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: Anemone 'Prince Henry' carries rose flowers at 60 to 90 cm from August to October, picking up as this meadow rue finishes. Hemerocallis Happy Ever Appster™ 'Apricot Sparkles' adds apricot blooms at 30 to 40 cm from June to September. Geranium 'Rozanne' weaves violet flowers at 45 to 50 cm through the front over the same long season. Everything here grows in full sun or partial sun.

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.