Golden locust

Sun

Full sun for the strongest golden colour; choose a position sheltered from strong winds.

Water

Water regularly while establishing; reasonably drought-tolerant once established, but intolerant of waterlogged soil.

Soil

Well-drained soil, including sandy, chalky or relatively poor ground; tolerates a broad pH range. Avoid wet, compacted sites.

Height

30-50 ft (9-15 m)

Spread

20-35 ft (6-10.7 m)

Flowers

Occasional hanging clusters of fragrant white flowers in late spring or early summer; 'Frisia' often flowers sparsely or not at all.

Foliage

Pinnate leaves with rounded leaflets emerge golden yellow, often soften to yellow-green in summer, and turn yellow in autumn.

Growth

Fast when young, slowing with age.

Care needed

Medium

• Pollinators
• Drought tolerant
• Cold hardy
• Wildlife
• Low allergen
• Fragrant

Northern hemisphere months. In Australia, shift them by six.

Difficulty

Moderate

Toughness

Fairly tough

Pick your zone, country, light and whether you have pets.

1. Planting day

   7 ft (2 m)

2. After 1 year

   8 ft (2.5 m)

3. After 2 years

   10 ft (3 m)

4. After 3 years

   11 ft (3.5 m)

5. After 5 years

   15 ft (4.5 m)

About 20 years to full size.

From a typical nursery size, at an average rate for this kind of plant. A rule of thumb, not a forecast.

Cats and dogs

Toxic

Native to

the US

Invasive in

Canada and Australia

In the garden

Spreads vigorously: plan to contain it.

Growth rate

Moderate

• Water deeply during dry spells for the first two growing seasons, allowing the soil surface to dry between waterings.
• Apply a 2-3 in (5-8 cm) organic mulch over the root area, keeping it clear of the trunk.
• Avoid routine high-nitrogen feeding; this nitrogen-fixing tree usually needs no fertiliser.
• Stake young trees only if needed on exposed sites, and remove supports once the roots hold the tree firmly.
• Remove root suckers and any green-leaved rootstock shoots promptly at their point of origin, with as little root disturbance as possible.

Pruning. Prune lightly in late summer to remove dead, damaged or crossing branches and establish a sound framework while the tree is young. Avoid topping and large cuts; have substantial or hazardous limbs assessed by a qualified arborist.

Autumn

Plant while the soil is workable and not waterlogged; in very cold regions, defer planting until spring.

Winter

Check stakes and ties, and inspect the bare crown for broken limbs after storms.

Spring

Renew mulch and check the trunk base and surrounding ground for suckers or green-leaved shoots.

Summer

Water young trees during dry spells and inspect foliage for persistent wilting, mining or branch dieback.

Late summer

Carry out light formative pruning in dry weather; avoid unnecessary large wounds.

• Use as a single specimen in a generous lawn, where its golden crown can be seen against darker planting.
• Place in front of dark evergreen trees or hedges to make the foliage contrast clear.
• Use its light canopy above a sunny mixed border, allowing for increasing root competition as it matures.
• Repeat its golden foliage with blue, violet and purple flowers in a large informal garden.

Garden styles it suits: English country, Traditional, Modern rustic, Grand estate, Cottage garden and Architectural minimal.

Plant it with: Catmint, Russian sage, Bearded iris, Hardy geranium, Allium and Lavender.

Wildlife: Flowers, when produced, provide nectar for bees. The canopy offers perching and nesting cover, but the species can displace native open-habitat plants where it escapes cultivation.

• Root suckers and green-leaved rootstock shoots: remove promptly at their origin; avoid digging through or damaging roots, which can stimulate more suckers.
• Branch breakage in wind: choose a sheltered site, develop a well-spaced framework when young, and have weak or damaged limbs assessed professionally.
• Persistent crown dieback, reported particularly on 'Frisia': causes vary and may remain uncertain; check drainage and root health, remove dead wood, and seek a local diagnosis before treatment.
• Locust borers and leafminers, especially in North America: maintain tree vigour and inspect declining branches; extensive borer damage warrants professional assessment, while leafminer damage is often mainly cosmetic.

Toxic to people, cats, dogs and horses if eaten. Bark, seeds and foliage contain toxic compounds; poisoning can cause severe digestive and neurological illness and may be fatal, particularly in horses. Do not allow livestock access to the tree, fallen branches or prunings. Thorns can also cause puncture injuries.

Where it spreads. The species spreads by root suckers and seed and is invasive outside its native range in parts of the northeastern, midwestern and western United States, southern Canada including parts of Ontario and British Columbia, and southeastern Australia including parts of New South Wales and Victoria. It is also naturalised in Britain and can spread locally.

• Golden honey locust (Gleditsia triacanthos 'Sunburst')

  Has much smaller leaflets, sometimes on twice-divided leaves, giving a finer texture; its newest growth is yellow while older foliage becomes greener.

• Golden Indian bean tree (Catalpa bignonioides 'Aurea')

  Has very large, simple heart-shaped leaves rather than leaves divided into many small leaflets.

• Black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia)

  The ordinary species has green rather than golden foliage and generally flowers more freely; green shoots arising below a 'Frisia' graft are usually this rootstock.

Robinia honours the French gardeners Jean and Vespasien Robin, pseudoacacia means false acacia, and 'Frisia' refers to Friesland in the Netherlands, where the cultivar originated.

Propagation. Usually propagated commercially by grafting or budding onto Robinia pseudoacacia rootstock. Seed does not reliably reproduce the golden cultivar, and suckers from below the graft are rootstock rather than 'Frisia'.

Accepted botanical name

Robinia pseudoacacia

In the US and Canada

Native in the lower 48 states. Introduced in Canada.

Native range

Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Tennessee.

Measured

Soil pH 4.6 to 8.2. Average height 1605 cm.

Sources: GBIF (CC BY 4.0), USDA PLANTS and Trefle (CC BY 4.0). The care and design notes are LandscapeGPT's own.