Leopard’s bane prefers light shade, but it will grow in full sun in rich soil that holds moisture well yet never gets waterlogged. Keep the plants well watered in early summer and mulch the soil around the roots, but avoid smothering the crowns, for this may cause them to rot out. In high temperatures, the plants have a tendency to go dormant in the middle of summer, so plant annuals or dahlias in front of leopard’s bane to hide the bare earth.
Leopard’s bane is the perennial equivalent of the springtime favorite forsythia. It bursts forth in all its golden glory in early spring to announce that winter is over and is one of the first daisies to bloom. Only the true English daisy and its offspring get a head start on this decorative plant. You’ll find leopard’s bane in flower when daffodils and bleeding hearts begin to bloom. The three together are a welcome sight after the dreary grays and browns of winter—especially in cold climates. Leopard’s bane makes an excellent, long-lasting cut flower and looks terrific in a vase with the aforementioned spring-blooming companions. The Latin name, Doronicum, is derived from Arabic, and perhaps the common name, which doesn’t appear to relate to anything familiar to temperate-climate gardeners, comes from a similar source.
Leopard’s bane is just as happy naturalized in a woodland with wildflowers, hostas, and ferns as it is in a mixed border. In other words, it has that ability to look informal in natural settings and formal in more cultivated surroundings. Plant lots in a cutting garden for armfuls of daisies in early spring.
ZONES: 4–9
BLOOM TIME: Spring
LIGHT: Part shade
HEIGHT: 12–24 inches
INTEREST: Golden yellow daisies in early spring; heartshaped or triangular leaves