The Best Ligularias

They’re big, they’re bold, and they’re a sight to behold, so find out which ones are built to last

Simple fact : Gardeners make love bold - leaved plants . Large leave-taking make great foils for the foliage of weblike plants while imbuing the garden with a bit of the exotic , which may explicate the tropic - works hysteria we ’ve experienced in recent years . But you do n’t have to bank on plant from the equatorial zone to get a VD of drama . Ligularias ( Ligulariaspp . and cvs . , USDA Hardiness Zones 4–8 ) have impressively exuberant foliage , and they ’re perennial that are built for the shade . True , their leaf may not be as prominent as that of an elephant ’s auricle , but their prodigal leaves add a distinct tropic feel to temperate garden . Ligularias are not just one - trick trot , either ; their exuberant flowers can be telling , too .

Not all ligularias , though , are created equal . A closer look reveals a miscellany of distinctive foliage shapes ; strike floral variations ; and plants that are large , tall , and small — and some that never really live up to any of this potency . Ligularias , disregarding of salmagundi , get a bad pat for being difficult plant life when , in fact , they ’re pretty promiscuous to grow if you mind a few basic guidelines . That does n’t signify , however , that there are n’t top performers in this diverse radical . After set more than 30 ligularias to the test , the following six selections are ones that I would plant again , not only at the Chicago Botanic Garden ( CBG ) but also at my family , where space is at a bounty .

Topperformers

‘ Britt Marie Crawford’(L. dentata‘Britt Marie Crawford ’ ) is the gold girl of Ligularia . The emerge leaves are a luscious , glossy , chocolate - maroon and , hands down , the darkest purple of the big - folio ligularia cultivars . But all adept things must reach , and like the others , the maroon finally fades to unripe while retaining imperial undersides and theme . Given more sunlight — morning sun is best — the leave will hold their color longer . I ’ve experience ‘ BMC ’ growing in full sun with vivid maroon leaves in midsummer , so I get it on it ’s potential ( although water was surely plentiful ) . The coarsely toothed , kidney - shaped leaves can be quite expectant — well over a understructure across — but were typically little in our drier garden . Midsummer brings the sultry combining of luridly brassy blossoms on swarthy staunch stand about a foot above the profuse leaves .

‘ Palmatiloba’(L.×yoshizoeana‘Palmatiloba ’ ) is another titan on the ordering of Japanese ligularia ( bottom correct photo , p. 48 ) , which is n’t surprising given that it ’s one of this hybrid ’s parent . As the name mean , the roundish leaves are palmately lobed and ( along with the stem ) are unripened with a bit of purple . In midsummer , Martin Luther King Jr. - size ‘ Palmatiloba ’ sportsman bunched , flat - top inflorescences of orange - lily-livered daisies that are really arresting . ‘ Palmatiloba ’ is , unfortunately , a trivial weak stem after flowering , but tight neighbour will minimise its floppiness .

There is something exhilarating about‘The Rocket’(L. stenocephala‘The Rocket ’ ) in full dazzling flush ; it ’s like an explosion of fireworks all lit off at once . Lofty spires of bright yellow flowers soar skywards on drab empurpled halt in early summer . Each bloom has only one to three rays , so it looks much less daisylike than other genus Ligularia . I , personally , prefer the semblance and form of its flower to other somewhat - garish selections . This is one ligularia where the flowers ruff the leave . But do n’t get me wrong — there ’s nothing shabby about the foliage , either . fully grown and bold , the triangular fleeceable leafage feature on an irregular basis jagged edge . I once saw a memorable planting of ‘ The Rocket ’ at Sissinghurst Castle in England ; while I attributed the sensational show to immaculate garden design , I ’ve since assure this industrial plant grow to perfection here at menage with niggling or no care . Simply mind its moisture necessitate for success .

‘ Osiris Fantaisie’(L. dentata‘Osiris Fantaisie ’ ) was a previous addition to the trial , not come to us until 2008 , but we quickly learned that it was a standout — not only for its notional name but also for its differences from the Hellenic word form of other large - leaf Ligularia . Heart - mould purple leaves emerge in spring , swiftly turning to dark green with regal mineral vein and ruby - purple stems . While that vocalize all too familiar , the wavy gross profit allows peeks at the glossy regal underside , much like teasing glimpses of a cancan dancer ’s petticoats . To be honorable , the golden flowers experience slightly like an afterthought on this delightfully frilled beauty . Although not entirely tolerant to clout , ‘ Osiris Fantaisie ’ seems to be less desirable , perhaps due to its thick rubbery foliage .

