I recently bought a plant of Ligularia Britt-Marie Crawford. Couldn't resist it's beautiful dark leaves and orange flowers.
What experience have you had with Ligularias and what advice would you give me for planting?
What's your experience with Ligularia?
Hi.
I grew ligularia Otello and Desdemona when I lived in Montreal (zone 5). They enjoy shade, boggy conditions, compost and maybe a bit of protection in winter (leaves). They're not diffigult to grow if you give them what they want but then that's most plants, isn't it?
Best of luck in all your endeavours.
Sylvain.
I have mine in light shade. They do like it moister. No real problems - seem very hardy here.
I just love them, both. Mine have tripled in size in just a couple of years. People in MA. - call them Northeast elephant ears. I saw one in my area that had to be six feet tall. I have noticed slugs seem to eat the leaves. I'm going to treat my two tomorrow.
I have both Othello and The Rocket. I grow them in shade= one of them gets some afternoon sun and promptly wilts but as soon as the sun is gone it perks up. The others are under trees with high canopies so no sun but lots of light. They do like wet feet.
I had a neighbor grew it in full sun in a bog!
With leaves that size, they are highly susceptible to moisture loss caused by direct sunlight, as pointed out by Fancyfan. That artificial bog of mine "drank" 45 gallons of MiracleGrow-enriched water every day. The fertilizer solution was very weak but provided on a constant basis. That bog's theme was: "large leaves in the shade". There were petasites, ligularias and astilboides tabularis in there.
Sylvain.
Sylvain an interesting comment about the leave size vs moisture loss. I have a Rodgersia on the other side of the lilac tree from the Ligularia - same light conditions and although it is a shade plant it never wilts from the sun!
Sounds like you have a great bog. My neighbors sold the house and all the front garden including the mavellous bog was removed and replaced with grass! ( they took the plant with them!)
That was my artificial bog in Montreal's clay soil. We sold the house in 2007 before we moved to Florida. The new owner was horrified (his word) at the perennial garden, the pond, the artificial bog, the pool, the ostrich fern garden, etc. He wanted grass, a sandbox and a swing set for the kids.
Thankfully, when he was ready to remove everything, he called my old horticultural society. They came in one Saturday morning to dig up everything. There were many specimen plants in there that fellow members were coveting. The garden is gone but i know my babies are being tended by good, loving people.
Sylvain.
Sylvain You were lucky the new owner called the Hort.Society.
I plan to do the same thing - I have hundreds of perennials. When the time comes that I have to leave I will make arrangements with the Hort Society for a controlled dig up!
Might even put it in my will - just in case! In my neighborhood every time a little old bungalow sells it is knocked down and 2 infills or a duplex is put up - good use of the land but sure changes the neighborhood. If I know there are plants on the property I contact the owner and go rescue - if I dont need them lots of people do! . I have heard too many stories of beautiful gardens being turned under or torn out!
Once the yard had been dug up to save the specimens, the new owner had the nerve to call the hort society to ask that they send over a couple yards topsoil to fill the holes. At that point, their job was done and they told him to go fly a kite. What nerve!
Sylvain.
I grow both of these on the west side of my house. They are in acidic soil, they get afternoon sun and get a droopy but perk right back up when watered or when they get shade. I love them both and have had them for years. They transplant with ease. I don't have boggy conditions and don't water a great deal. They seem to absorb lots of moisture from the air. Good foggy sea air. I took some to our house in Southern Vermont and they are in semi shade there too, but in far less acidic soil and they do well. I don't water at all in Vermont. Patti
Here is the bed in Vermont that contains the Ligularia Britt-Marie Crawford, it is next to the tree on the left side facing behind the hosta and next to the ferns taken on July 2 2006. Sorry I couldn't find a better picture, but you can see the environment. The other is planted all the way in the back by the big stone wall, but you can't see them. Plant and enjoy. Patti
I feel sorry for people that do not see the beauty in nature. The work that you do to paint a natural picture that gives you peace & comfort. I'm so sorry that the new owner had no idea what beauty you created. I do. I've been working on my garden for a long time. Please have comfort, their are people out there that know what beauty you had created. Think to FL. & all the plants that you can now grow year round.
I have been growing ligularia for a couple years in several locations.
They seem to do well in mostly shade no extra water.
And do ok in afternoon sun planted at a water downspout at the corner of the house.
Are not doing well in full sun no extra water.Needless to say they are getting moved back where I got them. The pond bank is not wet enough this time of year for them.
Aline
I've got one desdemona ligularia in a boggy, shady area, and last year something (likely earwigs or slugs) chewed them down to stems! They came back this year, however, and look pretty happy. I'm hoping for flowers in a few weeks!
My neighbors are in the process of moving to a new development and have taken as many perennials with them as they could. I'm sad to see both them and the flowers leave. I get nervous planting so many perennials, as we plan to move in a few years, too! But I can't seem to help myself...
I have the Rocket, too. It looks very healthy but only put up one bloom spike, like last year. What am I doing wrong? It is in a shady place with plenty of moisture.
I have the lig. cristata (sp?) and it is rather vigorous planted inground, part sun. The plant may be thriving because of the excessive rain we've had this year, but I'm certainly not complaining.
I have been lusting after BM Crawford for a long time. Have bought it twice, lost it twice. I bought a third one (this is the LAST time) and planted it inground in a shady area, that's generally moist. It seems to like it there, but the snails are having a feast. I can't win for losing.
Also have Leopard ligularia, planted part sun, inground, gets droopy if thirsty, so I have it relatively near to water house.
I adore big, big, round leaves. Have had no luck w/ petasites or astilboides tabularis, which I would LOVE to grow in my garden, but I think it's too hot here.
Ligularia Britt-Marie Crawford is on my top 10 favorite perennial list! Its dark foliage looks just amazing in a shade garden. In my opinion its by far the best Ligularia out there.
Check out more growing info & other info here: http://www.perennialresource.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=plants.plantDetail&plant_id=596
Just one thing to add... while most Ligularia species are best placed in moist shade, don't be alarmed if the leaves wilt in the few hours of sun they may get. They'll perk up again as soon as the sun passes.
Re. favorites... It's purely a matter of opinion, but the L. dentata selections have nothing on the hybrid, L. x hessei - huge kidney-shaped leaves, with flower stems topping out at 6'-8' even in this cold climate... wow!
How much and what kind of fertilizer will make my ligulalria put up more bloom spikes?
Ligularias are easy to grow if given plenty of moisture. They tewnd to wilt in afternoon sun but pop right back when given moisture and shade.
Wow, I see this forum is sponsored by Bluestone - at least, the sponsors are quality, so far.