Ligularia dentata Little Golden Ray - Leopard Plant

The 'Little Golden Ray' Ligularia is a variety of small, very compact Dentate Ligularia with shiny dark green foliage, well suited for pot cultivation and border planting or small gardens. A true jewel of wetlands, it develops small dark heart-shaped, toothed leaves that perfectly highlight its strongly scented bright yellow-orange flowers, carried on red stems. Produced in the middle of summer, as if placed above its foliage, they radiate like little suns. This perennial thrives in a garden with light shade and gentle sun, where it never lacks water, and its small size gives it good resistance to wind.

The Ligularia dentata, sometimes called summer senecio, originating from China and Japan, belongs to the large Asteraceae family. 'Little Golden Ray' forms a very compact clump in spring that does not exceed 30 cm (12in) in height and the same in width. The small leaves of this variety are borne on long petioles. They are leathery, cordate at the base, very rounded, with strongly toothed edges. Their colour is dark green. From July to September, corymbs or inflorescence bouquets in heads, which we call flowers, bloom. Each head, 5-6 cm (2in) wide, is composed of a row of ligules, bright yellow turning orange at the base, very bright, arranged in a collar around a central disc that is darker. It blooms at the top of tall, red, branched stems, with an orange mandarin-coloured bud. The deciduous vegetation of the ligularia disappears in winter and regrows in spring.

Plant the 'Little Golden Ray' Ligularia in moist, rich, deep, neutral to acidic soil. This plant cannot tolerate lack of water and adapts very well to clay soils if they are healthy and well amended. Plant 'Little Golden Ray' ligularia in groups of 3 to 6 plants, for example along a pond edge or in very moist areas of the garden. It can also be grown in pots on the terrace, with regular watering, in filtered light. For decoration along water features, it can be combined with hostas, Carex morrowii Ice Dance, lysimaques, and salicaires. It can sometimes naturalize where the soil is consistently moist, protected from the burning rays of the sun. It is a good plant for enhancing a shaded area, on the north side of the house.