Grow and Care for Skeleton-Leaf Goldeneye

Grow skeleton-leaf goldeneye in full sun on soil that drains, and water it only in a long dry spell once it has settled in. Skeleton-leaf goldeneye is Viguiera stenoloba, also called resinbush — a Texas and New Mexico shrub with threadlike leaves, not showy goldeneye.

Give it full sun and soil that drains

skeleton-leaf goldeneye is a rounded native shrub about two to four feet tall and about as wide, with narrow, threadlike leaves and yellow-orange daisies on leafless stalks. Sit it in full sun. It will take a little light shade, but the mound is denser and the bloom heavier in open light. [1] The plant is built for dry, rocky ground, so drainage is the real test. Limestone, caliche, sand, and ordinary loam all work if water can leave the roots. In heavy clay, raise a small berm and work in decomposed granite so the crown does not sit wet. [2] Water a new plant through its first season. After that it is drought tolerant and needs a deep soak only in a long dry spell. Pair it with other plants that also want sun and lean, dry ground.

Plant it high in clay, and water the first year

Plant from a nursery pot in spring or fall, when the soil is workable and the heat is not at its peak. Dig a hole no deeper than the root ball, and set the crown level with the finished grade or a little high so water cannot pool against the stems. In clay, plant on a small berm. Space plants about two to three feet apart for a continuous mound, or a little wider if you want each shrub to stand alone. [3]

1. Choose a sunny spot that sheds water. In clay, build a small berm and mix in coarse grit or decomposed granite.
2. Dig a hole as deep as the root ball and a little wider. Do not bury the crown.
3. Set the plant so the top of the root ball sits at grade or slightly above, then backfill with the native soil, not a rich planting mix.
4. Water deeply after planting, then keep the soil from staying soggy. Water regularly through the first growing season, then taper off.

Cut it back hard in late winter

Left alone, the shrub gets woody and open in the middle, with fewer flowers. Cut the whole mound back in late winter, after the coldest weather, to about six inches. In a mild winter the foliage may stay green; cut it anyway so new growth comes in dense. In a hard freeze the top may die back to the base and then resprout in spring — leave the blackened stems until the cold has passed, then cut to live wood. [4]

1. Wait until late winter, after the coldest nights. Do not shear it in fall, which pushes tender growth into the next freeze.
2. Cut the mound back to about six inches, or cut freeze-killed stems to live wood.
3. Through the bloom season, snip spent heads if you want a tidier plant and more flowers, or leave them so birds can take the seed.

To start new plants from cuttings, see How to Propagate Skeleton-leaf Goldeneye.

Not showy goldeneye — and not a garden sunflower

Skeleton-leaf goldeneye is a woody shrub with fine, threadlike leaves. Showy goldeneye is Heliomeris multiflora, a herbaceous western meadow plant that is sometimes sold under the older name Viguiera multiflora. That is a different plant, with broader leaves and many small heads on a clump, not this resinous Texas shrub. If that is what you have, read How to Grow Showy Goldeneye.

The garden sunflower is Helianthus, with a few large heads on a tall stalk. False sunflower, or oxeye, is Heliopsis, a taller border perennial that also gets called goldeneye. Neither is this shrub. See How to Grow Sunflowers or How to Grow False Sunflower if that is the plant in the pot. Tags may also list this shrub as Heliomeris tenuifolia or Aldama stenoloba — those are names for the same skeleton-leaf goldeneye, not a second kind.

If the shrub yellows and collapses, the soil stayed wet. Sit the next one in full sun on a berm that drains, water it through the first year only, and cut it hard in late winter.