How to Plant and Grow Ligularia

With giant, coarse-textured leaves, perennial ligularia makes a foliage-heavy addition to shade gardens. The leaves are sometimes triangular, sometimes kidney-shaped, and tend to be toothed around the edges. Ligularia is hardy in Zones 4-9. As they emerge, the leaves of many ligularia varieties develop a rich burgundy color. Depending on the type, this deep hue may stay throughout the season or fade to a deep green.

In addition to the foliage, ligularia has two types of blossoms: tall stalks with several small flowers (reminiscent of bottlebrush) or loose stalks of erratic, larger, daisy-like blossoms. No matter their form, the petals of ligularia flowers are always a bright golden color.

Where to Plant Ligularia

When considering where to plant ligularia, seek moisture-retentive soil; you may even consider placing it alongside water gardens. It can be tricky siting ligularia for sun exposure. Ideally, these plants should be placed in partial sun. Very tall flowering varieties will likely flop in too much shade because the flowers will stretch toward the sun. Given their size and dramatic foliage and flowers, ligularias make an eye-catching statement in the middle of a border or around a pond.

How and When to Plant Ligularia

The optimal time to plant ligularia is either early spring or early fall. In spring, new plants will get the light and warm weather they require for a successful growing season. If planted in the fall, they'll have time to establish roots in the soil before the next growing season starts. Remember that they constantly need moist soil, so plant in a spot where that's possible. Dig a hole about the same width and depth as the planting container. Remove the plant and loosen the roots a bit from the root ball before placing in the hole. Backfill with soil, tamp lightly. Water deeply twice a week when first planted, then once a week as needed.

Ligularia Care Tips

The most important thing to know about growing ligularia is that it requires constant moisture. Apart from the supplemental watering, ligularia doesn't need much maintenance.

Light

Sunlight needs for ligularia vary, depending on your overall goal for the garden. The best location will have partial sun, but ligularia can also handle full shade, preferably dappled. However, much of the burgundy in the foliage will fade to deep green, and the blossoms will be sparser with less sunlight.

Soil and Water

Especially in warmer climates, ligularia needs supplemental water throughout the summer to prevent wilting. (Unless the soil is consistently damp, there's a very good chance ligularia will wilt almost daily in areas with hot summers.) These perennials prefer rich, organic soil. If needed, add compost to enrich the ground in your garden.

Temperature and Humidity

Ligularia is native to Asia—specifically Siberia, Japan, and China—so it prefers a temperate climate with a temperature range of 60-75 degrees Fahrenheit. When temperatures climb above 75 degrees, your ligularia plant may wilt. The foliage is sensitive to excess heat (another reason it prefers shady spots) but it should recover as temperatures cool down.

Ligularia also enjoys a humid environment but does not require it in the air as long as the soil is kept consistently moist. If your ligularia is looking limp or wilted and temperatures are not above 75 degrees Fahrenheit, it may be suffering from a lack of moisture.  

Fertilizer

If the soil where you plant ligularia is humus- and nutrient-rich, fertilizer isn't needed. Add peat moss (or an eco-friendly alternative) or bone meal to the soil before planting, and add a layer of organic compost each year.

Pruning

Prune dead blooms from the plant during the season, but wait until the first frost to cut it back for winter. Otherwise, ligularia doesn't need regular pruning.

Potting and Repotting Ligularia

If you grow ligularia in a container, it should be at least 12 inches in diameter. Add around 1 inch of soil over the roots. Fertilize monthly to keep the soil rich, but don't overfertilize, and don't add fertilizer during the dormant winter months. When the roots start to grow out of the container, replant to a larger one.

Pests and Problems

There are few problems with ligularia, but common garden pests like snails and slugs can do damage since they chew on the leaves. Use a reliable method to keep slugs out of your plants.

How to Propagate Ligularia

Ligularia can be divided in early spring as new foliage emerges or in late summer when the plant is
going dormant. If you divide in the spring, your new plants will reap the benefits of a warm growing season. If you divide in late summer or early fall, your baby plants will benefit from a lengthy dormancy during which they can establish strong roots.

To propagate, dig up the parent plant and tease apart the roots. Use a sharp blade to split the plant at the root crown making sure each division has viable shoots. If you would like to boost root growth, place the roots in a mix of 50 percent water and 50 percent fertilizer and wait to plant your specimens until the roots are about 2 inches long.

To plant your divided babies, dig a hole just large enough to accommodate the root ball, place the plant, and backfill the soil making sure not to cover the root crown. Tamp the soil into place and water thoroughly.

To grow from seed, prepare a pot or growing tray with soil that will stay moist enough to encourage germination (such as a blend of potting soil, peat moss, and perlite). Saturate the soil and then press your ligularia seeds onto the surface of the soil, covering them only slightly with more soil. Mist the soil and cover the pot with plastic wrap to hold in as much moisture as possible. Keep the seeds in a place where they can get light, but where temperatures will remain between 55- and 65 degrees Fahrenheit. The seeds may take as little as 2 weeks or as long as 6 weeks to sprout. Once the seedlings are a few inches tall, they'll be ready for planting.

Types of Ligularia

'Britt Marie Crawford' Ligularia

One of the most commonly planted ligularia, the 'Britt Marie Crawford' has purple coloring and a solid display of blooms each year. It reaches 3 feet tall. Zones 4-8

'The Rocket' Ligularia

This ligularia has triangular-toothed leaves and foliage that starts off burgundy and fades to deep green. Reaching over 5 feet tall, 'The Rocket' promises some of the tallest flower spikes amongst ligularia. Zones 4-8

Ligularia Companion Plants

Daylily

Daylilies are so easy to grow you'll often find them in ditches and fields, but they look very delicate, with trumpet-shaped blooms in myriad colors. Although each flower lasts a single day, superior cultivars carry numerous buds on each scape, so bloom time is long, especially if you deadhead daily. The strappy foliage may be evergreen or deciduous.

Globe Thistle

Globe thistle is one of the most elegantly colored plants around. Large balls of steel-blue flowers emerge in midsummer with coarse, grayish-green leaves. Globe thistle makes an excellent cut flower, lasting for weeks in a vase. In the right conditions, it will reseed fairly readily; deadheading the flowers shortly after they fade will prevent unwanted spread. Zones 3-10

Balloon Flower

The inflated buds of balloon flowers are fun to pop. They also make great cut flowers. Most commonly blue-violet, balloon flowers also come in pink or white. In fall, the foliage turns clear gold, so don't cut the plant down too early. They tolerate light shade but not wet feet or drought. Zones 4-9

Black-Eyed Susan

Add sunshine to your garden with a massed planting of black-eyed Susan. From midsummer, these tough native plants bloom in sun or light shade and mix well with other perennials, annuals, and shrubs. Tall varieties look especially lovely among shrubs, which in turn provide support for the stalks. Zones 3-11