Ligularia 'Bottle Rocket'
Ligularia 'Bottle Rocket' ·
Dense spikes of mustard-yellow flowers on chocolate-coloured stems, held just above a compact mound of serrated, heart-shaped leaves.
- Size
- 2½ ft tall, 2½ ft wide
- Zones
- 4 to 9
- Light
- Part shade to shade
- Flowers
- Early July to early August
- Pets
- Not checked
- Job in a bed
- Drift
A bed built around ligularia 'Bottle Rocket'
The planner designed this bed around ligularia 'Bottle Rocket' when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) cottage garden in zone 6, part shade. It chose the other plants from the 354 that suit those conditions and its wet soil, and says below why ligularia 'Bottle Rocket' stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Ligularia 'Bottle Rocket' × 4, yellow
- 2 Lingonberry × 8, pink
- 3 Green-and-gold × 5, yellow
- 4 Northern sea oats × 3, tan
- 5 Korean feather reed grass × 1, pink
- 6 Autumn fern 'Brilliance' × 3, bronze leaves
- 7 Snowdrop × 12, white
- 8 Yellow trout lily × 5, yellow
Why this plant
- The only bold leaves here. The rest are fine and medium. A change of leaf keeps plants distinct when nothing is in flower.
- The only spires. The others are bells, daisies, airy sprays and others. Shape reads at a distance, where colours blur.
Why here
- At the back. At 2½ ft it is the step between autumn fern 'Brilliance' (22 in) in front and Korean feather reed grass (4 ft) behind: each is seen over the one before.
- A step in the back row. Next to northern sea oats (3½ ft) and Korean feather reed grass (4 ft): no two neighbours there are the same height, so the back steps up and down like a skyline.
- 4 plants in 2 groups (3 and 1). Seen again further along, the same plant ties the bed together.
Why now
- In flower for six weeks. From early July to early August.
- Fills a gap. For three of those weeks nothing else on the plan is in flower.
Planned as a cottage garden: 24 of the 24 plants (100%), bulbs aside, stand alone or in groups of no more than five, small enough for the kinds to mingle. Four kinds, among them lingonberry and northern sea oats, carry the bed through winter. Yellow is the colour seen most, on 3 of the 7 kinds grown for their flowers.
The planner's own design check: 13 Excellent, 3 Good, 1 Satisfactory. It flags one thing to watch: Northern sea oats spreads aggressively. Each plant's details say more.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where ligularia 'Bottle Rocket' goes in a border
At 2½ ft it belongs in the middle of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is medium (24 in to 2½ ft).
Its job: drift. Planted in a small group of three or five, and repeated further along in the other number.
A smaller, tidier version of 'The Rocket', with thicker leaves that wilt less. It brings a strong yellow spire to the middle of a damp, shady bed.
- Yellow spires for moist shade
- Smaller pond-side beds
- Bold foliage
What to plant with ligularia 'Bottle Rocket'
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Hosta 'Blue Angel': its blue-green leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; a low mound at the foot of its spires.
- Japanese painted fern: its silver leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; fine leaves against its bold ones; low enough (18 in) to stand in front of it.
- Astilbe: in flower together for three weeks, from early July; fine leaves against its bold ones.
Questions about ligularia 'Bottle Rocket'
Does ligularia 'Bottle Rocket' need sun or shade?
Ligularia 'Bottle Rocket' grows in 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 moist to wet soil, rich in organic matter, and plenty of water.
What zones does ligularia 'Bottle Rocket' grow in?
USDA zones 4 to 9. It is hardy to zone 4, which means it survives winter nights down to about −20 °F (−29 °C).
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does ligularia 'Bottle Rocket' flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers early July to early August. As a summer flower it moves about half a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer.
| Zone 4 | Mid July to mid August |
|---|---|
| Zone 5 | Early July to early August |
| Zone 6 | Early July to early August |
| Zone 7 | Late June to early August |
| Zone 8 | Late June to early August |
| Zone 9 | Late June to late July |
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 ligularia 'Bottle Rocket' be planted?
24 in (60 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 2½ ft (70 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 2½ ft (75 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many ligularia 'Bottle Rocket' plants do I need?
At 24 in apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 3 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 6 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 10 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 four in two groups.
Is there a native plant like ligularia 'Bottle Rocket'?
Ligularia 'Bottle Rocket' is not native to North America. These North American natives come closest to doing its job:
- Doll's eyes: the same job in a bed and the same size; flowers early May to late May, white, not yellow.
- Bowman's root: the same job in a bed; 6 in taller, flowers late May to late June.
- Tufted hair grass 'Goldtau': the same job in a bed and the same colour; 6 in shorter, 4 in narrower.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
What flowers after ligularia 'Bottle Rocket'?
Ligularia 'Bottle Rocket' is over by early August. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Lilyturf: from early August to mid September, 16 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
- Japanese anemone: from mid August to early October, 3 ft tall.
- Hosta 'Guacamole': from early August to late August, 24 in tall.
What does ligularia 'Bottle Rocket' look like in winter?
Ligularia 'Bottle Rocket' dies down to the ground and there is nothing to see until spring. The old stems can be cut in autumn, or left until spring as shelter for overwintering insects.
More Ligularia
- Ligularia 'Britt-Marie Crawford' Ligularia dentata 'Britt-Marie Crawford'
- Ligularia 'Desdemona' Ligularia dentata 'Desdemona'
- Ligularia 'The Rocket' Ligularia stenocephala 'The Rocket'
In these guides
Zone guides: Zone 4 · Zone 5 · Zone 6 · Zone 7 · Zone 8 · Zone 9
Every fact on record
- Type
- Perennial
- Size
- 2½ ft (75 cm) tall, 2½ ft (70 cm) wide
- Plant
- 24 in (60 cm) apart
- Height class
- Medium (24 in to 2½ ft)
- Place in the bed
- Middle
- Flowers
- Early July to early August; upright spires; yellow
- Leaves
- Bold texture, herbaceous; dark green
- Shape
- Mounding, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 4 to 9
- Light
- Part shade, shade
- Soil
- Rich, moist to wet
- Water
- High
- Feeding
- Light, in spring
Not yet checked against an outside reference: its figures rest on general horticultural knowledge. 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.