The Green-And-Gold Ground Cover That'll Thrive In Your Sunny Garden

Shrubs in shades of green and gold can brighten up a yard when the sunshine sparkles, but they even seem to glow when the weather is dreary and gray. So, it's no wonder gardeners love Cistus 'Mickie.' Thanks to its all-season beauty, this plant may soon become one of your favorite ground covers for beds and borders. You might think it looks like a type of coleus or even garden sage, but it's actually a hybrid rockrose that thrives in sunny conditions.

This shrub is one of those ground covers that add stunning color all year round thanks to its evergreen foliage. With a compact, mounding growth habit and variegated, yellow and chartreuse foliage, this Cistus cultivar also produces showy, white, cup-shaped flowers that bloom in spring. The plant's flower buds are pink before opening, adding an infusion of color. The Mickie rockrose also reaches up to 2 feet tall and 3 feet wide, arriving at this mature size quickly. To help this brightly colored ground cover live up to its evergreen potential in  your garden, you'll need to provide the best growing conditions possible. 

This Cistus cultivar has so much going for it — you can grow it in a container garden or directly in the ground and either way it will thrive in areas where it's sunny at least six hours during the day. In addition to the sun requirements, do make sure you live in the right zone for the plant to stay alive year round – Mickie can be added as a perennial in USDA Hardiness Zones 7 to 10. This small shrub grows best in lean soil but can also be planted in richer spots with more moisture as long as drainage is excellent.

Mickie is also one of the beautiful ground cover plants that are drought resistant once established, as it has low water needs. It thrives in sunny coastal areas, can be grown in rock gardens if you like more nontraditional landscaping, and it can even be added to your garden to attract butterflies. And since this sun-loving evergreen is very cold hardy, its standout foliage provides a splash of green and gold during frigid winters.