Marsh Marigold

Plant of the Week

BY: Elizabeth Noll

Canary yellow blooms and shiny, heart-shaped, dark green leaves make marsh marigold (Caltha palustris) a spring flower to remember. This wildflower, which blooms in April and May, thrives in boggy areas and even shallow standing water (hence the common name). It spreads by rhizome to form large patches that decorate the marsh in spring, when most other marsh plants are just emerging. By midsummer, the whole plant goes dormant. If you have a spot in your yard that never quite dries out, plant marsh marigold to introduce the season, and a few ferns, primroses, or other moisture lovers to carry on after it bows out.

Common name: Marsh marigold, kingcup
Botanical name: Caltha palustris
Plant type: Perennial
Zones: 3 to 7
Height: 4 to 18 inches
Family: Ranunculaceae

Growing conditions
• Sun: Full sun to part shade
• Soil: Rich, boggy
• Moisture: Moist to wet

Care
• Mulch: None needed.
• Pruning: None needed.
• Fertilizer: None needed.

Propagation
• By seed or division.

Pests and diseases
• May be vulnerable to rust and powdery mildew.

Garden notes
• Marsh marigold prefers to be in shallow water, such as at the edge of a pond, or in a boggy site, such as a marsh or swamp. Use it in a water garden or a bog garden.
• Good neighbors for marsh marigold include cardinal flower, skunk cabbage, ferns, pickerelweed, and primroses. These will fill in as the marsh marigold foliage fades away in midsummer.
• Plant large patches of marsh marigold (or plant a few and let them spread) to get the most from their brilliant spring bloom.

All in the family
• Marsh marigold is in the buttercup family (Ranunculaceae). It isn’t related to the marigold (Tagetes spp.), which is in the aster family (Asteraceae).
• Some well-known garden plants that are also in Ranunculaceae include columbine, clematis, delphinium, hellebore, meadow rue, and of course the buttercup.

Where to buy
• Forestfarm, Williams, OR, 541-846-7269, www.forestfarm.com
• Fry Road Nursery, Albany, OR, 541-928-7038, www.fryroadnursery.com
• Romence Gardens, Grand Rapids, MI, 888-907-5268, www.romencegardens.com

(Text by Elizabeth Noll, photo of Caltha palustris by Tracy Walsh)

Comments

By CW_Dancer Friday, June 03, 2011 5:24 PM

We have a creek below the hill on our property and these grow wild there. I never knew what they where before, they are lovely and grow abundantly on the creek banks. Thanks for sharing!! :)

By jterrebonne1 Sunday, June 05, 2011 3:18 PM

what is the regular membership price for this book

By plantroom Monday, June 13, 2011 9:49 PM

During the Great Depression, a family in my neighborhood used to pick these for food - they called them cowslips. They also ate lots of dandelions, lambs quarters, wild blueberries, wild grapes - anything that was free. Times weren't easy then......Toots

By ckausek Tuesday, June 14, 2011 1:12 PM

I had this mysterious plant show up in my flower bed this year! During the construction of our new house I lost my job, so when we moved in landscaping had to be put on hold. I turned to the library for books about wildflowers and transplanted a lot of them that I found. I am guessing I must have divided some unknowingly, but it is a beautiful surprise!

By Tiffle Tuesday, August 30, 2011 7:12 PM

WHo knew that you could sell weeds? These grow everywhere here. Not saying that these are not great looking plants...just that it's so funny that people will pay to put weeds in thier gardens. Yet...in retrospect...I guess all plants are "weeds" somewhere. If they are beautiful...go for it. That's what brought the ubiquitous Purple Loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) to our part of the world. Lamented by many, but still a lovely plant.

By bprisinzano Tuesday, March 20, 2012 11:36 AM

I have these in my yard, i was told that they were called cow slips, So now i have a name for them Marsh Marigold, the lawn is cover with them, what can i do to get rid of them??? Your happy gardener, Barb!!

By wrothen Tuesday, March 20, 2012 1:18 PM

Nearly every year, spring's first green is the gold of the marsh marigold; which blooms April 28th in Pine County Minnesota. Samuel Thayer's "The Forager's Harvest: A guide to identifying, harvesting and preparing edible wild plants" (2006) has good advice on how to prepare the marsh marigold for consumption.