Buphthalmum salicifolium
Willowleaf Oxeye
Common names: Oxeye, Willow-leaved Ox-eye
At a glance
- Light
- Full sun
- Pot size
- from 10 l
- Lifespan
- Perennial
- Flowering
- Jun–Sep
- Hardiness
- Hardy down to −30 °C
- Water need
- Low
- Origin
- Native to Germany
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This description was machine-translated.
Description
The willowleaf oxeye, botanically Buphthalmum salicifolium, grows wild in lime-rich dry meadows and in open pine forests, especially in the Alpine foothills and limestone mountains. Its narrow, lanceolate leaves resemble willow leaves. From June to September, sunny yellow, daisy-like flowers open on stems 40 to 70 cm tall. The flowers have narrow rays and a yellow-brown center and reach 4 to 6 cm across. The perennial grows in loose tufts and gradually forms small colonies. In the garden, it suits sunny beds with lean soil, rock gardens, slopes, and flower meadows. Bees, hoverflies, and butterflies readily visit the flowers. Because calcareous dry grasslands have disappeared in many places, buy plants or seed from a nursery and never dig up plants from wild sites. For meadows, use regional seed mixes.
Care instructions
Plant the willowleaf oxeye in spring or September in a full-sun location with lean, permeable, preferably lime-rich soil, spacing plants 35 cm from neighbors. In the first summer, water during prolonged drought; later, rainfall is usually sufficient. No fertilizer is needed, as in rich soil it grows tall and flops over. Remove spent flowers if you want to limit self-seeding, or leave some heads standing in late summer. In February or March, cut old stems back to about one hand's width above the ground. Divide the clump every three to four years if it becomes thin in the center. If the plant spreads too far, cut off runners in spring.
The care notes were machine-translated from German.
Garden year
SowingMar–May
FloweringJun–Sep
Germination
- Soil temperature
- from 10 °C, ideally 18 °C
- Days to sprout
- 14 to 35 days
- Light
- Needs light to sprout
- Sowing depth
- Press in, don't cover
- How to start
- Start indoors, then plant out
Soil & site
Soil pH
Soil type
lime-loving, well-drained, lean, loamy
The willow-leaved yellow oxeye grows best on calcareous, well-drained and lean soil, such as limestone grassland and open pine woods provide. Loamy soil with a share of stones is ideal; in the garden, ordinary garden soil that is not too rich, with a neutral to slightly alkaline pH, is enough. On very acidic or permanently wet soil, the plant struggles. Loosen heavy soils with sand or grit.
Feeding
Light feeder
The willow-leaved yellow oxeye needs no fertiliser. It is adapted to lean sites; in rich soil it grows long and soft and flops over. In a container too, lean, well-drained soil is enough; in spring you can replace the top layer with fresh soil.
Overwintering
The willow-leaved yellow oxeye is fully hardy and survives frost down to about minus 30 degrees without protection. Well-drained soil is what matters, because wet in winter harms more than frost. Cut the stems back to a hand's breadth above the ground in February or March. In a container, place the pot against a sheltered house wall, protect it from prolonged rain and water only on frost-free days.
Propagation
Methods
- From seed
- Division
You propagate the willow-leaved yellow oxeye by sowing or division. Sow the seeds from March in pots or from April directly in the bed, cover them only thinly and keep them evenly and lightly moist; germination takes a few weeks. Plants from sowing often flower only in the second year. Division is quicker: in spring or in September, dig up the clump, divide it with a spade and replant the pieces immediately. Over time the plant spreads by itself via short runners and self-seeding.
Companion planting
Companion planting is partly traditional gardening lore. Where the reason is known, it is given.
Some of these explanations were machine-translated.
For your garden
Grow Willowleaf Oxeye yourself
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