Winter aconite

Winter aconite: how do you recognise it?

Habit

A low tuberous plant 5–10 cm tall that appears in spring and disappears again in June.

Leaves

Round and deeply cut like a hand, glossy green; they appear mostly after flowering.

Flowers

Cup-shaped and golden yellow, 2–3 cm, upright on a ruff of finely divided green bracts; in February–March.

Weather

The flowers open in sun and milder weather and close in cold, rain and in the evening.

Tuber

Small, irregular and brown, with no obvious top or bottom; it dries out quickly.

Seed

Ripens as early as May in small open pods and falls around the plant.

Flowering: February–March · Plants: March and September–October

Why grow it?

• One of the very first flowers of the year: golden yellow in February and March.
• Important food for the first bees and bumblebees on sunny days.
• Self-seeds under deciduous trees and shrubs into a yellow carpet.
• Takes up no space in summer: it is then completely underground.
• Very hardy and long-lived, with no work.

Winter aconite: where does it grow best?

• Sun or partial shade in spring, for example under deciduous trees and shrubs that only come into leaf after flowering.
• Humus-rich loam or clay, neutral to chalky.
• Normally moist in winter and spring; in summer the soil may dry out a little.
• A spot that is not dug over, so that it can self-seed undisturbed.
• Plant 5–10 cm apart, in groups of ten or more.

Light

Sun and partial shade

Soil type

Loam or clay

Acidity

Neutral or chalky

Moisture

Normal

Size

0.1 m tall, 0.1 m wide

Hardiness

Hardy (to -30 °C)

Goes well with

• Snowdrop: White next to yellow, in the same weeks under trees.
• Cyclamen coum: Pink and magenta among the yellow flowers.
• Early crocus: Lilac flowers in February–March, also good for bees.
• Hellebore: Large greenish or white winter flowers above the yellow carpet.
• Cornelian cherry: A large shrub with yellow winter flowers as a backdrop.

Winter aconite: when and how to plant it?

Plant in March and September–October.

1. Preferably plant in March, just after flowering, using plants ‘in the green’, with leaves and roots: they establish best.
2. Plant loose tubers in September–October. Soak them overnight in lukewarm water first, so they swell up.
3. Plant the tubers 5 cm deep and 5–10 cm apart. If you cannot see which way is up, lay them flat.
4. Set plants in the green at the same depth as before, with the white part of the stem below ground.
5. Firm the soil and water.
6. Spread a thin layer of leaf mould over the spot.

Care

Watering

Water after planting; after that it is rarely needed.

Feeding

Not needed. A thin layer of leaf mould or compost in autumn.

Leaves

Let the leaves die back by themselves after flowering and do not mow the spot until June.

Self-seeding

Let the seed ripen and drop. Do not rake or hoe under the trees where it self-seeds.

Fallen leaves

A thin layer of tree leaves can stay: it simply comes up through it.

Tip: For a yellow carpet, buy plants in the green in March and plant them under deciduous trees. Leave the seed where it falls and do not rake the spot: after a few years it spreads by itself.

Winter aconite: when to prune it?

When: Winter aconite is not pruned. Simply let the leaves die back by themselves.

How:

• Leave the spent flowers: they set seed and that is how the carpet grows.
• Leave the leaves after flowering until they turn yellow by themselves in May–June.
• Only mow grass with winter aconites once the leaves have disappeared.

Caution: Do not mow or cut the leaves too early: the tubers will weaken and flower less.

Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Seed

Let the seed spread by itself, or scatter ripe seed in May straight onto the spot where you want it. The seedlings flower after a few years.

Division in the green

In March, just after flowering, lift a clump and divide it into small pieces with leaves and roots. Replant them straight away.

Winter aconite: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −30 °C.

• Very hardy, to about −30 °C: no protection needed.
• Flowers right through frost and snow; the flowers close in the cold and open again in the sun.
• In a pot it can stay outdoors; make sure the compost does not dry out completely in summer.

Diseases and pests

• Tubers fail to come up: Dry tubers have often dried out too much. Soak them before planting or buy plants in the green.
• Disappears after a few years: Soil too dry and poor, or the spot is dug over. Add leaf mould and leave the soil undisturbed.
• Slugs: They eat the flowers in mild, damp weather. Pick them off in the evening.
• Smothered: Vigorous ground cover such as ivy smothers it. Keep an open patch under the trees.

Through the year

• January: The first buds push through the soil.
• February: In flower. Bees on sunny days.
• March: Last flowers. Plant or divide in the green.
• April: The leaves grow and seed sets.
• May: The seed ripens and drops. Do not rake.
• June: The leaves die back; the plant goes dormant.
• September: Soak dry tubers overnight and plant.
• October: Plant. A thin layer of leaf mould.
• December: Resting underground.

Edible and useful

Not edible. All parts of winter aconite are poisonous, especially the small tubers: swallowed, they cause vomiting, stomach ache and diarrhoea. Despite the name it is not a monkshood (Aconitum), but it is poisonous too. The dry tubers are soaked overnight in lukewarm water before planting: keep that bowl out of reach of children, dogs and cats, and clear up loose tubers. From January to March its yellow flowers are among the first, at a child’s height under shrubs and in the grass: teach children they are not for eating. Wear gloves when planting if you have sensitive skin. If any is swallowed, call a poison centre (in Belgium 070 245 245) or your doctor at once.

Good for wildlife

Bees

Nectar and pollen for honeybees and wild bees.

Did you know?

• The yellow ‘petals’ are actually sepals; the true petals have been transformed into tiny nectar cups.
• The green ruff under the flower is made of bracts, not ordinary leaves.
• In the Netherlands and Flanders it is one of the stinzen plants: species that were once planted on country estates and have naturalised there.