Aaron's Beard

How to grow Aaron's Beard

Written by the GardenDecoded editorial team · Last reviewed 21 July 2026 · Written for UK gardens · How we research our guidance

Planting

Used almost entirely as ground cover on banks and awkward dry shade where little else will hold soil. Plant about 45 cm apart and expect them to knit together within two seasons.

Pruning

Cut the whole planting back hard with shears in early spring, near enough to ground level. It regrows quickly and this is the only way to keep it from becoming woody and bare underneath.

Propagation

Divide rooted runners in spring or autumn. There is rarely any need to buy more than a few plants.

Pests and diseases

Hypericum rust causes orange pustules on the leaves and can defoliate a planting badly. Cutting back hard and clearing the debris helps but does not eliminate it.

Value to wildlife

Bees collect pollen from the prominent boss of stamens through a long summer season.

Notes

It spreads by underground runners and will not stay where you put it. Do not plant it in a mixed border alongside anything less vigorous — give it a defined area with a hard edge, or you will spend years removing it.

Some structured details on this page (such as tolerances, pH and hardiness) come from USDA PLANTS Database (public domain). The written guidance is GardenDecoded's own, researched as described in our editorial policy.

Other names for this plant

These names have all been used for Hypericum calycinum but are no longer the accepted name. You may still meet them on old labels, in books, or in nursery catalogues.

Others in Hypericum