Winter Aconite – Eranthis ‘Schwefelglanz’. 

A form of winter aconite. They come from the buttercup family and are grown from tubers. Like snowdrops they make you feel as if spring is in the air. Which of course is very deceptive, but who cares, they’re just so cheerful. They look lovely in vast swathes or in small clumps. They also look good with Hellebore and snowdrops.

The current Home Page image is a photo of Eranthis ‘Schwefelglanz’ , ie a pale sulphur coloured winter aconite (see also below). It’s not quite so vibrant as the ordinary aconite, it just has a different charm. Roughly translated, the name means sulphur shine or sheen. Like other aconites, it prefers light shade, and dislikes disturbance. However it can be a bit ‘iffy’ before it gets established. My experience only.
You can find them at places like Edrom Nurseries, Monksilver or Rare Plants. A bit expensive, but if you can get them to increase well worth it. It’s probably best to keep them separate from Eranthis hyemalis as they may revert to type.

Others

There are eight naturally occurring species and many other cultivars, a few of which i’ll mention.

• ‘Dooze’ – semi double yellow
• Double Strike – quite a lot of variation in this group.
• Some are fertile.
• ‘Moonlight’ – pale yellow, comes true from seed.
• ‘Orange Glow’ – single, sets seed.
• Eranthis hyemalis Flore-Pleno group. Varied group.
• Eranthis sibirica – species from Siberia and Mongolia. Quite rare here.

If your interest is sparked there is a very good article in the January 2014 edition of SRGC by Wim Boems, and lots of lovely images: http://www.srgc.org.uk/logs/logdir/2014Jan291391022895IRG49.pdf

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