Hardiness Zones
Zones 3a–9b
Light Requirement
Part Shade
Mature Size
36 Inches tall × 36 Inches wide
Sun King' Aralia | Creekside Champions™
Relevant Products
Delivery and Shipping
Delivery and Shipping
This plant will ship in the spring based on your chosen ship week.
Care information
Care information
Remove plant from packaging on arrival. Water and place in appropriate sun conditions until it is ready to be planted. Do not keep plant inside or sitting in a tray of water as this could add additional stress.
Sun King' Aralia | Creekside Champions™
Description
Description
About Creekside Champions™
Each Creekside Champion plant is hand-selected for its exceptional beauty, resilience, and proven garden performance. Grown with care by our family and backed by generations of expertise, these plants embody trust, quality, and the joy of cultivating something truly special. Confident, dependable, and naturally stunning — Creekside Champions™ are made to thrive. Family Grown. Proven Performance.
Aralia cordata ‘Sun King’ (Golden Japanese Spikenard)
Aralia cordata ‘Sun King’ brings a bold, tropical flair to shaded gardens with its large, compound golden leaves that can reach up to 3 feet long. Emerging in mid-spring on contrasting reddish-brown stems, the bright golden foliage glows in part sun and shifts to soft chartreuse or lime green in deeper shade. This fast-growing perennial forms an impressive clump that makes a striking focal point among hostas, ferns, and other woodland companions — and it’s delightfully resistant to deer browsing.
In mid to late summer, clusters of tiny white flowers appear, followed by deep purplish-black berries (not edible). The blooms attract pollinators, especially honeybees, adding movement and life to shaded beds.
Why It’s a Creekside Champion™:
We love ‘Sun King’ for its dramatic color, bold texture, and reliable performance in shade. It’s a standout accent plant that brightens low-light areas and pairs beautifully with other shade-loving perennials.
