Common Name: globe flower
Type: Herbaceous perennial
Family: Ranunculaceae
Native Range: Europe, Caucasus, North America
Zone: 3 to 6
Height: 1.50 to 2.00 feet
Spread: 1.00 to 1.50 feet
Bloom Time: May to July
Bloom Description: Yellow
Sun: Part shade to full shade
Water: Medium to wet
Maintenance: Medium
Suggested Use: Naturalize
Flower: Showy
Tolerate: Rabbit, Heavy Shade, Wet Soil
Culture
Easily grown in rich, humusy, moist to wet, well-drained soils in part shade. Tolerates close to full shade. Leaves may bleach out in full sun. This plant thrives in cool weather. It dislikes dry soils and hot summers, and generally performs poorly in the deep South. It is not recommended for planting south of USDA Zone 6. The hotter the summer temperatures the more shade the plants require. If plants decline by mid-summer, cut back the foliage at that time. Established clumps may be divided in late summer to early fall. Plants will self-sow in the garden in optimum growing conditions. Plants require consistently moist soils and will thrive in boggy ones.
Noteworthy Characteristics
Trollius europaeus, commonly known as common globeflower or European globeflower, is a clump-forming perennial of the buttercup family that features a late spring to early summer bloom of globular lemon-yellow flowers (to 2” across) atop sparsely-leaved stems rising to 18-24” tall. It is native to damp meadows, moist open woodlands, stream banks, wet pastures and scrubby areas in northern parts of Europe and western Asia.
Long stalked palmate basal leaves (to 4-6” long) are deeply divided into 3-5 ovate toothed lobes. Smaller sessile stem leaves have 3 ovate lobes. Branched to branchless stems rise from the base of the basal foliage clump in late spring bearing globular flowers (1-2” diameter) each of which contains a ring of 10-15 showy, bright yellow, inward curving, petaloid sepals surrounding five petals. Flowers appear usually singly but sometimes in pairs.
Genus name comes from the German word troll meaning round in reference to flower shape.
Specific epithet is in reference to the European native territory of this plant.
Globeflower common name is also in reference to the spherical (globular) shape of each flower.
Problems
No serious insect or disease problems. Powdery mildew may occur.
Uses
Excellent for moist soils along streams or ponds. Bog gardens. Moist meadows. Also appropriate for moist areas of borders, rock gardens or open woodland areas. Mass plantings can be spectacular in flower. Good with ferns and astilbe.