Ligularia

Botanical/Latin
   Ligularia

Pronunciation
   lig-u-lare-ee-ah

Common Name
   Senecio

Hardiness zone range
   4 - 8

General Comments
Bold, handsome plants with large, leathery, basal leaves that form a rounded shape with strong flower stems that reach above the foliage to display yellow flowers in summer.

Uses
They are at home near water features like ponds, streams, or in bog gardens. Use them as single specimens or grouped in bold, informal drifts. They look great when naturalized with moisture loving wild flowers and perennials, or in moist, shady, woodland gardens.

Established clumps create a dense canopy that makes great, low maintenance cover. The L. dentata types have a dark purple reverse to the huge leaves. This looks particularly pleasing when a breeze blows and ruffles the foliage; when placing the clumps, try to find a position that gives a good view of this attractive feature.

Light Preference
Sun to partial shade, they grow well in both conditions, providing they have ample moisture and good soil conditions. As a general rule, the sunnier the position, the more moisture is required; flowering is often more pronounced in sunnier conditions. In shady conditions, the foliage is usually larger and more luxuriant.

Culture
They prefer conditions that are cool and moist. They love plenty of humus at their roots, so it is a good idea to supplement the planting holes with extra organic matter (peat, manure, compost, etc.) and mulch after planting. This promotes strong healthy clumps and helps to retain soil moisture. After flowering, remove the flower stalks. On bright sunny days, plants will sometimes alarmingly wilt in the afternoon sun. Unless they are excessively dry, this is usually a temporary condition; they normally perk up and become turgid again in the cool of the evening and night.

They slowly develop into large, impressive clumps that only need to be divided occasionally. If division is needed, they can be lifted and divided in early spring. Free from disease, slugs are their only enemy. They chew holes in the new leaves in spring, so control with slug bait or "beer" traps (see Splendor suggestions for details).

Background
The botanical name comes from the Latin word ligula meaning a strap, referring to the strap-like appearance of the individual petals on the flowers. Ligularias are mostly native to eastern Asia. There are up to 150 different species, but only a few of these have ornamental merit. The best of these were found in China and Japan by two Russian plant collectors, Carl Maximowicz and Nicolai Przewalski. They undertook scientific expeditions around 1860 and sent dried specimens back to St. Petersburg Botanical Garden. Maximowicz spent most of his life studying the flora of this region and became the foremost authority, acquiring collections from other explorers. St. Petersburg became the best place in the world to study the flora of Japan. Living plants were sent to the English nursery firm of Veitch by Ernest "Chinese" Wilson. They were distributed in the nursery trade, and the cultivated varieties we grow today are selections and hybrids that occurred both in England and Germany between 1915 -1940.

Splendor Suggestions
For a simple, effective, and organic slug and snail trap, put a little beer in a shallow container and place near the plants. They are attracted to the beer, fall in, and drown. A larger lid or container placed loosely over the top will keep rain out. The contents of the container should be emptied and replenished frequently. The worst damage is usually in spring and early summer. If the idea of emptying beer traps full of dead slugs is not appealing, then another approach is to put down a 2 -3 inch wide barrier of diatomaceous earth. Slugs hate to scrape their bodies over this highly abrasive material, so they will leave the plants untouched.

Companion Plants
They combine well with the fine-textured foliage and airy flower plumes of Astilbes and Aruncus (Goatsbeard). The large colorful leaves of Hostas make good planting partners and the lacy texture of ferns provides nice contrast.

The upright, spiky flowers of Veronica `Icicle' or Veronicastrum 'Apollo' look well when positioned in front of these large, impressive clumps; Hemerocallis (Daylilies) also work well in places that are not too swampy.