Alchemilla sericata Gold Strike

The jointed Alchemilla sericata 'Gold Strike' is much less well-known than the common plant (Alchemilla mollis), from which it differs mainly in its more compact habit and its velvety leaves, which are a slightly greyish green colour and smaller than those of its cousin, deeply lobed and tightly packed in a cushion. It also stands out for its floribundity, which hides its foliage from June to August under a haze of acid-greenish yellow flowers. This small, hardy perennial plant is also an excellent ground cover for semi-shade and moist soil, capable of smothering weeds. It has a place in all gardens, even the smallest ones, in moist rockeries, near a water feature, or as a border plant.

Alchemilla sericata is a herbaceous perennial plant in the rose family, native to a region ranging from the Mediterranean to the Caucasus, Europe, Siberia, Greenland, and Labrador. 'Gold Strike' is a particularly floriferous selection of this wild plant. It forms a large, dense cushion, 35 cm (14in) in height and 40 cm (16in) in width, which will spread over time through stems that can root when they touch the ground. The aerial growth of this alchemilla is deciduous, disappearing in winter. Its foliage is remarkable, dotted with dewdrops in the morning and very soft to the touch. Its leaves are almost circular, with their edges deeply cut into 9 to 11 finely toothed lobes. They have a greyish-green colour and are attached to more or less velvety light green stems. The flowers appear from May-June to August-September, in the form of tiny flowers arranged in diffuse corymbiform clusters (cloud-like), yellowish-green in colour, light and very bright. This species, with relatively slow growth, is less invasive than its cousin, the common alchemilla. A tip: in August, cut all the foliage of your alchemilla mollis with shears, and new foliage will appear within 15 days.

In the garden, 'Gold Strike' alchemilla effectively covers the ground in dappled sun or semi-shade, harmonising its chartreuse flowering with beautiful English or old-fashioned roses, as well as with majestic lilies. Its foliage captures the morning dew, which shines like a multitude of small diamonds. This plant has no rival in softening the lines of a recently laid path, beautifying a cool rockery, or bordering a small ornamental pond. Alchemilla is willing to grow in very little soil, as long as it remains moist, allowing it to be planted in the gaps between paving stones, the crevices of walls as it does in Roman ruins, or in the steps of a staircase. Its lime-green flowers are used in fresh or dried bouquets.