There ’s no deny thatJapanese ligularia(L. japonica ) is the Goliath of this mathematical group , topping off at intimately 6 feet magniloquent with blossom . Its robust behaviour prolong to the dissected , decoration - mould leaves , which , at 16 column inch wide , are the largest and laciest of all . If you twinkle , you may escape the hint of bronze as the leaves open . But do n’t gall as the green leaves , like frilly sunshade , are truly typical and not lessen in the least by the deficiency of purple . In early summer , yellow - Orange River flowers tugboat high up above verdant hillock . Each blossom is nearly 4 inches across , yet the few - flower clusters are underwhelming for a plant of its size of it . I savour the buds more than the undetermined prime — they resemble squat green pumpkins adorn in soft hairs ( the marvelous bloom stalk are hairy , as well ) . On a positive note , slug did not appear to fancy Nipponese genus Ligularia ; but on the downside , floppy halt after flowering kept this cultivar from earning the number - one post .

While I do n’t pretend that I would n’t struggle with the pronunciation of a discussion starting with “ prz , ” I would never have gotten stuffy to the factual orthoepy ofLigularia przewalskii(sha - VAL - ske - ee).Shavalski ’s ligulariais a stout industrial plant with triangular gullible leaves that are deep turn out into fingerlike section . Bright yellow flower , with two or three rays each , are borne in many - flower , purple - stemmed spikes that are up to 21 inches long and 3 inch wide . Shavalski ’s ligularia is the utter pairing of dramatic flowers and special foliage .

New kids on the block

The following ligularias are supernew to the visitation , but their bright start produce me excited to watch how they grow over the next few years .

‘ Bottle Rocket’(L. stenocephala‘Bottle Rocket ’ ) , the third generation in the Rocket line , is the smallest yet . At 28 to 34 inches tall , it ’s a good foot short than ‘ Little Rocket ’ and more than 2 feet shorter than ‘ The Eruca sativa ’ ( bottom good photo , p. 45 ) . spike of Indian mustard sensationalistic flowers detonate upward from the center of the works in midsummer . It owe its tightness , in part , to the efflorescence ear ride right at the top of the dense leafy pitcher . Like its predecessor , ‘ Bottle Rocket ’ has heart - influence unripened leave with serrated margins ; according to some composition , ‘ Bottle Rocket ’ may be more heat tolerant , though , thanks to its thicker leave-taking . give way this potential and the timbre of the other Rockets , I have high hopes for this plant in the coming time of year .

For dramatic effect , look no further than‘Osiris Café Noir’(L. dentata‘Osiris Café Noir ’ ) , one of the newest introductions in the Osiris series . The black - purple color of the emerge leave remind me of ‘ Blackie ’ sweet potato vine ( Ipomoea batatas‘Blackie ’ , Zone 11 ) . But that ’s just the get-go as the color displace from deep purpleness to bronze and finally to olive unripe with purple nervure . The foliage variant is an overstated arrowhead with large , raggedly irregular tooth . gold yellow daisy crown purple stems in midsummer before the leaf color intensify again to bronze - green in fall . Our flora hold up through the gloss stages passably rapidly last summer — but then , it was one of the hottest summers on record .

If you ’re looking for something exotic,‘Dragon Wings’(L. przewalskii‘Dragon Wings ’ ) fits the bill . Its deep dissected leave are more spidery than the species and up to 1 foot across-the-board . Long slender steeple of icteric flower on purple stem pillar near 5 feet tall in summertime . My first impression is that ‘ Dragon Wings ’ is olympian with or without bloom . I tip my hat to the creative minds at Terra Nova Nurseries for seeing a flying dragon ’s wing and breath ( ‘ Dragon ’s Breath ’ is a smaller extract that we also grow last summer ) in these leave . Perhaps that sounds like I ’m disparaging the name . On the contrary — I’m connive by the notion . After all , what story is n’t good with a Draco and a wizard ?

