Sanguisorba 'Tanna'

Sanguisorba 'Tanna': Dark Little Buttons on Wiry Stems

'Tanna' is what happens when a wine cork learns to fly. Burgundy-red little heads bob on slender stems over blue-green leaves, like the garden is toasting itself. TOAST OF THE BORDER.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Sanguisorba officinalis 'Tanna'
• Common Name: Great Burnet
• Height: 30–60 cm (1–2 ft) in flower
• Spread: 30–60 cm (1–2 ft)
• Flowers: Small, deep burgundy-red, cylindrical heads on slender, branching stems
• Bloom Time: Midsummer to early fall (July to September)
• Foliage: Blue-green, crimped leaves finely divided into oblong leaflets
• Features: Compact size, long bloom season, good for cutting

Where to Plant: Its modest size makes it easy to fit into a small garden, the front of a border or a large container. Plant it in groups of three or more so the dark flower heads read as a haze of colour, and snip a few stems for small arrangements.

Companion Plants: Filipendula 'Venusta' makes a tall backdrop at 180 to 240 cm, with frothy pink plumes from June to August. Weave Gaura 'Whirling Butterflies' through the middle for airy white flowers from June to September. Up front, Calamintha nepeta 'Blue Cloud' forms a 25 to 30 cm haze of blue over the same long season. The dark burgundy buttons of this burnet pop against the white and blue, and every plant here handles full sun to partial sun.

Plant Care: Give it full sun or light part shade and moist but well-drained soil. It handles clay, loam or sand, and acidic to alkaline conditions, as long as the soil doesn't dry out for long. Water well through the first season and during summer droughts. Skip heavy feeding, which can make the stems lean. Cut the flowering stems back in late fall, or leave them for winter interest and tidy them in early spring. Divide the clump in spring every few years if the centre thins out or flowering drops off.

History: Great burnet grows wild in damp meadows across much of Europe and temperate Asia, and it belongs to the rose family, with a long history as a medicinal herb. Gardeners have since embraced it for its long-lasting, button-like flowers.

Final Thoughts: Compact enough for a small bed, fancy enough for a vase. The bees keep coming back for refills. POUR ONE OUT. THEN PLANT THREE.