Plants with lime green foliage are sold on the strength of how they look in a nursery pot in May, and that is the catch. For many of them, lime is a spring color. The leaves open bright and then settle toward plain green as summer heat builds.
A smaller group does the opposite and holds its color all season, or even brightens. These are the plants worth paying more for in a spot that is seen every day. Evergreen kinds go further and keep the color through winter.
Several also carry a second act. Some turn orange in cold weather, some flush red in fall, and a few set off the lime with blue or pink flowers. Knowing the full calendar of a plant prevents a bed that glows in spring and disappears by July.
This article covers 24 plants from groundcovers and perennials to vines, shrubs, and trees. Each entry states when the lime color peaks and whether it lasts. Hardiness ranges refer to the USDA zones used across the United States.
1. ‘Angelina’ Stonecrop
‘Angelina’ stonecrop is a creeping succulent with needle-like leaves that form a mat 3 to 6 inches tall. A single plant spreads to about 2 feet and roots wherever its stems touch soil. It is hardy in zones 5 to 9 and stays evergreen.
The foliage is lime green in spring and in light shade, and it brightens toward gold in full summer sun. Winter adds a second color, because after a few cold snaps it takes on a coppery bronze tinge. It needs sharp drainage and very little water.
2. Golden Oregano
Golden oregano is a low, spreading herb that forms a dense carpet 6 to 12 inches tall. The small, rounded leaves are edible and taste milder than common oregano. It is hardy in zones 4 to 9.
Its color is strongest in spring, when the new leaves are a clear lime-gold. Summer heat pushes it toward green, and hot afternoon sun can scorch the leaf edges. Shearing the plant in midsummer brings a fresh, bright flush.
3. Golden Baby’s Tears
Golden baby’s tears is a tiny creeping plant with leaves barely a quarter inch wide. It forms a soft mat 1 to 2 inches tall in moist shade. Outdoors it is limited to zones 9 to 11, and elsewhere it is grown in terrariums and pots.
Because it is evergreen, the lime color holds all year. Direct sun bleaches and burns it within days. In mild coastal gardens it spreads quickly through damp ground and can be hard to remove.
4. ‘Citronelle’ Coral Bells
‘Citronelle’ coral bells forms a tidy mound of lobed, chartreuse leaves about 12 inches tall and 14 inches wide. Creamy white flowers rise above the foliage in midsummer. It is hardy in zones 4 to 9.
This variety descends from a coral bells species native to the Southeast, so it tolerates heat and humidity better than most. The lime color lasts from spring through fall as long as the plant is shaded. Afternoon sun burns the leaves to tan.
5. ‘Stoplight’ Foamy Bells
‘Stoplight’ foamy bells is a compact perennial only 6 inches tall and about 14 inches wide. Each bright lime-yellow leaf carries a dark red blotch along its central veins. Sprays of small white flowers appear in spring.
The contrast is sharpest in spring, when the leaves are nearly yellow. By midsummer the background settles to lime green and the red fades somewhat. It grows best in part shade in zones 4 to 9.
6. ‘Guacamole’ Hosta
‘Guacamole’ hosta has large, glossy leaves with an apple-green center and a darker green margin. It was named Hosta of the Year in 2002. A mature clump reaches about 2 feet tall and 4 feet wide.
This is one of the plants whose color improves as the season goes on. The leaf centers brighten from apple green to chartreuse-gold through summer, especially with morning sun. Large, fragrant, pale lavender flowers open in August in zones 3 to 9.
7. ‘Gold Heart’ Bleeding Heart
‘Gold Heart’ bleeding heart pairs chartreuse foliage with peach-colored stems and rows of pink, heart-shaped flowers. It grows 2 to 3 feet tall in shade. The flowers appear in April and May.
Its lime display is strictly a spring event. The plant goes dormant and vanishes by midsummer in most climates, sooner in heat. Steady moisture extends the season by a few weeks in zones 3 to 9.
8. ‘Sweet Kate’ Spiderwort
‘Sweet Kate’ spiderwort has narrow, grass-like leaves in chartreuse-gold and three-petaled flowers of deep violet-blue. It forms a clump 12 to 18 inches tall. Each flower lasts a single day, but new ones open for weeks from June onward.
