Description of Ranunculus flammula (Lesser Spearwort)

Ranunculus flammula is lesser spearwort, a UK native buttercup for wet ground and shallow margins. It’s a simple plant that looks right in natural pond edges and bog gardens, and it flowers for a long time in summer.

Appearance

It has narrow, slightly fleshy leaves and low, creeping stems. Small yellow buttercup flowers appear through the warmer months. It stays low, often 10 to 30cm, and can form a loose carpet in wet mud.

Care Guide

It’s easy, but it appreciates light and open space. Dense shade makes it thin out.

• Sun: Sun to part shade.
• Soil: Wet soil, mud, or aquatic compost.
• Water: Boggy ground to very shallow water.
• Control: Lift and thin if it spreads into baskets of slower plants.
• Tidy up: Trim after flowering if it looks messy.

If you want it to look more deliberate, plant it in a small basket and let it trail over the edge.

Suitability for Bog Garden

This suits wildlife and natural-style bog gardens. It fills bare muddy spots, softens hard edges, and gives small flowers that sit well with grasses and rushes.

Use it at the front edge where it can creep without smothering taller plants, and keep an eye on it in tiny bog gardens where space is tight.

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