Doronicum orientale is a fairly common plant but a better option, a cultivar called Doronicum orientale ‘Finesse’, is not found in a lot of gardens. It is a lovely yellow color and fills that blooming void between spring bulbs and peonies. Easy to grow, and reliably hardy in many zones.
Common names for the species include leopard’s bane and oriental false leopards bane. All parts of the plant are poisonous to humans, if ingested. In my zone 5, full sun garden, which does not normally get watered, the plant dies back and goes underground by mid-summer.
The flowers look like stars due to the very narrow petals which are a good identifier for Finesse. Other cultivars have wider petals giving them the more common daisy look.
Other cultivars include:
- Species – taller at about 70 cm (2.5 ft)
- Leonardo – very compact, 25 cm (10 in)
- Little Leo – semi-double, 40 cm (16 in)
There is also a cultivar called Magnificum, but the descriptions for this seem to match the wild species, except that it might be slightly shorter.
For a very detailed look at the genus have a look the pdf document at Systematics of Eurasian and North African Doronicum.
Doronicum orientale ‘Finesse’
(dor-ON-ih-kum or-ee-en-TAY-lee)
Life Cycle: perennial
Height: 45 cm (18 in)
Bloom Time: spring
Natural Range: S. E. Europe, the Balkans and much of Turkey
Habitat: mesic meadows, and along tree lines
Synonyms: Doronicum caucasicum
Cultivation of Doronicum orientale ‘Finesse’
Light: part shade to full sun
Soil: well drained
Water: drought tolerant once established, will go underground if too dry
USDA Hardiness Zone: 3 – 8
Propagation: seed (comes true from seed), division
What a great little plant.