Golden “fingers”
Long narrow leaflets open yellow and create a fine radiating texture rather than a broad solid surface.
Choisya × dewitteana ‘Goldfingers’® 3lt
Normal price
€15,00
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The legal guarantee concerns the plant’s conformity at delivery. It is not a guarantee of survival or growth for two years. Each issue is assessed taking into account the nature of the plant, its care and the conditions in which it is kept. Your statutory rights remain unaffected.
Choisya × dewitteana ‘Goldfingers’®
Golden foliage without the slightest excess—almost provocative 😏
- Narrow golden-yellow foliage
- Fragrant white flowers
- Compact bushy habit
- Hardy to about −18°C
Choisya × dewitteana ‘Goldfingers’® brings the glow of gold to the garden with an unexpectedly delicate texture. Its narrow leaflets open like little rays of light, allowing the eye to pick out green shadows between them. In spring, fragrant white flowers add a fresh contrast above the golden-yellow foliage. It is the sort of shrub that makes a planting feel more alive and carefully composed, even when none of its neighbours are in flower.
The fine-leaved, bushy crown brings movement to a pot and softens the straight edges of a border. Against dark evergreens it gains particular depth, while blue or purple flowers create a crisp colour contrast. Use it as a bright focal point among plants with different textures, leaving its natural outline clearly visible.
What makes it special
‘Goldfingers’ pairs the colour of a golden Choisya with the fine line of a narrow-leaved hybrid.
White fragrance
Clusters of white flowers bring sweet citrus scent above the golden evergreen background.
A compact textured crown
At about 1–1.5 m high and around 1 m wide, the mature crown remains bushy and fine-textured.
Why you will love it: it lights a space with fine texture and adds scent without demanding a large footprint.
In the garden & on the balconyPlacement & plant combinationsIn sun to partial shade and fertile free-draining soil, as a bright accent or large container plant.
Light and fine texture
Place in a bright border, against a dark evergreen, or alone in a pot. Sun strengthens gold, while afternoon shade in very hot positions protects the leaves.
Leave room for the naturally bushy crown to develop without crowding it between neighbouring shrubs. It can be cut lower in summer if genuine renewal is needed.
Combinations that work
Golden yellow and white work with blue, violet and deep green. Companions need sun to partial shade, fertile but drained soil and moderate water.
- Geranium ‘Rozanne’ — spreads blue-violet flowers at the base and shares sun to partial shade with moderate moisture
- Taxus baccata ‘Repandens’ — provides a low deep-green background that intensifies the gold without conflicting soil needs
- Allium ‘Millenium’ — adds round violet heads and fine vertical detail in a bright free-draining position
Care at a glance
Light
Sun to partial shade; more sun produces stronger gold, with shelter during extreme heat.
Watering
Moderate water, applied deeply as the surface dries, without permanent saturation.
Climate & hardiness
Hardy to about −18°C when established, with pot roots sheltered from cold drying wind.
Safety
Parts are not intended for consumption; aromatic sap may bother sensitive skin.
Detailed careComplete care guideLight for golden foliage, fertile drainage, moderate water, spring feeding, summer pruning and shelter from drying wind.
Light
Sun produces the strongest gold. In very hot inland positions, light afternoon shade reduces scorch.
Soil
Choose fertile organic and well-drained soil. Avoid heavy permanently wet positions.
Watering
Water deeply while establishing and later as the upper layer dries. Containers need more frequent summer checks.
Feeding
One balanced spring application supports colour and flowers. Excess nitrogen greens and softens growth.
Pruning
Remove spent flowers and untidy shoots after flowering. Summer renewal to about 20 cm is possible only when genuinely needed.
Winter appearance
The crown is evergreen. Gently shake heavy snow or rain weight from fine shoots.
Development over timeFrom golden young shoots to a dense flowering shrubLow stems branch repeatedly and gradually fill a compact, fine-leaved crown.
Initial establishment
Roots adjust best in cool drained soil with even moisture and no hard pruning.
Flower flushes
White clusters appear over the golden crown and may repeat lightly after gentle cleaning.
Mature proportion
At about 1–1.5 m high and around 1 m wide, its fine-leaved crown brings clear definition to a border.
Mature habit & dimensions
In the groundHeight 1–1.5 mSpread about 1 mDense crown, slender leaflets
Several low stems branch into a dense, fine-textured crown. Each compound leaf divides into three slender leaflets.
Form through time
Two seasonal statesEvergreen foliage
Spring floweringSmall clusters of five-petalled white flowers sit above the slender golden leaflets.
Foliage after floweringThe branched crown retains its compound leaves, with greener shadows inside.
The crown remains evergreen. Spring adds white flowers and bright new shoots, while the fine foliage texture takes centre stage after flowering.
What to expect after planting: more height and density with each spring flush while keeping the clear fine-leaved texture.
History & originCultivar originTen years of crosses and one golden leaf that rewarded Peter Moore’s persistence.
After raising Choisya ‘Aztec Pearl’, British breeder Peter R. Moore wanted to combine its narrow leaflets with golden colour. For ten years, every May, he prepared flowers of Choisya ‘Sundance’ and pollinated them with Choisya arizonica. The seedlings repeatedly failed to offer the combination he wanted.
Just as he was about to give up, a small, narrow, golden leaf caught his attention in a propagation tray. The plant moved into a 7 cm pot and had become a little shrub by autumn. Its first leaves turned greener during winter 1994–95, but the following spring brought golden new shoots again: the character he had waited for had finally appeared.
The selection was launched in 1999 through Hillier and the international Plantnet network as Goldfingers. Its cultivar denomination is ‘Limo’, and European protection was recorded as EU 5554. Behind the luminous foliage lies a story of persistence, beginning with repeated crosses and turning on the appearance of one tiny leaf.
Greenleaf for Plant NerdsScience nobody asked forBotanical details for anyone curious about what lies behind the plant’s appearance
Three leaflets, not one narrow leaf
Each apparent ‘leaf’ is compound and consists of three narrow leaflets. ‘Goldfingers’ gains its fine line from leaflet shape, while the golden surface reflects chlorophyll distribution; these are two distinct morphological characters combined in one clone.
Translucent oil cavities
Like many Rutaceae, the leaflets contain secretory cavities filled with volatile oils. Damaging the tissue releases a citrus-like scent—an anatomy shared broadly with citrus relatives, not evidence that the foliage is edible.
Frequently asked questions
Six practical answers about position, watering and long-term growth.
01How large does it become?
It reaches about 1–1.5 m high and around 1 m wide at maturity.
02Does it stay gold in shade?
It remains yellow-green, but strongest gold develops with more light.
03When does it flower?
The main flush is normally in spring, with possible light repeat depending on climate and cleaning.
04Does it need pruning?
Only light shaping after flowering. Stronger summer renewal is reserved for a crown that has genuinely lost form.
05Can it tolerate frost?
Hardiness is about −18°C, although pot roots are more exposed than an established plant in the ground.
06Why is it becoming greener?
Low light or excess nitrogen reduces gold. Improve light before adding more feed.
📦 Your plant travels protected
Every order is prepared with care so your plant arrives upright, secure and safe.
Individual protection
Plants in pots with a capacity of 3 litres or more are placed in individual boxes that hold the pot securely and reduce the risk of tipping over.
Sturdy packaging
We use reinforced cardboard designed to protect against impacts and vibration during transport.