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Key characteristics

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

Groundcovers

Anemone ranunculoides

Yellow Wood Anemone

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.

Light

Part shade to full shade

Water

Moderate moisture

Bloom time

Early to mid spring

Find this plant

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.