Golden Buttons, botanically known as Santolina chamaecyparissus, is cherished for its silvery foliage and cheerful yellow flowers. This low-maintenance shrub brings distinctive texture and color to garden spaces. Its aromatic qualities and drought tolerance make it a favored choice for many gardeners.
Identifying Golden Buttons
This evergreen subshrub typically forms a dense, mounding shape, reaching about 1 to 2 feet in height and spreading 2 to 3 feet wide. Its finely textured, silvery-gray leaves are densely covered with tiny hairs, giving them a woolly appearance. These narrow, pinnately divided leaves are highly aromatic when crushed, emitting a musky or camphor-like fragrance.
In summer, Golden Buttons produces small, button-like bright yellow flowers, approximately 0.75 inches wide, which bloom atop slender stalks that rise above the foliage. These flowers appear in July and August. While the species Santolina chamaecyparissus is common, cultivars like ‘Nana’ offer a more compact form, typically growing to about 1 foot tall.
Planting and Growing Golden Buttons
Golden Buttons thrives in full sun, requiring a minimum of six hours of direct sunlight daily for optimal growth and flowering. While it can tolerate some partial shade, this may result in slower growth and reduced flower production.
Well-drained soil is essential for the successful cultivation of Golden Buttons. This Mediterranean native prefers dry to medium, gritty, or sandy soils and can even tolerate poor or lean soil conditions. Avoid rich or wet soils, as they can lead to root rot. If your soil is heavy or clayey, amending it with sand or gravel before planting will significantly improve drainage.
When planting, dig a hole slightly larger than the plant’s root ball, ensuring the crown remains at soil level to prevent rot. Backfill the hole and gently firm the soil around its base. Initial watering should be deep to help establish the roots, but it is important to avoid overwatering, as the plant prefers drier conditions. Space multiple plants 18 to 24 inches apart to allow for their mature spread.
Maintaining Golden Buttons
Once established, Golden Buttons requires minimal watering, as it is highly drought-tolerant. Overwatering, particularly in humid conditions, can lead to fungal diseases and root rot, which can be detrimental to the plant. Allowing the soil to dry out moderately between irrigations helps promote stronger growth and prevent these issues.
Pruning maintains the plant’s compact shape and encourages new growth. A significant pruning in mid-spring, reducing the plant’s size by at least half to where new shoots emerge, prevents it from becoming leggy and woody in the center. After flowering, typically in late summer, deadhead spent flowers and lightly trim the plant to maintain its form. Fertilization is generally not necessary, as it performs well in nutrient-poor soils; excessive fertilization can lead to leggy growth and a less compact form.
Using Golden Buttons in Your Garden
Golden Buttons offers versatility in garden design due to its distinctive appearance and low-maintenance nature. Its silvery-gray foliage provides a striking contrast to green plants, making it suitable for borders, edgings, and rock gardens. Its mounding habit and drought tolerance make it an excellent choice for xeriscapes and Mediterranean-style gardens, which prioritize water conservation.
It can also be used as a low hedge, especially in formal or knot gardens, where its ability to be easily shaped is beneficial. Its aromatic foliage has historical uses as an insecticide and moth repellant, offering a practical benefit in the garden. Its resistance to deer and rabbits further enhances its appeal as a robust landscape option.
Propagating and Troubleshooting Golden Buttons
Propagating Golden Buttons is straightforward, primarily achieved through cuttings. Semi-hardwood cuttings, taken in late spring or early summer before the plant blooms, or in mid-summer to early autumn, are ideal. Cuttings should be 3-4 inches long, taken from healthy stems with pliable growth, and the lower leaves removed. Dipping the cut end in rooting hormone can enhance success.
Plant cuttings in a well-draining potting mix and keep them in a bright location out of direct sunlight, ensuring the soil remains consistently moist but not soggy. Roots typically develop within 4-6 weeks.
While Golden Buttons is generally hardy, the most common issue is root rot, which occurs due to overly wet soil conditions. Ensuring proper drainage and avoiding overwatering are the primary preventative measures. If the plant becomes leggy or opens up in the center, more aggressive pruning is needed to encourage bushiness and a compact form. The plant is relatively resistant to pests and diseases, though blight and root rot can occur in unfavorable conditions.