Ligularia ‘Osiris Cafe Noir’

Ligularia ‘Osiris Café Noir’ Part Sun – Part Shade. 
This plant is charming.  It resembles ‘Britt-Marie Crawford’ but its lush mounds
top off around 20”.   The leaves of ‘Osiris Café Noir’ are the real attraction,
as with other dark leafed cultivars.  The leathery leaves are chocolate-purple
as they emerge.  They gradually transition to bronze and then light green.  The
toothed, heart-shaped foliage makes a wonderful contrasting companion with
Japanese Painted Ferns, Astilbes and gold Japanese Forest Grass.  ‘Osiris Café
Noir’ shoots up yellow-orange daisy-like flowers in late July and August.  A
slightly larger version of this showy perennial is ‘Osiris Fantaisie’ that gets
24” tall.  All Ligularias are deer resistant and prefer moisture-retentive
soil.  Both of the above cultivars are hardy to Zone 4.