Elephant Ears Offer Showy Boost

By Jos Van Hage

A perennial that is not so well known but is a show stopper is ‘Ligularia’ commonly known as rayflower. It has large, rounded leaves and the flowers rise above the foliage making a beautiful show.

The leaves are very large, and rhubarb like, and sometimes the plant is given the name ‘elephant ears’. The flowers are bright yellow and orange depending on variety. The daisy flowers on ‘wilsoniana’ grow on tall spikes and are chrome yellow. They can reach heights of 4-6 feet making it an excellent plant for the back of borders. They come into bloom in mid summer and bloom for many weeks. The leaves on wilsoniana are very large and rounded and are a dark green in color.

The plant itself is hardy, easy to care for, and deer resistant. Another variety that adds color to the landscape is ‘Dentata Britt Marie Crawford’ which has chocolate foliage and clusters of 4 foot spikes of golden orange, daisy flowers.

Ligularia grows best in a moist area where it will receive afternoon shade. They do very well along side ponds, streams or low lying areas where there is enough moisture, or where there is water made available during dry spells. During dry spells give them a deep water and they will do well. The plant itself forms a clump and is not invasive. They are long lived and seldom need to be divided, so once they are planted in the right environment they can grow there for many years.

We have a ligularia in our landscape at home that has been growing there for a few years and has done well so we have planted a few more in other areas of the yard this year.

It is certainly a perennial worth considering if you have the right conditions for it.

-Jos

Jos Van Hage owns and operates two Art  Knapp  Garden  Centres  in Prince George:

-Highway 16 west at  Kimball Rd.

-Highway 97 north at Northwood Pulpmill  road

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