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Ligularia in bloom.
Q:
I saw a picture of a beautiful plant called ligularia in a garden catalog. It sounds like it's winter-hardy in our area, but I don't recall ever seeing one in anyone's garden. Will they grow in our area?
A: Yes, in the right spot. Ligularia is sometimes called "leopard plant," and it's a perennial that's reliably winter-hardy in central Pennsylvania.
What it doesn't like is boiling heat and dry soil. Grow ligularia in a damp, shaded spot, such as along a shady creek back or along a northern or eastern house foundation. Or at least keep it well watered in dry weather.
When it's in a happy spot, ligularia gets big, wide leaves and sends up showy yellow flower spikes in summer.
A particularly nice variety is 'Britt-Marie Crawford,' which also has deep, rich, burgundy leaves in addition to deep golden-yellow flowers.