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Aralia ‘Sun King’

Aralia cordata

In 2015 I bought this shade stunner and planted it in a admittedly harsh spot in the NE part of our yard (dry, unimproved soil). This little aralia stayed pretty small and in danger of being swallowed by ivy before I moved it to the creek area. It muddled along until I moved it in 2018 to the new garden beds behind the garage. And wow it really likes that spot! Blessed with cool dappled shade all day, the soil in that area stays cool and moist. Aralia ‘Sun King’ looks great next to its neighboring KatieQ hostas and maidenhair ferns.

  • Plant Type
  • Perennial
    • Shade Grade
    • A
    • Light Requirement
    • Part Shade
    • Shade
    • Location
    • Behind Garage
    Nursery Tag

    Part to Full Shade Ht. 36" Sp. 36" Blooms Late Summer. Sunny gold leaves stay gold all summer. Clusters of small white flowers become pretty purple berries. Deciduous. Good in beds, borders and patio pots. Prefers moist soil with good drainage. Hardy to -40° F.

    Gardener's Log

    07/2015: Planted behind hostas in NE corner garden

    07/2016: Moved to creek south of Pieris (?) tree

    07/2018: Moved to lower level behind garage.

    05/2020: This may be the most moved plant in the garden! It got so big in 2019 that I decided to move it up to the top tier behind the garage where the leucothoe was. It's a bit dryer there so perhaps it will stay smaller in that spot.

    Photo Gallery

    Aralia Cordata Sun King Closeup

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    Aralia Cordata Sun King

    Shade Grade

    A

    Great performance with the right soil. Beautiful color brightens shady spots, virtually pest-free.

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    About Me

    Hi! I'm Lorie and I wrangle plants in a muddy, feral shade garden in the Pacific Northwest. I built this site to serve as a gardening journal and quasi-accurate record of planting successes and failures. My goal is to help "future me" be a better gardener. I hope what I've learned along the way can be useful to you too. Thanks for visiting!

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