Product Field NotesCompanion Plants
Sun King Japanese Spikenard: Gold Foliage for Part-Shade Beds
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Sun King Japanese spikenard is a big, bold foliage perennial. Its compound leaves can reach 3 feet long, divided into bright golden yellow leaflets carried on thick reddish brown stems. It grows quickly into a shrub-like clump about 4 feet tall and wide, sometimes reaching 6 feet with age, then dies back to the ground each winter.
It was named Perennial Plant of the Year for 2020, and once you see one glowing in a shady corner, the reason is obvious.
Sun King at a glance
| Trait | What to expect |
|---|---|
| Botanical name | Aralia cordata 'Sun King' |
| Foliage | Bright golden yellow; chartreuse to lime in deeper shade |
| Flowers | Tiny white flowers in branched spikes |
| Fruit | Small purple-black berries, not edible |
| Size | About 4 feet tall and wide, up to 6 feet with age |
| Bloom | Starts late July, peaks mid-August |
| Hardiness | USDA zones 3 to 9 |
| Deer | Resistant |
Lavender's opposite, on purpose
Lavender is all about full sun, lean soil and dryness. Sun King wants part shade and rich, deep, organic soil that stays moist, and it is not drought tolerant. Planted in a lavender bed, it would scorch and struggle, and the lavender would hate the extra water.
So use it to finish the shady half of the garden plan. Many properties with a sunny lavender bed also have a spot under trees or along the north side of a building where nothing seems to shine. Sun King fixes that. Its gold leaves carry light into the shade the way silver lavender carries it in the sun. Lay out both sides in the Companion Plant Planner.
Planting and care
- Light: part shade. A few hours of sun keep the leaves gold; deeper shade turns them chartreuse to lime green.
- Soil: rich, deep and organic, moist but well drained.
- Space: give it plenty of room. It is well behaved and reseeds little, but it gets large.
- Problems: few. Occasional leaf spot or aphids.
- Winter: very hardy in Michigan. Cut stems to the ground after frost; no special protection needed.
Late-summer bees and berries
In late summer, upright spikes of tiny white flowers rise above the leaves and draw honeybees, which is handy timing after lavender has finished. Small, round purple-black berries follow. They are not edible, so enjoy them as ornament only.
Good shade-garden partners
Pair Sun King with blue or green hostas, ferns and other woodland plants. Its gold makes blue hosta leaves look bluer, and its height gives a shade bed the structure a shrub would.
Plug tray sizes
Sun King is offered in 72-cell and 20-cell plug trays. See each product page for current availability, or the Wholesale Hub for tray orders.
Frequently asked questions
Will it grow in a container?
Containers are one of its listed uses. Choose a large pot and keep it evenly moist.
Is it fragrant?
No notable fragrance. It is grown for its foliage.
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