Anemone nemorosa ‘Glyncoch Gold'

Wood Anemone Ranunculaceae

A rather splendid gold-leaved Wood Anemone, discovered by the late Brian Dockrell, a great enthusiast and champion of variegated plants, and named for his village of Glyncoch in Wales. Quite what possessed him to look closely enough at a humble wood anemone to find this little treasure is anyone’s guess, but we are very glad he did.

The emerging foliage is the principal attraction: bright golden to yellow-green leaves, making an unusually luminous patch on the woodland floor. Above them appear the familiar solitary white flowers of A. nemorosa, the brightness of the foliage giving the whole plant considerably more presence than the ordinary green-leaved species. It is especially effective where the leaves can catch the softer light beneath deciduous trees.

Like all good Wood Anemones, it is a spring ephemeral, flowering before the woodland canopy closes and then retreating underground for summer. Give it moist, humus-rich soil in deciduous or partial shade, with plenty of spring light. It gradually spreads by slender rhizomes to form a colony, though patience is required; this is woodland gardening, not instant turf.

A lovely example of the sort of plant that turns up when someone is paying attention — and proof that even the most familiar wildflower can still produce a surprise.

H5 –10 to –15°C
Height: 10–15 cm
Spread: 30–50 cm
Flowers: March–April
Soil: Moist, humus-rich and well drained
Aspect: Deciduous shade or partial shade
Foliage: Distinctive golden-yellow to yellow-green
Origin: Found by Brian Dockrell, Glyncoch, Wales
Introduction: Named and introduced from Dockrell’s plant