Thalictrum 'Black Stockings'

Thalictrum 'Black Stockings': Black Stems Under a Lavender-Pink Cloud

'Black Stockings' has long, near-black legs and a fluffy lavender-pink top, and it knows exactly what it's doing. Tall, see-through and a little scandalous. THE BORDER JUST GOT A LOT MORE INTERESTING.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Thalictrum aquilegiifolium 'Black Stockings'
• Common Name: Meadow Rue
• Height: 120–150 cm (4–5 ft) in flower
• Spread: 60 cm (2 ft)
• Flowers: Large, fluffy clusters of lavender-pink flowers made mostly of stamens
• Bloom Time: Midsummer (July to August)
• Foliage: Lacy, columbine-like leaves on near-black stems
• Features: See-through height, RHS Award of Garden Merit

Where to Plant: Plant it in the middle or back of a border, where its dark stems and airy flowers float above lower plants without hiding them. It's lovely at a woodland edge or beside a path where you can admire the stems up close, and it likes moist soil.

Companion Plants: Give 'Black Stockings' a moist bed in sun or part shade with gold globeflowers and a blue carpet. Isotoma fluviatilis carpets the front at 3 to 5 cm with tiny blue stars from June to September. Heuchera FYRE WING™ 'Amber' adds amber foliage at 28 cm. Trollius 'Golden Queen' brings orange-gold globeflowers at 75 to 90 cm in June and July. Hierochloe odorata adds sweetgrass at 30 to 60 cm, its blades scented of vanilla.

Plant Care: Plant it in moist, rich, humus-filled soil. It's happiest in part sun; it takes full sun if the soil never dries out. Mulch to keep the roots cool and water during dry spells. In windy spots, the tall stems may need a discreet stake. Cut the stems down after flowering or in late fall. It doesn't like being disturbed, so divide only when needed, carefully, in spring.

History: 'Black Stockings' came from the breeding program at Terra Nova® Nurseries in Oregon and is listed under columbine meadow rue, Thalictrum aquilegiifolium, though some nurseries treat it as a hybrid of uncertain parentage. It has earned the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.

Final Thoughts: Deer stay away, bees don't. Plant it where you can admire those legs all summer. NO, WE WILL NOT BE TAKING QUESTIONS.