Other Names:  Coughbush, Golden Creeper

Description:

A small, sprawling shrub with a woody base and bright yellowish-green leaves that are clustered towards the end of the stems; roots from stems that touch the ground forming colonies much broader than tall; great for dry, open, or coastal areas

Ornamental Features

Beach Creeper features showy clusters of coral-pink tubular flowers with pink overtones and white centers at the ends of the branches from mid to early winter. It has attractive gold-variegated bluish-green foliage with hints of chartreuse which emerges chartreuse in spring. The glossy pointy leaves are highly ornamental and remain bluish-green throughout the winter. The fruits are showy yellow drupes with gold overtones, which are carried in abundance from mid to early winter. The coppery-bronze stems can be quite attractive.

Landscape Attributes

Beach Creeper is an open 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 is a relatively low maintenance shrub, and is best pruned in late winter once the threat of extreme cold has passed. It is a good choice for attracting birds and butterflies to your yard. Gardeners should be aware of the following characteristic(s) that may warrant special consideration;

• Spreading
• Self-Seeding

Beach Creeper is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Mass Planting
• Hedges/Screening
• Rock/Alpine Gardens
• Groundcover
• Naturalizing And Woodland Gardens

Planting & Growing

Beach Creeper will grow to be about 3 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 4 feet. It has a low canopy. It grows at a slow rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 30 years.

This shrub does best in full sun to partial shade. It is very adaptable to both dry and moist growing conditions, but will not tolerate any standing water. It is considered to be drought-tolerant, and thus makes an ideal choice for a low-water garden or xeriscape application. This plant does not require much in the way of fertilizing once established. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in poor soils, and is able to handle environmental salt. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This species is native to parts of North America. It can be propagated by cuttings.