Other Names:  Sky Flower, Golden Dew Drop, Pigeon Berry

Brand:  Southern Living

Description:

A stunning shrub producing bright yellow-gold new foliage that eventually matures to green; pretty lavender flowers in summer are followed by gold berries; may be shaped into low hedges; a great garden or landscape accent

Ornamental Features

Cuban Gold Duranta features showy clusters of lavender flowers with blue overtones at the ends of the branches from mid summer to early fall. It has attractive lime green-variegated gold foliage with hints of chartreuse which emerges yellow in spring. The glossy pointy leaves are highly ornamental and remain gold throughout the winter. It produces gold berries from early to mid fall.

Landscape Attributes

Cuban Gold Duranta is a multi-stemmed evergreen shrub with an upright spreading habit of growth. Its average texture blends into the landscape, but can be balanced by one or two finer or coarser trees or shrubs for an effective composition.

This shrub will require occasional maintenance and upkeep, and should only be pruned after flowering to avoid removing any of the current season's flowers. It is a good choice for attracting birds and butterflies to your yard. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Cuban Gold Duranta is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• General Garden Use
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Cuban Gold Duranta will grow to be about 24 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 3 feet. It has a low canopy. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 40 years or more.

This shrub should only be grown in full sunlight. It prefers to grow in average to moist conditions, and shouldn't be allowed to dry out. It is not particular as to soil type, but has a definite preference for acidic soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This is a selection of a native North American species, and parts of it are known to be toxic to humans and animals, so care should be exercised in planting it around children and pets.

Cuban Gold Duranta makes a fine choice for the outdoor landscape, but it is also well-suited for use in outdoor pots and containers. With its upright habit of growth, it is best suited for use as a 'thriller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the center of the pot, surrounded by smaller plants and those that spill over the edges. It is even sizeable enough that it can be grown alone in a suitable container. Note that when grown in a container, it may not perform exactly as indicated on the tag - this is to be expected. Also note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.