Eranthis hyemalis
Winter aconite
At a glance
- Light
- Partial shade
- Pot size
- from 2 l
- Lifespan
- Perennial
- Hardiness
- Hardy down to −20 °C
- Water need
- Medium
Photo: Sydenham Edwards / William Curtis · Public Domain · Source
Description
Winter aconite often opens as early as February, sometimes even through a thin layer of snow, with bright yellow cup‑shaped flowers and a green hooded collar. It is one of the very first spring bloomers and provides the first food for bees and bumblebees of the year. All parts of the plant are poisonous.
Care instructions
Plant the bulbs in September and October flat in humus‑rich, not too dry soil under deciduous trees, where they receive full light early spring. Water the often dried bulbs for a night before planting. Do not disturb the plants afterwards; they self‑seed and over the years form dense yellow carpets.
The care notes were machine-translated from German.
Garden year
PlantingSep–Oct
Soil & site
Soil pH
Soil type
humus-rich, loamy, well-drained, lime-loving
Give winter aconite loose, humus-rich and free-draining soil. It won't tolerate waterlogging. A chalky base encourages flowering, but is not a requirement; it feels most at home in light shade under deciduous trees and shrubs.
Feeding
Light feeder
Months
Oct–Nov
In autumn, spread a thin layer of leaf mould or well-rotted compost loosely on top, without digging it in, so that the tubers stay intact. You don't need more: let the foliage die back completely after flowering, and the plant draws its nutrients back into the tuber by itself.
Overwintering
Winter aconite is fully hardy, the tubers stay in the ground permanently, and no winter protection is needed. After flowering, let the foliage die back completely before you remove it, and leave the site undisturbed in summer.
Propagation
Methods
- From seed
- Division
Winter aconite propagates most naturally by self-seeding: after flowering, simply let the ripe seeds fall (they ripen around May) and over the years it forms dense carpets. If you want to sow actively, collect the seeds fresh straight after they ripen in summer and sow them immediately in place, about 0.5 to 1 cm deep. Fresh seeds are crucial; dried ones germinate poorly. Note that it takes three to four years for the first flower to appear from seed. A tip: many bred cultivars are sterile and set no viable seed; sowing is mainly worthwhile with the wild species. It is quicker by dividing the tubers: straight after flowering (February/March) or in early autumn (from September), dig up the clumps with a spade, carefully break the tubers apart, each piece with at least one shoot bud, and replant the pieces straight away with a little space between them. Dry tubers from the shop establish poorly and take a long time to build up stands; dividing your own, moist tubers straight after digging them up gives much better results. Dried-out shop-bought tubers can be soaked in moist sand for a few days before planting.
Companion planting
Good neighbors
Companion planting is partly traditional gardening lore. Where the reason is known, it is given.
For your garden
Grow Winter aconite yourself
Gartenkern tells you when frost is coming, when to sow and when to harvest, for your location.
Free, no time limit
Notes from real gardens
What other gardeners have written down about this variety, anonymous and voluntary.
No notes shared yet. Will you be the first to write one down?