NYU Garden Shop Plant of the Week

By NYU Head Gardener, George Reis
Golden Star  (Chrysogonum virginianum) 58 Washingon Square South green roof--Viewed from the inside of Kimmel
Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Next time you're on one of the upper floors of the Kimmel Center, head over to the western side of the building where you'll have a great view of the vegetated roof on top of the brand new building at 58 Washington Square South.  There's a great variety of plants on the green roof, and this is one of the early bloomers, Golden Star. William Cullina in his definitive reference Wildflowers calls Golden Star "one of the most reliable and longest blooming native groundcovers for shady spots."

After Golden Star flowers in mid-spring (yes, that came much earlier this year) these plants send out lots of new shoots that eventually take root, making it an effective groundcover.  Golden Star is adaptable to various soil types and will do quite well in the toughest of conditions: dry shade. Clumps should be divided every five years or so to maintain the plant's density and vigor.