Ligularia dentata 'Desdemona'
Ligularia is a surprise contributor to the winter garden. I have read people advocating removing the brassy-yellow daisy-like blooms, which has always seemed a little extreme to me. They are not elegant by any stretch of the imagination, but such censorship seems likely to close off garden possibilities — the possibiliy that something unexpected might strike your eye — and thereby to inhibit change and evolution in the garden. Leaving the spent flowers standing through the fall, more from oversight than plan, has delighted me with the fuzzy seed-heads into late winter. Despite their fragility, they have lasted well and deserve notice when planning the four-season garden.
