Leopard's bane
Doronicum orientale ·
Bright yellow daisies on bare stems above heart-shaped leaves in April, the earliest daisy of the year. It often goes dormant in summer heat.
- Size
- 18 in tall, 18 in wide
- Zones
- 4 to 7
- Light
- Part sun to part shade
- Flowers
- Mid April to mid May
- Pets
- Toxic to people
- Job in a bed
- Drift
A bed built around leopard's bane
The planner designed this bed around leopard's bane when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) English border in zone 6, part sun. It chose the other plants from the 708 that suit those conditions, and says below why leopard's bane stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Leopard's bane × 8, yellow
- 2 Moor grass 'Greenlee' × 4, tan
- 3 Coral bells 'Firefly' × 8, red
- 4 Brown-eyed Susan × 5, yellow
- 5 Blue wood aster × 3, lavender
- 6 Pieris 'Little Heath' × 1, variegated leaves
- 7 Crocosmia 'Emily McKenzie' × 5, orange
- 8 Meadow saffron × 8, white
Why this plant
- Nothing here is unique to it. Its leaf, flower shape and colour are all on the plan already. Its case rests on where it stands and when it performs.
Why here
- In the middle. At 18 in it is the step between moor grass 'Greenlee' (12 in) in front and pieris 'Little Heath' (2½ ft) behind: each is seen over the one before.
- 8 plants in 2 groups (5 and 3). Seen again further along, the same plant ties the bed together.
Why now
- In flower for five weeks. From mid April to mid May.
- Opens the season. For its first four weeks nothing else on the plan is in flower.
- Leaves gone by midsummer. They die back and leave bare ground. A perennial that comes up late stands beside it, and grows over the gap.
Planned as an English border: 6 of the 7 groups (86%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. Blue wood aster and brown-eyed Susan anchor the back corners of the bed: the tallest plants on the plan stand there. The scheme leans hot (yellow, red and orange) and uses lavender for relief, with tan and white to calm things between them.
The planner's own design check: 11 Excellent, 6 Good.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where leopard's bane goes in a border
At 18 in it belongs at the front of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is short (12 to 18 in).
Its job: drift. Planted in a small group of three or five, and repeated further along in the other number.
A daisy in tulip season is unexpected and useful: yellow with blue forget-me-nots and brunnera is a classic spring scheme. Plant later perennials around it to fill the summer gap.
- Early yellow with spring bulbs
- Part shade under deciduous trees
- Cut flowers
What to plant with leopard's bane
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Siberian bugloss: blue against yellow, opposite each other on the colour wheel, in flower together for four weeks; bold leaves against its medium ones; happy in the same moist soil.
- Virginia bluebells: blue against yellow, opposite each other on the colour wheel, in flower together for four weeks; happy in the same moist soil.
- Hosta: its green leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; bold leaves against its medium ones; spires rising out of its mound.
Questions about leopard's bane
Does leopard's bane need sun or shade?
Leopard's bane grows in part sun (4 to 6 hours of sun, including some afternoon sun) and part shade (2 to 4 hours of sun, mostly in the morning).
It wants soil that stays evenly moist, rich in organic matter, and a good soak in dry spells.
What zones does leopard's bane grow in?
USDA zones 4 to 7. It is hardy to zone 4, which means it survives winter nights down to about −20 °F (−29 °C).
Above zone 7 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 leopard's bane flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers mid April to mid May. As a spring flower it moves about a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer, later where it is colder.
| Zone 4 | Late April to late May |
|---|---|
| Zone 5 | Mid April to mid May |
| Zone 6 | Mid April to early May |
| Zone 7 | Early April 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 leopard's bane 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 18 in (45 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many leopard's bane 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 a group of three or five, with a second group further along in the other number.
In the bed above, the planner used eight in two groups.
Is leopard's bane poisonous?
Yes: mild toxicity to people. May cause mild stomach upset if eaten.
Is there a native plant like leopard's bane?
Leopard's bane is not native to North America. These North American natives come closest to doing its job:
- Woodland phlox: the same job in a bed and the same flowering time; 6 in shorter, blue, lavender or white, not yellow.
- Creeping Jacob's ladder: the same job in a bed and the same flowering time; 4 in shorter, blue, not yellow.
- Virginia bluebells: the same job in a bed, the same size and the same flowering time; belongs in the middle, not at the front, blue, not yellow.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
What flowers after leopard's bane?
Leopard's bane is over by mid 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.
- Sweet woodruff: from early May to early June, 8 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
- Columbine: from early May to mid June, 24 in tall.
What does leopard's bane look like in winter?
Leopard's bane has long gone by winter: it dies down in summer, soon after flowering, and comes back in spring.
In these guides
Every fact on record
- Type
- Perennial
- Size
- 18 in (45 cm) tall, 18 in (45 cm) wide
- Plant
- 12 in (30 cm) apart
- Height class
- Short (12 to 18 in)
- Place in the bed
- Front
- Flowers
- Mid April to mid May; daisies; yellow
- Leaves
- Medium texture, summer-dormant; green
- Shape
- Mounding, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 4 to 7
- Light
- Part sun, part shade
- Soil
- Rich, evenly moist
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- Light, in spring
Checked against 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.