Filipendula 'Elegans'

Filipendula 'Elegans': Summer Lace with a Wild Romance
Airy, graceful, and delicately perfumed, Filipendula 'Elegans' lives up to its name with clouds of soft pink blooms that float like mist above finely cut foliage. Blooming in midsummer, its feathery flowers rise in sprays that seem to dance in the breeze, adding height and texture to moist borders, cottage gardens, and woodland edges. With its light fragrance and romantic form, this perennial brings a vintage softness and ecological charm to gardens seeking both beauty and balance.

Plant Characteristics:

• Height: 80–100 cm
• Spread: 60–75 cm, forming an upright, bushy clump
• Flower Colour: Soft rose-pink plumes composed of tiny, star-like flowers
• Flowering Period: Midsummer
• Foliage: Deeply divided, fern-like green leaves with a fine, lacy texture
• Sunlight Requirements: Full sun to partial shade
• Soil Requirements: Moist, fertile, well-drained soil; prefers consistent moisture and tolerates clay

Uses and Benefits: Filipendula 'Elegans' is a wonderful addition to naturalistic plantings, pollinator gardens, and damp meadow borders where a soft, textural effect is desired. Its nectar-rich blooms attract bees and butterflies, while its finely cut foliage offers a graceful contrast to bolder-leaved plants. The floral display brings height without heaviness, and its upright habit keeps it tidy in mixed borders. It thrives in consistently moist soil and adds a whimsical, cottage-garden feel to any planting.

Companion Plants: Pair Filipendula 'Elegans' with Astilbe 'Peach Blossom', whose warm-toned plumes and moisture-loving habit echo Elegans’ romantic aesthetic and seasonal timing. Add Iris versicolor, whose upright blue-violet blooms provide contrast in both colour and form while enjoying similar conditions. Complete the combination with Carex 'Bowles Golden', whose arching, variegated blades brighten the base of the planting and complement the soft pink flowers above.

Care Instructions: Plant in full sun to partial shade in moist, fertile soil. Keep the soil consistently damp, especially during dry spells, to maintain healthy foliage and promote lush flowering. Cut back spent blooms after flowering, and remove dead foliage in late autumn or early spring. Divide every 3–4 years in spring to rejuvenate and maintain clump health.

History: Filipendula 'Elegans' is a refined selection from a genus native to temperate regions of Europe, Asia, and North America. Closely related to Filipendula rubra and Filipendula ulmaria, it shares the group’s love of damp meadows and its airy floral display. These plants have long held a place in traditional herb gardens for their medicinal history and delicate beauty, with 'Elegans' bred to emphasize grace, compactness, and garden versatility.

Final Thoughts: Ethereal and evocative, Filipendula 'Elegans' brings a sense of movement, softness, and seasonal richness to the summer garden. Perfect for borders that crave height without heaviness, it offers perfume, pollinator support, and painterly charm in every plume. Whether in a formal cottage garden or a free-flowing meadow setting, it lives up to its name—an elegant bloom for thoughtful, moisture-loving spaces.