Yellowroot
Xanthorhiza simplicissima · Ranunculaceae
A thicket of unbranched, knee-high stems, each topped with a ruff of celery-like leaves that turn gold, orange and purple in autumn.
- Size
- 2½ ft tall, 5 ft wide
- Zones
- 3 to 9
- Light
- Part sun to shade
- Flowers
- Grown for its leaves; flowers mid April to early May
- Pets
- No toxicity recorded
- Job in a bed
- Carpet
A bed built around yellowroot
The planner designed this bed around yellowroot when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) English border in zone 6, part shade. It chose the other plants from the 513 that suit those conditions, and says below why yellowroot stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Yellowroot × 1, green leaves
- 2 Wherry's foamflower × 8, white
- 3 Blue star creeper × 14, blue
- 4 Northern sea oats × 3, tan
- 5 Autumn monkshood × 3, blue
- 6 False Solomon's seal × 3, white
- 7 Grecian windflower × 12, pink
- 8 Yellow trout lily × 10, yellow
Why this plant
- The only plant grown for its leaves. Leaf lasts all season, where a flower lasts a few weeks.
- Part of the bed's structure. Shrubs and grasses keep their shape when the perennials die down. So does northern sea oats.
Why here
- In the middle. At 2½ ft it is seen over blue star creeper (3 in) in front of it.
- One plant, alone. A shrub is seen as an object, and needs clear ground around it.
Why now
- Here for its leaves, spring to frost. They cover the 11 weeks between early March and late November when nothing on the plan is in flower.
Planned as an English border: 5 of the 6 groups (83%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. The bed is balanced: the left half carries 46% of the visual weight and the right half 54%. Blue star creeper repeats along the bed to tie it together.
The planner's own design check: 11 Excellent, 5 Good, 1 Satisfactory. It flags one thing to watch: Autumn monkshood is highly poisonous to people, dogs, cats and horses. Northern sea oats spreads aggressively.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where yellowroot 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: carpet. A groundcover planted in threes and fives to cover the soil: along the front, and just behind it.
A native groundcover for shade and stream banks that looks neat and uniform in a mass. The roots and inner bark are bright yellow.
- Native groundcover in shade
- Stream banks
- Autumn colour under trees
What to plant with yellowroot
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Christmas fern.
- Virginia sweetspire: adds the flowers, early June to early July; tall enough (5 ft) to stand behind it; happy in the same moist soil.
- Foamflower: adds the flowers, late April to late May; low enough (10 in) to stand in front of it; happy in the same moist soil.
Questions about yellowroot
Does yellowroot need sun or shade?
Yellowroot grows in 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.
What zones does yellowroot grow in?
USDA zones 3 to 9. It is hardy to zone 3, which means it survives winter nights down to about −30 °F (−34 °C).
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
How far apart should yellowroot be planted?
3 ft (90 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 5 ft (150 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 2½ ft (70 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many yellowroot plants do I need?
At 3 ft apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 1 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 4 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 4 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 one in one group.
Is yellowroot poisonous to dogs and cats?
No toxicity is recorded for dogs, cats, horses or people, according to NC State Extension.
"Not toxic" is not "edible": a pet that eats a lot of any plant can be sick.
Do deer eat yellowroot?
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.
Will yellowroot spread?
It spreads sideways, by runners or roots; the risk of it taking over is moderate. Spreads by underground stems into a dense colony. Suited to massing.
What does yellowroot look like in winter?
Yellowroot drops its leaves and stands as bare branches. That is when to see its shape, and to prune it if it needs pruning.
Is yellowroot good for bees and butterflies?
Yellowroot is visited by songbirds.
It is native to the United States.
In these guides
- Deer-resistant plants for shade
- Pet-safe plants for shade
- Native plants for shade
- Plants that feed garden birds
- Groundcover plants
- Shrubs under 4 feet for small gardens
Zone guides: Zone 3 · Zone 4 · Zone 5 · Zone 6 · Zone 7 · Zone 8 · Zone 9
Every fact on record
- Type
- Shrub
- Size
- 2½ ft (70 cm) tall, 5 ft (150 cm) wide
- Plant
- 3 ft (90 cm) apart
- Height class
- Medium (24 in to 2½ ft)
- Place in the bed
- Middle
- Flowers
- Mid April to early May; airy sprays; purple, red
- Leaves
- Medium texture, deciduous; green
- Shape
- Upright, spreading
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 3 to 9
- Light
- Part sun, part shade, shade
- Soil
- Average, evenly moist
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- None needed
- Family
- Ranunculaceae
- Comes from
- Eastern USA
- Attracts
- Songbirds
- Stands up to
- Deer
Checked against NC State Extension. 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.