Marsh marigold
Caltha palustris · Ranunculaceae
Glossy, buttercup-yellow flowers over rounded, shining leaves in early spring, at the edge of water or in boggy soil. It dies back in summer.
- Size
- 16 in tall, 18 in wide
- Zones
- 3 to 7
- Light
- Full sun to part shade
- Flowers
- Mid April to early May
- Pets
- Toxic (mild)
- Job in a bed
- Drift
A bed built around marsh marigold
The planner designed this bed around marsh marigold 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 367 that suit those conditions and its wet soil, and says below why marsh marigold stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Marsh marigold × 3, yellow
- 2 Himalayan fleeceflower 'Darjeeling Red' × 4, pink
- 3 Blue star creeper × 16, blue
- 4 Bee balm 'Purple Rooster' × 3, purple
- 5 Swamp milkweed 'Ice Ballet' × 3, white
- 6 Inkberry 'Gem Box' × 1, dark green leaves
- 7 Spring snowflake × 5, white
Why this plant
- The only open bowls. The others are spires, globes, flat plates and others. Shape reads at a distance, where colours blur.
- A classic partner for spring snowflake. Both are on this plan. A pairing gardeners have proved outranks a general rule.
- The only yellow. The one hot colour: every other flower here is cool or neutral.
Why here
- In the middle. At 16 in it is the step between Himalayan fleeceflower 'Darjeeling Red' (10 in) in front and bee balm 'Purple Rooster' (3 ft) behind: each is seen over the one before.
- 3 plants in one group. Massed, one kind reads as a single shape. Scattered, it would look spotty.
Why now
- In flower for five weeks. From mid April to early May.
- Fills a gap. For five of those 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: 4 of the 5 groups (80%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. Something is in flower for 30 weeks, from early March to early October. Neither end outweighs the other: the visual weight is split 54 to 46, left to right.
The planner's own design check: 10 Excellent, 6 Good, 1 Satisfactory. 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 marsh marigold goes in a border
At 16 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.
The first strong colour in wet ground. Because it disappears by midsummer, plant it among later moisture-lovers such as Japanese iris or ferns, which take over the space.
- Pond and stream edges
- Rain gardens and wet soil
- Early colour in damp ground
What to plant with marsh marigold
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Japanese iris: takes over when it finishes, flowering from late June; tall enough (3 ft) to stand behind it; happy in the same wet soil.
- Japanese primrose: takes over when it finishes, flowering from mid May; bold leaves against its medium ones; spires rising out of its mound.
- Ostrich fern: its green leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; tall enough (4 ft) to stand behind it; happy in the same wet soil.
Questions about marsh marigold
Does marsh marigold need sun or shade?
Marsh marigold 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) and part shade (2 to 4 hours of sun, mostly in the morning).
It wants moist to wet soil, rich in organic matter, and plenty of water. It copes with soil that stays wet.
What zones does marsh marigold grow in?
USDA zones 3 to 7. It is hardy to zone 3, which means it survives winter nights down to about −30 °F (−34 °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 marsh marigold flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers mid April to early 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 | Late April to late May |
|---|---|
| Zone 4 | Mid April to mid May |
| Zone 5 | Mid April to early May |
| Zone 6 | Early April to early May |
| Zone 7 | Late March to late April |
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 marsh marigold be planted?
18 in (45 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is about its full width, so each plant keeps its own outline.
It grows 16 in (40 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many marsh marigold plants do I need?
At 18 in apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 5 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 7 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 17 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 three in one group.
Is marsh marigold poisonous to dogs and cats?
Yes: mild toxicity to people, dogs, cats and horses. The sap can irritate skin, and all parts cause mouth and stomach upset if eaten raw.
Rated from NC State Extension. Where references disagree, the more cautious rating is used.
Is there a pet-safe plant like marsh marigold?
These come closest to doing what marsh marigold does, and no toxicity is recorded for them:
- Wild geranium 'Espresso': the same job in a bed and the same size; flowers early May to early June, pink, not yellow.
- Woodland phlox: the same job in a bed and the same flowering time; 4 in shorter, 6 in narrower.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
Do deer eat marsh marigold?
Mostly not. NC State lists it as resistant to deer. No plant is proof against a hungry deer in a hard winter, but this one is low on the menu.
What flowers after marsh marigold?
Marsh marigold is over by early May. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Japanese primrose: from mid May to late June, 20 in tall (a recorded partner).
- Lily of the valley: from early May to late May, 8 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
- Sweet woodruff: from early May to early June, 8 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
What does marsh marigold look like in winter?
Marsh marigold has long gone by winter: it dies down in summer, soon after flowering, and comes back in spring.
In these guides
- Plants for wet soil and rain gardens
- Deer-resistant plants for shade
- Deer-resistant perennials for full sun
- Garden plants toxic to cats
- Garden plants toxic to dogs
- Native plants for shade
- Garden plants native to Canada
Every fact on record
- Type
- Perennial
- Size
- 16 in (40 cm) tall, 18 in (45 cm) wide
- Plant
- 18 in (45 cm) apart
- Height class
- Short (12 to 18 in)
- Place in the bed
- Front
- Flowers
- Mid April to early May; open bowls; yellow
- Leaves
- Medium texture, summer-dormant; dark green
- Shape
- Mounding, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 3 to 7
- Light
- Full sun, part sun, part shade
- Soil
- Rich, moist to wet
- Water
- High
- Feeding
- None needed
- Family
- Ranunculaceae
- Comes from
- North America
- Stands up to
- Deer, 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.