The foliage is brightest in sun with moist soil and turns greener in shade. By late summer the clump often looks tired and flops open. Cutting it to the ground then produces fresh lime growth for fall in zones 4 to 9.
9. ‘Ogon’ Sweet Flag
‘Ogon’ sweet flag is a grass-like plant with flat fans of leaves striped in chartreuse and green. It grows 10 to 12 inches tall and spreads slowly by creeping roots. The crushed leaves have a sweet, spicy scent.
It is evergreen in zones 6 to 9, so the color carries through winter. The plant needs constantly moist or even wet soil and suits pond edges and rain gardens. Leaf tips turn brown quickly if the soil dries out.
10. ‘Limelight’ Licorice Plant
‘Limelight’ licorice plant is a trailing foliage plant with small, felted, chartreuse leaves. The stems spread 2 to 3 feet and weave through other plants in a container. It is perennial only in zones 9 to 11 and is grown as an annual elsewhere.
The color holds from planting until frost, which is its main selling point. Part shade gives the truest lime, since strong sun bleaches the leaves to pale yellow. The plant tolerates drought once established and is not the source of licorice flavoring.
11. Golden Pineapple Sage
Golden pineapple sage is a tender shrub with chartreuse-gold leaves that smell of pineapple when crushed. It grows 3 to 4 feet tall in a single season. The leaves are edible and are used in teas and fruit salads.
The foliage keeps its color all summer in sun without scorching. Scarlet, tubular flowers open in fall, just as hummingbirds migrate south. It survives winter in zones 8 to 10 and is treated as an annual farther north.
12. ‘Rita’s Gold’ Boston Fern
‘Rita’s Gold’ is a Boston fern with chartreuse fronds and a slightly more compact shape than the green type. It was introduced by a Tennessee greenhouse owner and carries her name. It is used in hanging baskets and shaded containers.
New fronds are the brightest and age to a softer lime green. The plant needs shade or filtered light, and gardeners are warned that hot afternoon sun will scorch the fronds. It is hardy outdoors only in zones 9 to 11.
13. Golden Hops
Golden hops is a fast, twining vine with large, lobed, chartreuse leaves. It climbs 15 to 20 feet in a season and dies back to the ground each winter. Female plants bear the papery cones used in brewing.
The leaves are brightest from spring into early summer and turn greener as the season ends. Full sun gives the best color in the North, while afternoon shade prevents scorch in the South. It is hardy in zones 4 to 8, and the rough stems can irritate bare skin.
14. ‘Fiona Sunrise’ Jasmine
‘Fiona Sunrise’ is a form of common jasmine with golden-chartreuse leaves on twining stems. It climbs 10 to 15 feet on a trellis or fence. Clusters of very fragrant white flowers open in summer.
The new growth in spring is nearly gold and settles to lime as the leaves mature. In part shade the whole plant stays lime green. It is hardy in zones 7 to 10 and drops its leaves in colder winters.
15. ‘Lemon Fizz’ Santolina
‘Lemon Fizz’ santolina is a small evergreen shrub with finely cut, aromatic foliage. It forms a rounded mound 12 to 18 inches tall. Yellow, button-like flowers appear in summer.
This plant shifts with the seasons in the reverse of most. It is chartreuse-yellow in winter and full sun and lime green in summer and light shade. It needs excellent drainage and suits zones 7 to 9, where deer and rabbits leave it alone.
16. ‘Sunshine’ Ligustrum
‘Sunshine’ ligustrum is an evergreen shrub with small, golden-chartreuse leaves. It grows 3 to 6 feet tall and 3 to 4 feet wide and takes shearing well. It is hardy in zones 6 to 10.
The color lasts all year, golden in full sun and lime green in part shade. Unlike common privets, this variety is sterile and does not flower or reseed. That makes it a safe choice in the South, where ordinary privet is invasive.
17. ‘Lemony Lace’ Elderberry
‘Lemony Lace’ elderberry is a compact shrub with finely cut, feathery leaves. It grows 3 to 5 feet tall and wide. Clusters of white flowers open in early spring and are followed by red berries.
