Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Rockets Away

'Little Rocket' blazing in the sun
Brightening up a partially shaded bed next to the upper dining patio, Ligularia 'Little Rocket' is another pleasing yellow perennial I planted a few years ago.  I passed up the more popular larger cultivar, 'The Rocket', which grows to over 4 feet for its dwarf cousin, 'Little Rocket', which only rises to 3 feet.  It's the perfect height for front of the border.  I tucked them right in front of a screen of trees and shrubs so that their bright yellow blooms would stand out against the dark evergreen foliage.

Even without its blooms, Ligularia has interesting shiny green leaves that remind me of a Heuchera.  The leaves stay fresh looking all season a with consistent watering.


Ligularia likes moisture and doesn't mind partial shade. Mine get a few hours of morning sun and some indirect afternoon sun.  This limited sun still fuels them enough for a magnificent explosion of color.  My yellow rockets started launching around the Fourth of July and still had a few yellow blooms this past week.

Launch a few of these brilliant rockets in your garden to extend summer fireworks past Independence Day.

Vegetation low enough for front of border, but flower spikes high enough to be highly visible

Sharp-edged leaves are an added attraction

2 comments:

Laurrie said...

I'm glad to see this profiled. I have long wanted ligularia but was afraid of its size. I have very little shade to put one in, but it's good to know there is a tidier dwarf, and I like seeing how it fits in your border so well. I could do something similar. Definitely want this!

Jeff, Gardener in Chief said...

Sounds like my original dilemma, but happy to have seen this at Eastlands, a local nursery. It was next to the bigger cultivar. I actually think 'Little Rocket' leaves are nicer looking too. A little glossier.

Thanks for reading!
-Jeff