Plants with golden foliage can brighten up almost any drab garden patch. Sun King golden aralia (Aralia cordata ‘Sun King’) is no exception, hardy in USDA hardiness zones 3-9. It is also known as Japanese spikenard and mountain asparagus. Under ideal conditions this thornless, rhizomatous, herbaceous perennial grows rapidly to 3-5 feet tall and as wide in a single season.

The golden compound foliage emerges in mid-spring and retains its bright color throughout the summer. Growth rate is rapid and dies back to the ground in late autumn. In mid-summer numerous small clusters of tiny white flowers shoot up, borne on 2 feet tall racemes. Lustrous purplish-black berries follow in the fall.

Sun King makes a bold almost tropical statement in a semi-shade garden. Grow it in a compost-rich moist soil and in ½-day sunlight (morning hours preferred). It is adaptable to a wide soil pH range. The foliage may burn in full day sun. In USDA zones 8 and 9, grow only in dappled sunlight to avoid foliage burn. Golden aralia should be kept mulched and irrigated over long summer dry spells.

Sun King aralia mixes well in large containers planted with green and other brightly colored foliage plants. It combines with variegated Solomon seal, hostas, brunnera (Brunnera macrophylla), lungworts (Pulmonaria spp.), coral bells (Heuchera spp.), and astilbes. Golden aralia is deer resistant and its tiny white flowers attract numerous honeybees.

A native of Japan, Korea, and China, ‘Sun King’ aralia was introduced to the U.S. by Barry Yinger.

Caution: Birds love the tiny berries, but they’re NOT edible for humans).