Associate the alyssum or golden basket.
7 ideas for pairing Alyssum or Basket of Gold
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The golden baskets or alyssums are among the first flowers to appear in the garden in spring. They form cushions of small yellow flowers between April and July and are widely used as groundcover in borders, flower beds, as well as in rockeries, on walls, or in flowering pots. Hardy and drought-resistant, they are easy to grow as long as they are planted in full sun, in dry, well-drained soil. Discover our ideas for pairing alyssum.
In a sunny and flowering bed
Alyssums are groundcovers that create vibrant flowering carpets from April to July, in sunny borders and beds. Their evergreen foliage is adorned during this period with a multitude of small golden-yellow flowers, hence their name “Basket of Gold”. In a garden, pair them with other plants that, like them, require full sun and minimal watering.
In a bed, alyssums can be placed in the foreground or between plants to fill any empty spaces. For example, install the Alyssum saxatile ‘Goldkugel’ or basket of gold with yellow flowers next to Darwin tulips ‘Apeldoorn’ in red and ‘Dreamlight’ daffodils in white, to create a bed with bright and cheerful colours.
Tulipa Darwin ‘Apeldoorn’ (photo kor!an), Alyssum saxatile ‘Goldkugel’ (photo Wikipedia) and Narcissus ‘Dreamlight’
To create coloured borders
Alyssums can also be used in borders to brighten up your garden. You can for example create borders of Alyssum argenteum or Alyssum saxatile ‘Goldkugel’ surrounded by a low boxwood hedge (Buxus sempervirens ‘Suffruticosa’ for example) that you will prune regularly.
To brighten up your borders, consider also pairing alyssum with other flowering groundcovers in white such as candytuft, for example Iberis sempervirens ‘Masterpiece’ or even bluish-purple like the Peruvian heliotrope ‘Marine’.
Heliotropium arborescens ‘Marine’, Buxus sempervirens ‘Suffruticosa’, Iberis sempervirens ‘Masterpiece’ and Alyssum argenteum (photo Bernhard Friess)
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In a rockery
Appreciating dry, well-drained soils and full sun exposure, alyssums are the quintessential rock garden plants. They create a stunning effect in a stone setting, particularly due to their creeping and trailing habit that cascades gently over the edges.
In a rock garden, pair the golden yellow flowers of the Alyssum montanum ‘Berggold’ with the lovely purple bells of wall campanulas, such as the Campanula porscharskyana ‘Stella’. Accompany them with pink flowers like moss phlox such as the Phlox douglasii ‘Waterloo’ and moss saxifrages, for example, the Saxifraga x arendsii ‘Peter Pan’. You can add some Veronica spicata ‘Nana Blue’ which will provide a beautiful contrast with their small blue spikes, as well as houseleeks (Sempervivum tectorum) that form small carpets of green or red succulent rosettes.
Alyssum montanum ‘Berggold’ (photo febs), Veronica spicata ‘Blue Nana’ (photo cultivar413 – Wikimedia), Campanula poscharskyana ‘Stella’, Sempervivum tectorum and Saxifraga x arendsii ‘Peter Pan’
On walls or in stone troughs
Alyssums thrive in sunlight and warmth. Planting them in a stone container like an old trough, or on a low wall, is a good idea, as they will benefit from the heat stored in the mineral. To create flowering walls or stone troughs, play with the golden yellow of the alyssum, pairing it with blue, purple, pink, or white flowers.
For example, combine Alyssum saxatile ‘Goldkugel’ with purple aubrietes (for instance, aubrieta ‘Hamburger Stadtpark’) and pink land carnations, like Dianthus deltoides ‘Rosea’. You can add white flowers like Candytuft (Iberis sempervirens), the Lewisia cotyledon ‘Elise White’ with its lovely small star-shaped flowers, as well as creeping stonecrop Sedum ‘Lemon Ball’ for a touch of green. For a vertical effect, choose, for example, a bellflower (Campanula medium ‘Blue’).
Lewisia cotyledon ‘Elise White’, Alyssum saxatile ‘Goldkugel’, Dianthus deltoides ‘Rosea’, Aubrieta x cultorum ‘Hamburger Stadtpark’ and Sedum ‘Lemon Ball’ (photo inaweofgod’screation)
In a Mediterranean garden
The golden basket is a plant that tolerates drought well. It can therefore be planted in a Mediterranean-style garden. Play with complementary colour combinations of yellow and purple or blue, or use the bright yellow of the golden baskets to enhance grey or silver foliage.
In a Mediterranean garden, combine Alyssum montanum ‘Berggold’ with true lavender, rosemary, spurge, Perovskia ‘Silvery Blue’, and Nepeta grandiflora ‘Summer Magic’. You can also add globe thistles (Echinops ritro), Eryngium planum, as well as mouse ears and blue fescue.
Perovskia ‘Silvery Blue’ (Photo Plantipp), Alyssum montanum ‘Berggold’, Euphorbia characias, Eryngium planum, and Festuca glauca
To fill the bases of bushes or large perennials
The golden basket is a superb flowering and bright groundcover. You can therefore use it to adorn the base of your XXL bushes or perennials. For example, plant Alyssum montanum ‘Berggold’ at the base of hollyhocks (for instance, Alcea rosea ‘Chater’s Double Icicle’), shrubby sages like Salvia guaranitica ‘Black and Blue’, or even a blue spiraea, for example Caryopteris clandonensis ‘Sterling Silver’.
Caryopteris clandonensis ‘Sterling Silver’, Alyssum montanum ‘Berggold’, Alcea rosea ‘Chater’s Double Icicle’ and Salvia guaranitica ‘Black and Blue’
In a pot, suspended, or in a planter
Gold baskets are easy to grow in pots or containers. When suspended, the small flowering cushions elegantly cascade over the edges of the pot. On your terrace or balcony, potted alyssums bring a vibrant and sunny touch.
For example, plant in a large pot the common daisy and surround its base with theAlyssum montanum ‘Berggold’. You can also pair this little gold basket with charming small blue bulbs like Muscari armeniacum ‘Big Smile’. Another idea for a light and floral composition: combine in a container Alyssum saxatile ‘Goldkugel’ with blue Caucasian forget-me-nots, blue Aubrieta (Aubrieta ‘Cascade Blue’) and a hardy geranium such as Geranium cinereum ‘Ballerina’.
Alyssum saxatilis ‘Goldkugel’, Aubrieta ‘Cascade Blue’, Brunnera macrophylla ‘Variegata’ and Geranium cinereum ‘Ballerina’ (photo Wikipedia)
For further reading
Discover our complete sheet on Basket of Gold, as well as our collection of Basket of Gold!
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