These plants are stunning in late summer shade gardens.
This plantfoliage plus flower spikesreaches 4 to 6 feet tall and sometimes 8 feet tall in optimal conditions.
The flower stalks, which are actually clusters of thin stamens, last more than three weeks.
Also called bugbane and black cohosh, cimicifuga is a long-lived woodland plant.
Grow it with other woodland perennials, such asphlox, tall species of fern,astilbe, and angelica.
Cimicifuga is especially eye-catching when it rises high above a hosta grouping.
Cluster three to five cimicifuga plants together for an impressive show over a large area.
Cimicifuga (Actaea racemosa) is toxic in large doses.Keep away from children, pets, and livestock.
Where to Plant Cimicifuga
Cimicifuga is ashade garden plant.
It’s a slow grower but will eventually reach 4 to 6 feet tall and 4 feet wide.
It also is an attractive specimen plant and can be grown outdoors in containers.
Cimicifuga plants are frequently shipped as dormant bare-root rhizomes that are best planted in the fall.
Nursery-grown cimicifuga plants should be planted in spring.
Cimicifuga Care Tips
Cimicifuga is easy to care for when its basic requirements are met.
Light
Cimicifuga plants need part shade to full shade.
If the plant suffers from intense afternoon sun, move it to a lower-light location.
Don’t let the plants dry out during the growing season.
They need about 1 inch of water a week.
Supplement natural rainfall when needed by watering regularly.
Blanket the soil around cimicifuga plants with a 2-inch-thicklayer of mulchto prevent soil moisture from evaporating.
Temperature and Humidity
Cimicifuga varieties prefer moderate temperatures.
High heat slows the plants' growth.
They also prefer moderate to high humidity rather than low humidity.
Fill a container that has drainage holes with well-draining, organically-rich garden soil.
Plant a single tall cimicifuga in the center and add smaller plants around it to trail over the edges.
However, they are susceptible to leaf spot and other fungal diseases due to soggy soil.
How to Propagate Cimicifuga
Cimicifuga can be propagated by division and seed.
Division:The simplest way to propagate cimicifuga in the garden is by dividing an existing plant.
Dig up an existing plant in the fall, being careful not to damage the rhizomes.
Separate it into two or three sections, each with healthy rhizomes.
Replant the sections immediately in prepared soil.
Water the plants well.
Put the seed pods in a paper bag for drying.
Keep the seeds moist until they germinate, which can take one month to a year.
The plant’s dramatic dark stems are clothed with handsome 8-inch lobed leaves.
From late summer into fall, nodding clusters of pale yellow, waxy bell flowers arise.
Provide a sheltered position out of the wind where the soil is high in humus and retains moisture.
Varieties of hydrangea differ in the size of plant and flower panicle, flower color, and blooming time.
PeeGee hydrangeas grow into small trees; the flowers turn russet and cling into winter.
Oakleaf hydrangeas have the most handsome foliage, which reddens dramatically in fall.
Some newer hydrangeas feature huge flowers on compact plants, ideal for containers and small gardens.
Hydrangeas thrive in moist, fertile, well-drained soil in partial to full shade.
The change in hydrangea flower color results from lower pH and higher aluminum content in the soil.
Hostas in new sizes and touting new foliage features seem to appear each year.
Some are intensely fragrant.
Hostas are a favorite of slugs and deer.
North Carolina State Extension Service.
