Ligularia Britt Marie Crawford-Ray flower

(Question)

Hello, I have one plant that has done very well in my garden. I am trying to buy a few plants for mass planing but I am unable to locate them at any of the local nurseries. Is there a way to propogate this plant? I have seen seeds but I am not sure if the young plants would survive the cold in the winter. I live in Toronto.

(Answer)

Thank you for contacting the Toronto Master Gardeners.

Ligularia ‘Britt Marie Crawford’ definitely makes a bold statement in the garden with it’s dark chocolate leaves and its golden orange, daisy-like flowers in the summer. I can understand why you would like to mass plant this beautiful accent plant.

Non-hybrid Ligularias can be readily propagated from seed; unfortunately the flowers of Britt Marie Crawford’ are sterile and even if you were able to collect seeds from the hybrid the offspring will not be true to the parent plant. You only hope for propagation is to divide the plant in the spring once your clump is large enough. For instructions on the proper technique  on dividing perennials see our Gardening Guide here.

Lastly, Toronto Master Gardeners do not  make specific vendor recommendations, however feel free to check out https://landscapeontario.com/   and search for “Retail Garden Centres”  in your area. There may be a few smaller garden centers listed that you are not aware of which may carry this beautiful perennial.

Good Luck in your search.