Winter Wolf’s Bane
Spring’s first yellow. Its little cup-shaped flowers, which sit on frilly leaves, open at the first hint of warmth. Happiest under deciduous trees, where it may self-sow. Bulbs are tiny. Plant lavishly.
Deer and Rodent Resistant
- early
- mid
- late
Item # | 6022 |
Botanical Name | Eranthis cilicica |
Synonym | Winter Aconite |
Bulb Size | 5cm+ |
Catalog Page (2020) | 129 |
Flower Color | Yellow |
Bloom Time | Very Early |
Height | 3-4 inches |
Sunlight | Part (3-4 hours sun per day) |
Soil | Evenly moist |
Resistant to Deer | ✓ |
Resistant to Rodents | ✓ |
Good for Naturalizing | ✓ |
Shade Tolerant | ✓ |
Depth of Planting Hole | 2 inches |
Spacing | 2 inches apart |
Density | 20-24 per sq. ft. |
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Planting Instructions
Best in dappled sunlight and well-drained soil that does not dry out entirely in summer. It’s hard to tell top from bottom on eranthis tubers, but it doesn’t matter which end is up: The tubers know to send shoots up and roots down. To speed planting, you can put several tubers in a single planting hole. If left undisturbed, eranthis may seed itself about, eventually forming a carpet of bright yellow in early spring.

Spring-flowering bulbs must be planted in the fall. They need cool soil to make roots before the onset of winter. Cool fall weather arrives at different times from north to south and from high elevations to low.
Please note that the temperature of the soil lags behind the air temperature. You can generally plant later than the windows provided in this map. As long as the ground is not frozen, you can still plant.
Cold Limit | 4a |
Southern Limit | 7b * |
Western Limit | 9b * |
* Prechill in Zones 7b and warmer in the South, Southwest and California |
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