About
A herbaceous perennial, up to 15cm high, with lime green lobed leaves that open after the cup-shaped flowers. Flowers are made up of six, pale sulphur-yellow petals surrounded by lime green "ruffs" of bracts in winter and early spring.
About the genus
Eranthis are small tuberous perennials with palmately or pinnately lobed basal leaves and cup-shaped flowers held above a collar of deeply lobed stem leaves
Growing conditions
SunlightFull sun, Partial shade
Soil typeChalk, Clay, Loam, Sand
Soil pHAlkaline, Neutral
Soil moistureMoist but well-drained
AspectNorth-facing, West-facing, South-facing, East-facing
ExposureSheltered
UK hardinessH6
Plant details
Plant typeBulbs
HabitClump forming
FoliageDeciduous
Height0.1-0.5 metres
Spread0.1-0.5 metres
Time to full height2-5 years
Suggested usesCity and courtyard gardens, Cottage and informal garden, Wildlife gardens
ToxicityPets: Harmful if eaten. For further information and contact numbers regarding pets, see the HTA guide to potentially harmful plants
Care notes
CultivationGrow in partial shade in soil which remains moist until midsummer and then becomes drier; will naturalise best in well-drained but humus-rich, moisture-retentive alkaline soil under deciduous trees or shrubs or in short lawns. Can be difficult to establish from dry tubers, so plant "in the green"
PruningNo pruning required
PropagationPropagate by division in spring after flowering
Pest resistanceMay be susceptible to slugs
Disease resistanceMay be susceptible to smuts