New growth emerges tinged with red and then opens bright chartreuse. The color is strongest in spring and early summer and softens to lime green later, especially in shade. It is hardy in zones 3 to 7 and needs afternoon shade in the warmer part of that range.
18. ‘Dart’s Gold’ Ninebark
‘Dart’s Gold’ is a selection of ninebark, a shrub native to eastern North America. It forms a dense mound 4 to 5 feet tall, with peeling bark that shows in winter. White flower clusters appear in June.
The leaves open golden yellow in spring and fade to lime green by midsummer. Fall brings a third color, a yellow tinged with bronze. Cutting the shrub back hard in late winter produces the brightest new growth in zones 3 to 7.
19. Chardonnay Pearls Deutzia
Chardonnay Pearls deutzia is a small, arching shrub 2 to 3 feet tall. Its narrow leaves are lime-yellow, and in May the stems are lined with round white buds that look like strings of pearls. The buds open to small, starry flowers.
The foliage holds its lime color all season, which is unusual for a spring-flowering shrub. Morning sun gives the best shade, and hot afternoon sun scorches the leaves. It is hardy in zones 5 to 8.
20. ‘Little Honey’ Oakleaf Hydrangea
‘Little Honey’ is a dwarf oakleaf hydrangea, a species native to the Southeast. It grows only 3 to 4 feet tall, with large, lobed leaves. White, cone-shaped flower clusters open in midsummer.
This shrub passes through 3 colors in a year. The leaves emerge golden yellow, turn chartreuse to lime in summer, and finish deep red in fall. It needs afternoon shade to avoid scorch and is hardy in zones 5 to 9.
21. ‘Golden Mop’ False Cypress
‘Golden Mop’ false cypress is a slow, mounding evergreen with stringy, thread-like foliage. It reaches 3 to 5 feet after many years and never needs pruning. It is hardy in zones 4 to 8.
The color lasts all year and depends on light. Plants in full sun are golden, while those in part shade are a steady lime green. The inner foliage is always greener than the tips, which gives the shrub a two-tone look.
22. ‘Hearts of Gold’ Redbud
‘Hearts of Gold’ is a gold-leaved form of the native eastern redbud. It was first found growing in a garden in Greensboro, NC in 2002. Lavender-pink flowers cover the bare branches in early spring.
The new leaves open orange-red, mature to gold, and then shift to chartreuse as summer advances. Leaves inside the canopy and on trees in part shade are a greener lime. The tree stays small, usually 15 to 20 feet, and is hardy in zones 5 to 9.
23. ‘Sunburst’ Honeylocust
‘Sunburst’ honeylocust is a thornless, seedless shade tree with fine, ferny leaves. It grows 30 to 40 feet tall and casts a light shade that lets grass grow beneath it. It is hardy in zones 4 to 9.
The color is carried by the branch tips, where new growth is golden, changing to bright green as it ages. In late spring the tree is gold outside and lime within. By midsummer most of the canopy has settled to light green.
24. ‘Ogon’ Dawn Redwood
‘Ogon’ dawn redwood, also sold as Gold Rush, is a deciduous conifer with soft, feathery needles in chartreuse-gold. It originated in Japan in the 1970s. The species was known only from fossils until living trees were found in China in the 1940s.
Unlike most trees on this list, it holds its color from spring until fall without greening. The needles then turn orange-brown and drop. It grows about 2 feet a year to 50 feet or more and is hardy in zones 5 to 8.
Key Takeaway
- Lime green foliage adds a bright, fresh appearance to gardens, landscapes, containers, and indoor spaces.
- Plants with lime green leaves range from shrubs and perennials to tropical plants, grasses, vines, and houseplants.
- The vivid leaf color can result from naturally occurring pigments, cultivar characteristics, or differences in chlorophyll concentration.
- Many lime green foliage plants create strong color contrast when planted alongside darker green, purple, burgundy, or variegated plants.
- Light requirements vary widely, with some varieties preferring bright indirect light or partial shade while others perform best in full sun.
- Choosing the right lime green plant depends on climate, soil conditions, available light, mature size, and whether it will be grown indoors or outdoors.