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, Aug 138 AM – 4 PM
- Fri, Aug 148 AM – 4 PM
- Sat, Aug 158 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.
Or skip the guesswork.
Curated packages bundle complementary species for an instant habitat. One reservation, one pickup day, a printed layout map.
Short on Space Package
For gardeners who have an abundance of passion but are short on space, this package features tidy, upright, clump-forming natives that behave and function well in small spaces.
Shade Bed Package
Ferns, sedges, and woodland natives that thrive under existing trees.
Birder’s Paradise Package
For the avid bird watchers and budding ornithologists in our community, the Birder’s Paradise Package consists of species that Hill House Nursery staff and longtime native plant advocates such as Doug Tallamy consider ‘premier bird garden plants’.