Ranunculus ficaria Brazen Hussy - Lesser Celandine

Ranunculus ficaria 'Brazen Hussy', discovered in Great Dixter in the garden of the famous landscape designer Christopher Lloyd, is an improved version of the lesser celandine, which is very common in cool undergrowth. This small perennial produces light and bright yellow flowers from early spring. They truly sparkle like buttercups. They emerge from shiny dark foliage, almost at ground level. This variety gradually spreads, forming beautiful colonies in slightly cool soils, even under the cover of deciduous trees to which it perfectly tolerates root competition. A delightful ground cover, perfectly paired with the blue flowers of hepaticas, or Anemone blanda.

Ranunculus ficaria, also known as Ficaria verna, Ficaria ranunculoides, or simply as lesser celandine, belongs to the Ranunculaceae family, just like our famous buttercup. It is native to Europe, western Asia and North Africa, and has been introduced to North America where it has sometimes become invasive. It can be found in light deciduous forests, where it blooms early in spring before the trees' leaves develop, at the edge of forests, and in moist and wet places like the banks of rivers. It also likes meadows, embankments, and hedges, where it grows up to 1600m (5249ft) altitude, always in relatively moist soil.

It is a small perennial plant with brown and swollen roots forming small tubers. They ensure its vegetative multiplication and allow it to colonise space quite quickly. Its above-ground vegetation disappears after flowering, which corresponds to its resting period. The lesser celandine spends the first part of winter in bud form and develops its new leaves before flowering, in January-February depending on the climate. 

The cultivar 'Brazen Hussy' distinguishes itself with its very dark foliage. Forming a small tuft 5cm (2in) tall, this lesser celandine spreads quite rapidly over at least 30cm (12in) of ground. Its foliage is composed of heart-shaped leaves, 4 to 9cm (2 to 4in) wide. They are thick and shiny, with a colour that is a mix of purple-violet, dark brown and very dark green. Flowering occurs from March to May, depending on the climate, sometimes as early as February. Clumps of foliage emerge from peduncles 15 to 20cm (6 to 8in) tall, each bearing a solitary flower measuring 3 to 4cm (1 to 2in) in diameter, composed of 6 to 12 oval and elongated petals. The blooms are well separated, and display a light and shiny yellow on the top. The flowers open in the morning and close in the evening, even in cloudy or rainy weather. Numerous yellow stamens and carpels are located at the centre. The lesser celandine reproduces poorly through spontaneous sowing. Before the vegetation disappears, the plant develops bulblets in the axils of the leaves. They detach along with a small piece of stem with a bud. This tiny seedling falls to the ground and takes root, ensuring the multiplication of the lesser celandine.

Being very easy to grow in ordinary soil, 'Brazen Hussy' has good hardiness (-20°C (-4°F)). It prefers moist soils, even marshy ones, but also adapts easily to any good soil that is not too dry. It can also be grown in pots to adorn a patio or balcony, starting from late winter. Plant it at the edge of a grove or in a wildflower bed, in partial shade or in full sun, alongside hepaticas (Hepatica nobilis), lungworts, brunneras, or blue forget-me-nots, with their complementary colours. It is also a good perennial for moist banks, even in partial shade, next to Rodgersias pinnata 'Chocolate Wings' or Actaea simplex 'Brunette', with their purple foliage.