Few plants, shade or sun, offer the drama a mature Cimicifuga can provide. The tall, spiky flower plumes, echoed below by the Astilbe, direct the eye upward with their reach and create an illusion of sun dappled mist in the shade.
Although a bit slow growing, cimicifugas are totally self-reliant. They don't even need staking! Among it's many common names is 'bugbane', because bugs don't like the smell of it. You'll also see it listed as 'Snakeroot' and 'Cohash'.
The Plant shown here is Cimicifuga spp. (USDA Zones 4 - 8, 3' x 6', White Blooms: July - August). It has been reclassified as Actaea racemosa, but gardeners are a stubborn lot and still refer to it as Cimicifuga.
Alternative
- C. ramosa - Branched Bugbane 'Hillside Black Beauty' (USDA Zones 3 - 9, 3-4' x 6-8', White Blooms: August - Sept., Near Black foliage)
- Aruncus dioicus - Goat's Beard (USDA Zones 3 - 7, 6' x 6', White Blooms: May - June)