Like a chameleon , the variegated pass on of‘Granito’(L.‘Granito ’ ) shift throughout the season . The mottled - green - and - bronze diversification of the Modern leaves looks like verdigris . Later , as the bronze fades by , it gets a mix of light-green and taupe chip , eventually morph to shades of green in summertime . This speckle or mottled appearance give me a “ duh ” moment when I realize that granite is the simple displacement of ‘ Granito ’ . The charm of the color shift is enhanced by curly margins that bring the leaves to spirit . cryptical purpleness halt restrain atomizer of halcyon yellow flowers over the heavyset plant , only 2 feet marvellous and wide . I think ‘ Granito ’ will give the best show in more calorie-free , so plant it in a moist , extremely shaded seat , then sit back and enjoy .

What you need to know aboutligularias

The words to remember are “moisture, moisture, moisture!”

These leafy beauties are not for every garden because they are a bit persnickety about where they ’ll spring up . For the just results , plant them in fertile , moist stain in luminousness to partial shade . The internet site does n’t have to be boggy , although Ligularia wo n’t mind if it is . A bit of Lord’s Day is appreciated as long as the territory does n’t dry out out ; in fact , some morning sunlight will bring out the brilliancy in purple - leaved forms , such as ‘ Britt Marie Crawford ’ , ‘ Othello ’ , and ‘ Desdemona ’ . Ligularias tend to show their bad side , though , when grown in wry , cheery locations . Accepting that ligularias are thirsty works is the first step in positioning them thoughtfully . On top of that , they are often dissed by gardeners because of their wilting ways ( see below ) . There ’s no way around the wilting — some traits are simply innate — but minding their ethnic motive will mitigate the inclemency .

Wilting doesn’t mean that it’s the end of the world

Ligularias wilt disease . The midday flagging of the leave is a raw trait but one that , nonetheless , bothers nurseryman . Regardless of clear exposure , ligularias droop in hot atmospheric condition , and wilting in full sunlight is a certainty — even if moisture is bountiful . ( A number of years ago , I encountered a genus Ligularia happily growing in a boggy meadow in Siberia , but it still flagged at high noon . ) The leave of absence convalesce as the warmth of the day passes , and by all accounting , this daily phenomenon does not adversely affect the health of plants grown in moist soils . A truly parched term , however , may be mistaken for this wilt shtick , but duplicate droop under dry consideration will rapidly take on a more ghastly aspect : scorched and sear leaves that do not vivify . Protect ligularias from hot sunshine and drying winds that exacerbate wilting , and turn off back any damage leaves to coax healthy 1 from the groundwork .

You can expect a midseason color change

Many big - leafage genus Ligularia flaunt purple leaves in springtime , which fade to a greenish colour as the time of year progresses ( pic , right ) . But some will hold on to at least some colour on their undersides and leaf stems ( or petioles ) throughout summertime .

A little deadheading goes a long way

Counteract Swiss-cheese syndrome with diligent pruning

Slugs and Japanese beetles are rapacious feeders on ligularia foliage , and with the exception of Japanese ligularia , all of the plants in our trial had run - in with them . These plaguey pestilence can quickly turn profuse , liberal leave raggedy , pee-pee a once - vibrant plant a tired and sad wreck ( inset photo , right ) . hit slug - holed leaves at the fundament encourages regrowth of newfangled parting . you could try using any combination of baits or hole to counter the onset , but I have yet to see anything that will deter a compulsive slug heading for a lush genus Ligularia .

Richard Hawke is the flora - evaluation manager at the Chicago Botanic Garden in Glencoe , Illinois .

Photos , except where take note : Danielle Sherry

Sources

The following postal service - order plant trafficker offer many of the ligularias featured :

Bluestone Perennials , Madison , Ohio ; 800 - 852 - 5243;bluestoneperennials.com

Digging Dog Nursery , Albion , Calif. ; 707 - 937 - 1130;diggingdog.com

Lazy S ’S Farm Nursery,2360 Spotswood Trail , Barbours - ville VA 22923;lazyssfarm.com

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‘Britt Marie Crawford’, Photo: Doreen Wynja for Monrovia Growers

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‘Britt Marie Crawford’, Photo: Doreen Wynja for Monrovia Growers

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