Roundleaf Ragwort
Packera obovata
Bright golden flowers light up the shade in April and May above glossy evergreen rosettes. An early nectar source for queen bumblebees.
Typically 1 pint–1 gal · $9–$30 · final price at pickup
- Thu, Sep 248 AM – 4 PM
- Fri, Sep 258 AM – 4 PM
- Sat, Sep 268 AM – 2 PM
Early yellow blooms for shade with evergreen foliage and reliable spread to fill the ground layer under trees.
Roundleaf ragwort is one of spring's most reliable early bloomers for shade, opening clusters of bright golden-yellow flowers in April and May when most shade garden plants are barely awake. The blooms rise above a rosette of rounded, glossy leaves, creating a carpet of yellow that can light up a dark corner of the garden. It naturalizes steadily and fills in as a low evergreen groundcover between taller shade plants. Valuable as an early nectar source for queen bumblebees and spring-emerging native bees that need food while the garden is still ramping up. The foliage is evergreen, making it genuinely useful year-round as a ground layer in woodland and shade gardens. Few plants do more ecological work for less maintenance investment.
A nursery-grown plant, ready for the ground.
Healthy, container-grown roundleaf ragwort propagated on-site at Hill House from regional genetics. Includes a one-page care card. We make every effort to supply plants as listed; occasionally we substitute a similar species of equal value.
Plant roundleaf ragwort instead of Lesser celandine (Ficaria verna) in moist shade. Same job in the garden, without the spread.
- Sun
- Part sun
- Water
- Average
- Mature size
- 6"–1.5' · 12–24 in wide
- Bloom time
- April–May
- USDA zones
- 3–8
- Family
- Asteraceae
- Native range
- Eastern North America from Quebec south to Florida and west to Kansas and Nebraska
Care notes for roundleaf ragwort.
Part sun to full shade in moist to average soil. Spreads by stolons to form colonies over time. allow it to naturalize freely in a shade garden. Tolerates dry shade once established but performs best with consistent moisture. Remove spent flower stalks if desired; foliage rosettes need no deadheading.
Pairs well with these.
Same light, same soil, same wildlife. Janet's picks to plant alongside roundleaf ragwort.
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