Bog plant
Leopard plant ('Desdemona')
Ligularia dentata 'Desdemona'
A clump-forming, herbaceous bog/pond-edge perennial with large foliage and orange daisy-like flowers in late summer to early autumn, suited to reliably moist soil at the pond margin.
PLANT PROFILE
About Leopard plant ('Desdemona')
Ligularia dentata 'Desdemona' (leopard plant) is a robust, clump-forming herbaceous perennial recommended for bog gardens and the damp margins of ponds. RHS guidance places this cultivar among pond-edge perennials: it prefers deep, fertile, reliably moist soil and is best used at the pond edge or in a bog planting where roots remain moist but are not submerged for long periods. It produces orange daisy-like flowerheads in late summer to early autumn and develops a substantial clump of foliage that dies back in winter.
Site and care notes from RHS emphasise planting in a moist, sheltered spot: the plant can be placed in full sun but benefits from some shelter from the hottest midday sun and protection from strong drying winds. It is hardy (RHS H6) and generally disease-free, though slugs and snails can be a problem. After flowering, cut back flowering stems and divide congested clumps to rejuvenate plants; RHS advises division in spring or after flowering.
When replanting divisions in pots for pond-edge use, RHS gives the general potting guidance of topping pots with gravel and covering the pot with a shallow layer of water (about 5–7.5 cm) while establishing — a practical technique for pond-edge perennials rather than an indication that the plant grows submerged. The cultivar is not native to the UK (RHS: Native to GB/Ireland: No) and is not described as a submerged oxygenator. The supplied GOV.UK/legislation sources reviewed do not list this cultivar on Schedule 9.
Do not release or dispose of unwanted plants into the wild; follow standard pond-plant biosecurity guidance. Maintain reliably moist, fertile soil, protect from drying conditions, and divide periodically to keep clumps healthy.
POND SUITABILITY