Golden ragwort
Packera aurea · Asteraceae
A carpet of glossy, heart-shaped, evergreen leaves, purple beneath, with clouds of golden-yellow daisies on tall stems in spring.
- Size
- 20 in tall, 18 in wide
- Zones
- 3 to 8
- Light
- Full sun to shade
- Flowers
- Mid April to late May
- Pets
- Toxic (mild)
- Job in a bed
- Carpet
A bed built around golden ragwort
The planner designed this bed around golden ragwort when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) naturalistic planting in zone 6, part sun. It chose the other plants from the 708 that suit those conditions, and says below why golden ragwort stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Golden ragwort × 17, yellow
- 2 Bloody cranesbill 'Max Frei' × 3, pink
- 3 Lingonberry × 8, pink
- 4 Brown-eyed Susan × 3, yellow
- 5 Foxglove beardtongue × 5, white
- 6 Dwarf English boxwood × 1, dark green leaves
- 7 Spring starflower × 12, blue
Why this plant
- Part of the matrix. The low fabric of grasses and groundcovers that the taller plants come up through.
Why here
- Under the taller plants. It runs back between them as living mulch: there its job is to cover the soil, not to be looked at.
- A step in the back row. Next to dwarf English boxwood (2½ ft) and foxglove beardtongue (3½ ft): no two neighbours there are the same height, so the back steps up and down like a skyline.
- 17 plants in 3 groups (9, 5 and 3). Seen again further along, the same plant ties the bed together.
Why now
- In flower for 7 weeks. From mid April to late May.
- Fills a gap. For one of those weeks nothing else on the plan is in flower.
Planned as a naturalistic planting: low grasses and groundcovers, the matrix, make up 57% of the planted ground. There is more golden ragwort than anything else, 17 plants in all. Cool colours (pink and blue) with yellow as the warm note, and white to calm things between them.
The planner's own design check: 12 Excellent, 5 Good. It flags one thing to watch: Nothing on this plan is highly poisonous or an aggressive spreader.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where golden ragwort goes in a border
At 20 in it belongs in the middle of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is medium short (18 to 24 in).
Its job: carpet. A groundcover planted in threes and fives to cover the soil: along the front, and just behind it.
One of the few native groundcovers vigorous enough to hold its own against weeds, and it flowers in shade. It spreads by runners and seed, so use it where it can roam.
- Native groundcover for moist shade
- Spring colour under trees
- Out-competing weeds
What to plant with golden ragwort
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Wild geranium: in flower together for five weeks, from early May; happy in the same moist soil.
- Woodland phlox: blue against yellow, opposite each other on the colour wheel, if you choose those colours, in flower together for five weeks; low enough (12 in) to stand in front of it; happy in the same moist soil.
- Christmas fern: its dark green leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after.
Questions about golden ragwort
Does golden ragwort need sun or shade?
Golden ragwort grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day), part sun (4 to 6 hours of sun, including some afternoon sun), part shade (2 to 4 hours of sun, mostly in the morning) and shade (less than 2 hours of direct sun, or bright dappled light).
It wants soil that stays evenly moist, of average fertility, and a good soak in dry spells. It copes with soil that stays wet.
What zones does golden ragwort grow in?
USDA zones 3 to 8. It is hardy to zone 3, which means it survives winter nights down to about −30 °F (−34 °C).
Above zone 8 it struggles: the zones measure winter cold, but a plant's top zone usually means the summers are too hot or the winters too mild for it to rest.
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does golden ragwort flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers mid April to late May. As a spring flower it moves about a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer, later where it is colder.
| Zone 3 | Early May to mid June |
|---|---|
| Zone 4 | Late April to early June |
| Zone 5 | Mid April to late May |
| Zone 6 | Mid April to late May |
| Zone 7 | Early April to mid May |
| Zone 8 | Late March to early May |
Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.
How far apart should golden ragwort be planted?
12 in (30 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 18 in (45 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 20 in (50 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many golden ragwort plants do I need?
At 12 in apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 12 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 11 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 38 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as threes and fives, along the front and just behind it.
In the bed above, the planner used 17 in three groups.
Is golden ragwort poisonous to dogs and cats?
Yes: mild toxicity to people, dogs, cats and horses. Contains alkaloids that can damage the liver if eaten regularly, mainly a risk to grazing animals. The sap can irritate skin.
Rated from NC State Extension. Where references disagree, the more cautious rating is used.
Is there a pet-safe plant like golden ragwort?
These come closest to doing what golden ragwort does, and no toxicity is recorded for them:
- Green-and-gold: the same job in a bed, the same flowering time and the same colour; belongs at the front, not in the middle, 14 in shorter.
- Bugleweed 'Black Scallop': the same job in a bed and the same flowering time; belongs at the front, not in the middle, 14 in shorter.
- Barren strawberry: the same job in a bed, the same flowering time and the same colour; belongs at the front, not in the middle, 15 in shorter.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
Do deer eat golden ragwort?
They may. NC State does not list it as resistant to deer or rabbits. Where they visit, protect it, or plant it among ones they avoid.
Will golden ragwort spread?
It spreads sideways, by runners or roots; the risk of it taking over is moderate. Spreads by underground runners and can crowd its neighbours. Dig out the edges or divide every 2 to 3 years.
What flowers after golden ragwort?
Golden ragwort is over by late May. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Lady's mantle: from late May to early July, 18 in tall.
- Astilbe: from late June to mid July, 24 in tall.
- Butterfly weed: from late June to early August, 24 in tall.
What does golden ragwort look like in winter?
Golden ragwort holds some of its leaves into winter, more in a mild year or a sheltered spot, and they look tired by March. Cut the old ones off as new growth starts.
Is golden ragwort good for bees and butterflies?
Golden ragwort is visited by pollinators, butterflies and songbirds.
It is a host plant: the caterpillars of northern metalmark feed on its leaves. A butterfly can only lay its eggs on its host plants, so these do more for it than any nectar flower.
It is native to the United States and Canada.
In these guides
- Plants for wet soil and rain gardens
- Garden plants toxic to cats
- Garden plants toxic to dogs
- Native perennials for pollinators
- Native plants for shade
- Garden plants native to Canada
- Plants for butterflies
- Plants that feed garden birds
- Groundcover plants
Zone guides: Zone 3 · Zone 4 · Zone 5 · Zone 6 · Zone 7 · Zone 8
Every fact on record
- Type
- Perennial (groundcover)
- Size
- 20 in (50 cm) tall, 18 in (45 cm) wide
- Plant
- 12 in (30 cm) apart
- Height class
- Medium short (18 to 24 in)
- Place in the bed
- Middle
- Flowers
- Mid April to late May; daisies; yellow
- Leaves
- Medium texture, semi-evergreen; dark green
- Shape
- Mat-forming, spreading
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 3 to 8
- Light
- Full sun, part sun, part shade, shade
- Soil
- Average, evenly moist
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- None needed
- Family
- Asteraceae
- Comes from
- Eastern Canada and Eastern United States to Texas
- Attracts
- Pollinators, butterflies, songbirds
- Host plant for
- Northern metalmark
- Stands up to
- Wet soil
Checked against NC State Extension and VASCAN (plants of Canada). Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.