About
An erect, rhizomatous, herbaceous perennial up to 1.8m high, with three-pinnate leaves, up to 20cm long, of broadly ovate, orbicular-ovate, or rhombic-obovate, grey-green leaflets, softly hairy beneath, and panicles 20-30cm long of flowers about 2cm across of long, pointed, pale lilac-pink sepals and creamy stamens and pistils from midsummer to early autumn; honeybees visit Thalictrum flowers for pollen.
About the genus
Thalictrum can be rhizomatous or tuberous perennials with ternately or pinnately divided, often attractive foliage, and panicles or racemes of small flowers with showy stamens and sometimes large colourful petal-like sepals
Growing conditions
SunlightPartial shade
Soil typeChalk, Clay, Loam, Sand
Soil pHAcid, Alkaline, Neutral
Soil moistureMoist but well-drained
AspectSouth-facing, North-facing, West-facing, East-facing
ExposureExposed, Sheltered
UK hardinessH7
Plant details
Plant typeHerbaceous Perennial
HabitColumnar upright
FoliageDeciduous
Height1.5-2.5 metres
Spread0.1-0.5 metres
Time to full height2-5 years
Suggested usesCity and courtyard gardens, Cottage and informal garden
Care notes
CultivationGrow in moisture-retentive, humus-rich but well-drained soil in full or partial shade, and provide support if necessary, for example by growing among shrubs. See staking perennials for further advice.
PruningNo pruning required
PropagationPropagate by seed, sown in containers in a cold frame as soon as ripe or in early spring, or by division as new growth begins in spring; divisions may be slow to re-establish
Pest resistanceMay be susceptible to slugs
Disease resistanceMay be susceptible to powdery mildews in dry conditions