Ficaria verna ‘Double Bronze’

Lesser Celandine Ranunculaceae

A spring ephemeral with a wonderfully theatrical wardrobe. Ficaria verna ‘Double Bronze’—also known as ‘Bowles’s Double’ and ‘Wisley Double’—is one of the classic double-flowered lesser celandines associated with E. A. Bowles. The RHS recognises these names as synonyms. 

Its rich yellow, semi-double flowers have distinctive reddish-bronze backs, opening above glossy green foliage, sometimes attractively marked with silver. The flowers appear in early spring, often opening like miniature waterlilies before the whole plant quietly disappears underground for summer. 

It is particularly good for moist woodland, naturalising beneath deciduous trees or filling the spring gap around later-emerging perennials. Unlike the ordinary single-flowered species, the double forms are generally much less inclined to set seed, making them considerably better behaved in cultivation.

A charming old cultivar with genuine horticultural pedigree—and proof that even a plant with “lesser” in its common name can have rather grand ambitions.

Height: 10–15cm | Spread: 20–30cm
Flowering: February–April | Foliage: Summer dormant
Hardiness: H7 (-20 to -15°C)