Aurinia saxatilis aka Basket Of Gold

Aurinia saxatilis, also known as yellow alyssum, madwort, goldentuft, or gold-dust, is an ornamental plant native to Asia and Europe. This low-growing, spreading perennial produces a profuse spring bloom of bright yellow flowers, making it particularly attractive in rock gardens or cascaded over rock walls. It is also a good ground cover in summer areas where it does not burn out from high heat and humidity. The plant can remain in the garden as an attractive ground cover unless the foliage depreciates or plants die back from hot summer conditions. It is a mat-forming perennial with woody roots that grows up to 6-12” tall and features spatulate basal leaves and smaller linear-oblanceolate stem leaves, which are gray-green. Bright yellow flowers in corymbose panicles bloom in the spring. The genus name comes from the word aureus, meaning golden, in allusion to the flowers of A. saxatilis, while the specific epithet means found among rocks. Basket-of-gold grows and flowers best in average to sandy well-drained soil in the full sun. After flowering, pruning the plant to 1/2 its size can maintain its shape and vigor.