The Award-Winning, Flowering Plant That Gardeners Love Planting In The Shade

Parts of the yard where buildings block out the sunlight or the branches of trees create shadows can be challenging areas to cultivate, but with a little effort and a few good plant choices, there's nothing to stop you from growing a gorgeous and healthy shade garden. One variety of the golden Japanese spikenard family, Aralia cordata 'Sun King,' can be ideal for these areas that get less sun. In 2020, the Perennial Plant Association named 'Sun King' the "Perennial Plant of the Year."

Aralia cordata 'Sun King' is easy to grow and prefers free-draining neutral or acidic soil. It dies back completely in the fall and should survive the winter in USDA zones 3 through 9. It grows quickly again in spring, forming an attractive mound of lush green to gold leaves, depending on the amount of shade it gets. It flowers from the end of July through September, producing small cream-colored blooms on what are called umbels. They're like little fireworks going off. 'Sun King' is resistant to diseases, rarely attacked by insects, and isn't troubled by deer either.

Aralia cordata 'Sun King' comes from Japan, where it originally grew wild in the mountains. Unlike some misjudged imports (knotweed, for example), and some other members of the Aralia family, it's not considered invasive. 'Sun King' remains self-contained as it grows, eventually reaching a size of anywhere from 4 to 6 feet tall, and about the same across.

'Sun King' has several other names, including Japanese asparagus. The young shoots are actually edible. In fact, in its native country it is sometimes grown as a vegetable precisely for culinary use. The numerous flower heads that form make golden Japanese spikenard one of the shade-loving plants that are popular with pollinators. The berries, meanwhile, are attractive to birds, although they shouldn't be eaten by people.

The award-winning Aralia cordata 'Sun King' usually comes in pots, so it can be planted out for almost immediate impact. It's easy to live with, needs no special care, and will grow happily in shady areas where other plants can struggle. There are some perennials that are not worth growing in your yard, but 'Sun King' might be just what you've been looking for.