Meadow-rue

Unrelated to true species of rue (Ruta), the meadow-rues comprise a significant number of plants in this family with nearly 350 species. They are found throughout the globe, usually in shady, moist places. Few of them are cultivated. They have blue-green, handsome foliage that looks very much like their relatives the colombines. Flowers can be white, yellow, pink, or purple and they are generally tiny and in showy, fluffy clusters.

Meadow-rue flowers in late spring or early summer and tends to go dormant if things become too hot and dry for them. Meadow-rue has no pest or disease issues and they are tidy plants: most spread little and self seed only occasionally.

Many species are dioecious (male and female flowers on separate plants) and some are extremely showy and others are not so much. Not every species is hardy either.

Probably the best known and one of the most beautiful is a selection of the Chinese species Thalictrum delavayi called ‘Hewitt’s Double’. It produces clouds of bright pink-mauve blooms and grows about 3-4 ft. tall. It is best in moist, well drained soil in partial shade and may need some staking.

A hybrid called ‘Black Stockings’ is also extremely garden worthy with bright lavender blooms and very dark black-purple stems. Both make excellent filler in flower arrangements and will attract butterflies.

Our native meadow-rue, Thalictrum dasycarpum, also called the tall meadow-rue, is another worthy garden plant. This very durable plant has large white panicles held above a tidy clump of foliage. This is a large plant (generally over a meter tall) that gets larger over time and it's quite long lived. It may self seed but isn't a nuisance.

One final species worth mentioning which is increasingly showing up in the nursery trade is T. ichangense, which hails from China. Although frequently listed as being a zone 4 or 5 plant, based on the conditions of its homeland it is probably worth experimenting with in zone 3. Growing only 8” tall, this beautiful clumping perennial is great for containers or the border. Flowers are light pink or lilac, small and fluffy, and not overly significant. It is the foliage that is the star attraction! The leaves are shaped like shields and resemble Epimedium. It is their extraordinary coloring, with the leaves ranging from deep olive-green to brownish or red, each with a distinct silver star in the center. They are held on fine, thin stems and appear to hover and float. It is a stunning effect. Best in partial shade and allowed to dry out a little bit between watering, this meadow rue would make an excellent subject for a woodland garden.

‘Evening Star’ is a new, especially vigorous cultivar of it from Terra Nova Nurseries.