Yellow oxeye

Yellow oxeye: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Bushy, upright clump about 50 cm tall and 40–45 cm wide.

Leaves

Narrowly lance-shaped, slightly hairy, dark green to grey-green, like willow leaves.

Flower

Golden yellow flower heads 3–6 cm across with narrow ray petals, at the tips of the stems, from June to August.

Fruit

Small, dry seeds; in an open spot it sometimes self-seeds a little.

Roots

A branching rootstock that slowly forms a wider clump.

Flowering: June–August · Sowing: March–April · Plants: March–April and September–October · Pruning: March and July–August

Why grow it?

• Long flowering from June to August with cheerful, golden yellow flowers.
• Ideal for poor, chalky soil, where many other perennials struggle.
• A magnet for bees, hoverflies and butterflies.
• A good cut flower for summer bouquets.
• Fully hardy and easy to raise from seed.

Yellow oxeye: where does it grow best?

• Full sun for rich flowering and sturdy stems.
• Poor sandy or loamy soil, neutral to chalky, that drains well.
• Dry to moderately moist; no waterlogged soil.
• Lovely in a sunny border, a gravel garden, a rock garden or a flowery bank.
• Plant 35–40 cm apart, about 6–7 plants per m².

Light

Sun

Soil type

Sand or loam

Acidity

Neutral or chalky

Moisture

Dry or normal

Size

0.5 m tall, 0.45 m wide

Hardiness

Hardy (to -35 °C)

Goes well with

• Woodland sage: Deep blue spikes next to the yellow daisies.
• Catmint: A lavender-blue haze on the same poor soil.
• Sea holly: Steel-blue flowers and a strong shape in the gravel garden.
• Wild marjoram: Pinkish-purple flower clusters for bees and butterflies at the same time.

Yellow oxeye: when and how to plant it?

Plant in March–April and September–October.

1. Plant in March–April or in September–October, when the soil is not too wet.
2. Do not add fertiliser or compost to the planting hole: poor soil keeps it compact.
3. Dig a hole slightly larger than the pot and loosen heavy soil with coarse sand.
4. Set the plant at the same depth as it was in the pot and firm the soil.
5. Water at planting and, in the first year, in dry weather.
6. Mulch with gravel if you like; it keeps the soil lean and the weeds down.

Care

Watering

Once established, only during long droughts.

Feeding

Do not feed: on rich soil the stems fall over.

Faded flowers

Removing them regularly keeps flowering going until late August.

Support

Not needed in a poor, sunny spot; on richer soil a few twigs or a plant support help.

Cut flowers

Cut freshly opened flowers in the morning and put them in water straight away.

Tip: Plant it in the poorest, sunniest spot in the garden and never feed it: the stems then stay sturdy and it flowers all summer without support.

Yellow oxeye: when to prune it?

Pruning months: March and July–August.

When: In July–August, remove faded flowers; cut the dead stems down in March.

How:

• Regularly cut faded flowers back to a leaf or side bud.
• Leave the dead stems standing over winter as shelter for insects and cut them just above the ground in March.
• If you want it to self-seed a little, leave a few flowers at the end of summer.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Seed

In March–April, sow indoors on seed compost, cover lightly and place in a light spot. Prick out into small pots and plant out in September.

Division

In March–April or in September, lift the clump and split it into pieces with roots and buds. Replant straight away.

Yellow oxeye: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −35 °C.

• Fully hardy, to about −35 °C: no protection is needed in Belgium.
• Leave the dead stems until March; they protect the buds and give insects shelter.
• On wet, heavy soil it can rot in winter: make sure drainage is good.
• In a pot: stand it against a wall, so the compost does not get waterlogged.

Diseases and pests

• Flopping stems: On rich or moist soil and in shade. Do not feed, choose a sunny spot and support it with twigs.
• Powdery mildew: White powder on the leaves in dry summers. Leave space around the plant and cut off affected leaves.
• Slugs: They eat the young shoots in spring. Pick them off in the evening.
• Aphids: On stem tips and buds. Spray them off with water; natural predators do the rest.

Through the year

• March: Cut down dead stems. Sow indoors. Plant or divide.
• April: Sow indoors. Planting. Watch out for slugs.
• May: Put in twigs as support on richer soil.
• June: Flowering begins. Cut flowers for the vase.
• July: In flower. Remove faded flowers.
• August: In flower. Remove faded flowers; leave a few for seed.
• September: Plant or divide. Plant out seedlings.
• October: Planting.
• November: Leave the dead stems for insects.

Good for wildlife

Bees

Nectar and pollen for honeybees and wild bees.

Butterflies

Nectar for butterflies.

Did you know?

• The name Buphthalmum comes from Greek and means ‘ox eye’, just like the English name oxeye.
• The species name salicifolium means ‘with willow leaves’, after its narrow leaves.
• In the wild it grows mainly on chalky soils in the Alps and the neighbouring mountain ranges.