- Approximate height: 30cm (12 inches)
- Recommended water depth over crown of plant: 0 - 7½ cm (0 - 3 inches)
- Flowering time: March to April
- Flower colour: Yellow
- Supplied in the solid 1 litre pot we grow them in - for best results we recommend potting on using a 2 litre pot
Our much-loved native marsh marigold, also known by many other names, such as kingcup and cow lily. It produces large yellow buttercup-like flowers in early spring with the typical Caltha shiny green heart-shaped leaves. It is one of the first plants to flower each year, providing a much-needed early burst of colour, and then if cut back hard in summer will often flower again in autumn.
Caltha palustris is unusual among flowering pond plants in that it will tolerate shade for half the day or more without problems. One of its natural habitats is wet woodland, where it will flower before the tree canopy fully develops and then die back for summer. This natural habit makes it useful for shadier sites. It is also very easy to grow.
Caltha palustris is on the RHS’ Plants for Pollinators list, providing an early nectar source for insects.
If designing a planting scheme, we recommend approximately 2 Caltha palustris plants per square foot of ground, or 1 plant per linear foot of pond edge. Read more here on how to pot and care for your plant.