Today's Favorite Plant - Ligularia dentata

Ligularia dentata — Broad clusters of large golden yellow flowers midsummer. 

Glossy chocolate-maroon rounded foliage with purple undersides. 

Likes reliably moist soil and full sun with some mid-day shade. 

Imposing waterside plant. Height: 40". Zone 5.

In my garden, Ligularia dentata is my water gauge. When it's large, leathery, round, dark green leaves with purple on the bottom start to wilt at the first sign of dryness, I know it is time to water the rest of the garden too.

In August, it has many large daisy-like orange-yellow flowers with a brown center held above on purple stems.

It prefers shade and lots of moisture, but with a little extra water now and then has done well with more sun. When a rather large walnut limb got removed this spring, my Ligularia dentata found it's home a little sunnier than when it was first situated. But it has still done well since it tends to get hit with the veggie garden sprinkler.

A great plant for the back of the shady boarder. It forms a large, dramatic clump about 3-4' tall and wide. It can be a bit unruly with it's big floppy leaves and I sometimes have to rescue some of it's neighbors from beneath the leaves (I trim off the bottom most leaves).

Slugs and summer wilting seem to be the only problems.  Slug bait early and often.