Description
(The Winter Aconite)
An early-flowering native of western Europe with slightly smaller flowers inclined to lemon-yellow from as early as late December but onwards into March in some years.
The foliage is much broader than all of its relatives and is a bright limey-green. It is reputed that this can rarely be bronze-tinged, but I have never seen this and suspect confusion with Eranthis cilicica.
This likes a limey soil and seems to enjoy soils which are wet at flowering time, if the drainage in such sites is good, particularly after flowering is over. I have seen it carpeting seasonally wet stream banks in one memorable garden in Berkshire, where I was assured that it dried out totally after late spring. If you do not have such a grandiose garden, then give it a humus rich soil in sun or light shade.
