Treat 15 inches as a planning baseline — cultivar and local growing conditions shift the final footprint.
Give this groundcover the exposed edge of a rock garden, raised bed, retaining wall, or sunny bank, where its low growth can spill toward open space without covering a path. It also works in a repeated drift at the front of a dry border or as a small-scale mass planting. Keep taller plants behind it or set them well back so the mound receives direct sun and its spring display is not visually crowded.[1][2]
Set plants 15 inches apart, center to center, for a continuous-looking planting while still allowing each mound to develop. A mature plant can spread about 18 inches, so do not treat the spacing as a clear gap between edges. Along a wall or bed front, keep the planting line far enough from paving that the mature foliage and flower stems remain out of the walking surface.
Reserve full sun and low-water portions of the plan for Basket-of-Gold. Place it in sharply drained soil, especially where sand, gravel, rock, or a raised slope prevents water from lingering around the crown. Avoid low pockets, dense wet ground, and heavy clay sites that stay damp; those conditions can lead to rot and weaken the planting.[1][2]
The main show arrives in spring, when the low foliage is covered with yellow flowers for several weeks. Leave enough open foreground around each clump for that seasonal color to register from paths and seating areas. Shearing plants back after flowering helps preserve a compact outline, so plan access from a bed edge or stepping route rather than burying the clumps behind other perennials.[1][3]
Basket-of-Gold is suited to USDA Zones 3 through 7. In hot, humid summer climates it can decline, become short-lived, or lose its tidy appearance after flowering. Use it where replacement or seasonal refresh is practical, rather than making it the sole permanent groundcover along a highly visible edge.[1][2]