Cotula tiffindell gold, often marketed as Mat Daisy or Creeping Gold Buttons, is a low-growing perennial valued for its ability to form a dense, spreading carpet of foliage. The plant features finely dissected, fern-like leaves that maintain a bright green color throughout the year in many climates. From spring through fall, the mat is topped by an abundance of small, wiry stems, each bearing a single, petal-less, golden-yellow button-like flower. This cultivar originated near Tiffindell in South Africa and is primarily utilized in landscaping as a resilient groundcover, particularly effective in rock gardens or between paving stones.
Site Selection and Initial Planting Requirements
Cotula tiffindell gold thrives best when exposed to full, direct sunlight for the majority of the day. Full sun encourages the tightest foliage and the highest number of blooms. While the plant can tolerate a small amount of afternoon shade, insufficient light will cause it to become sparse and leggy, diminishing its effectiveness as a groundcover.
The plant requires excellent drainage to prevent root rot. It performs well in average to poor soil types, including sandy or loamy compositions, but cannot tolerate heavy clay that retains too much moisture. Amending the planting area with coarse sand or fine gravel before installation can significantly improve porosity, ensuring water moves away efficiently from the root system.
This perennial succeeds in USDA Hardiness Zones 5 through 11. When planting, space individual plants approximately 18 to 24 inches apart to allow for lateral spread, which quickly forms a continuous mat. Dig a hole only as deep as the nursery container, but two to three times as wide, loosening the surrounding soil to encourage the initial outward growth of the rhizomes.
Routine Maintenance
Once established, the Mat Daisy is tolerant of dry conditions, but it requires regular moisture during its first growing season. Water newly planted specimens consistently until their root systems have fully developed and they exhibit vigorous new growth. To prevent overwatering, check the soil moisture by inserting a finger a couple of inches deep; only apply water when the soil feels dry at that depth.
Cotula tiffindell gold generally does not require heavy or frequent nutrient applications. Excessive fertilizer, particularly high-nitrogen formulas, stimulates rapid vegetative growth, resulting in soft, elongated stems and fewer flowers. If the soil is exceptionally poor or the plant shows signs of nutrient deficiency, apply a single, balanced, slow-release granular fertilizer sparingly in early spring.
To promote continuous blooming and maintain a neat appearance, spent flowers should be removed regularly throughout the season. Due to the volume of flowers produced, the most efficient method is a light, overall shearing after the main flush of bloom fades. Trimming off the top few inches of growth using hedge shears or a mower set to a high blade height encourages a fresh wave of golden flowers and keeps the foliage mat compact.
Seasonal Care and Propagation
In climates within the plant’s core hardiness range (Zone 7 upwards), Cotula tiffindell gold is often evergreen and requires little special winter preparation. For colder Zones 5 and 6, where the ground is subject to hard freezing, a protective layer of dry, organic mulch is beneficial. Apply a loose layer of straw or pine needles around the plant crowns after the first hard frost to insulate the roots from temperature fluctuations.
Over several years, the central portion of the Mat Daisy clump may become woody, thin out, and eventually die, leaving a noticeable hole in the groundcover. To prevent this decline and rejuvenate the plant, division is the most effective long-term maintenance technique. This task is best performed in early spring as new growth begins or in the early fall after the summer heat has subsided.
To divide the plant, carefully lift the entire clump from the soil using a garden fork. Use a sharp spade or knife to separate the vigorous outer sections of the mat from the older, woody center, discarding the non-productive core. Replant these healthy outer sections immediately into freshly prepared soil at the same depth as before, ensuring they are watered thoroughly to initiate re-establishment.
While the plant can be started from seed, division is preferred as it ensures the new plants retain the specific traits of the ‘Tiffindell Gold’ cultivar. Division revitalizes the existing planting and yields new, genetically identical plants that can expand the groundcover area. Dividing every three to five years maintains the dense, lush habit of the mat and ensures consistent, heavy blooming.