Northwest Blooms · Groundcovers
Anemone ranunculoides
Yellow Wood Anemone
- Family
- Ranunculaceae
- Height
- 6 to 10 in
- Width
- 6 to 12 in
- Flower color
- Bright yellow, cup-shaped flowers held above the foliage
- Foliage color
- Medium green, deeply lobed leaves forming a low groundcover
- Bloom time
- Early to mid spring
- Light
- Part shade to full shade
- Water
- Moderate moisture
- Maintenance
- Low; remove spent flowers to tidy appearance
- Growing zone
- USDA zones 3 to 8
- Wildlife
- Bees and other early-season pollinators
About this plant
Anemone ranunculoides bears cheerful buttercup-yellow flowers with glossy, rounded petals surrounding a cluster of golden stamens. Blooms appear in early to mid spring, rising just above finely divided, bright green foliage that emerges as temperatures warm. The flowers open wide in sunlight and close slightly in cooler conditions, creating subtle daily movement in the garden.
Native to woodlands of central and eastern Europe, this species has been cultivated since the eighteenth century. It spreads gradually to form soft colonies beneath deciduous trees and shrubs. The plant is well suited to naturalized settings, woodland borders, and spring bulb plantings, where its early color brightens shaded areas before tree canopies fully leaf out.
Works well in
Pollinator Gardens · Woodland Gardens · Borders · Rock Gardens
Companion plants
Hellebores · Epimediums · Brunneras · Hostas · Ferns · Pulmonarias
Design tip
Use to introduce warm spring color beneath shrubs or small trees where the bright yellow blooms enliven shaded spaces before most perennials emerge. Their sunny flowers create a welcoming transition between winter's quiet landscape and the energy of the growing season.
Where to see it
This plant can be seen at the Bellevue Botanical Garden.
