Product Field NotesCompanion Plants
Big Green Tractor Ligularia: Giant Leaves for Damp, Shady Ground
Save
Big Green Tractor ligularia, formerly sold as Tractor Seat, is a very large ligularia grown for drama. Its deep green, slightly glossy leaves reach up to 16 inches across, deeply cut with serrated edges, and in midsummer branching stems lift golden yellow daisies above the foliage.
If lavender is the plant for your driest, sunniest ground, this is the plant for the spot where your boots sink in.
Big Green Tractor at a glance
| Trait | What to expect |
|---|---|
| Botanical name | Ligularia 'Big Green Tractor' |
| Foliage | Deep green, up to 16 inches across, deeply cut and serrated |
| Flowers | Golden yellow daisies on branched stems |
| Size | About 42 inches tall, 54 inches wide |
| Bloom | Starts early July, peaks mid-July, showy about three weeks |
| Hardiness | USDA zones 4 to 9 |
| Light | Part shade; morning sun with afternoon shade is ideal |
| Deer | Resistant |
The opposite of lavender, on purpose
We will not pretend Big Green Tractor can live with lavender. Ligularia needs shade and constantly moist soil; lavender needs sun and fast drainage. But most properties have both kinds of ground, and a good garden plan uses each one well. Lavender takes the high, sunny, sandy spots. Big Green Tractor takes the low, damp, shady ones, like a pond edge, a rain garden or a woodland bed beside hostas and ferns.
Its bold leaves give that wet corner the same sense of design that lavender rows give the sunny side. Sketch both areas in the Companion Plant Planner.
Planting and care
- Light: morning sun or filtered shade. Deep shade cuts flowering; hot afternoon sun makes the leaves wilt.
- Soil: rich and consistently moist. It will not tolerate drying out.
- Summer: water deeply, especially in heat waves.
- Pests: slugs and snails like the young leaves; check early in the season.
- After bloom: cut spent flower stems.
- Fall: keep evenly moist into fall, cut foliage down after frost and mulch the crown.
About afternoon wilting
Even in moist soil, ligularia leaves often droop on hot afternoons and perk back up by evening. That is normal and not a disease. If they stay limp into the next morning, the plant needs more water or more shade.
The plug tray
Big Green Tractor is offered as a 72-cell plug tray, useful for planting a large rain garden or bog area, or for potting up specimens. See the product page for current availability and the Wholesale Hub for tray orders.
Frequently asked questions
How big do the leaves get?
Up to about 16 inches across on a mature plant, forming a broad mound about 4½ feet wide.
Do deer eat ligularia?
It is rated deer resistant. Slugs are a bigger concern.
Is it good for cutting?
The flowers are fair for cutting, but most people grow it for the foliage.
Share how it went in your field