Plant of the week: winter aconite

What is it? Whether the ground is sodden and soft or encrusted with snow and ice, flowers of winter aconite (Eranthis hyemalis) burst out just when the winter garden most needs an injection of colour. From afar, these tiny tuberous perennials create a wash of egg-yolk yellow. They deserve examination up close, too; each buttercup-like flower sits amid green bracts that look like tiny Elizabethan ruffs.

Any good varieties? A few, but the tubers are hard to obtain; Avon Bulbs offers pale yellow ‘Schwefelglanz’ and green-striped ‘Grunling’, but why bother when the species is so lovely?

Plant it with? Winter aconites and snowdrops are a classic combination. If you don’t mind mixing pink and yellow, add some Cyclamen coum.

And where? The base of deciduous trees is their natural home. Autumn’s leaf fall provides a natural mulch, and lets in the light that winter aconites love when flowering. To spread the patch, lift and divide just after flowering.

Any drawbacks? You’ll be lumbered with a mess of foliage that must be allowed to persist until spring so it can gather strength for next year.

What else can it do? It’s a source of pollen and nectar for early emerging pollinators.