Thalictrum, Meadow Rue: 8 Beautiful Planting Combinations

Brighten up a shady corner

The majestic Thalictrum plants make their way into neglected corners to play with contrasts and gradients. Planted in the dappled shade of a woodland edge, at the centre or back of a border, mixed with broad foliage like Hostas and linear leaves such as those of ferns, the Pigamon delavayi will bring subtlety and light to a dull border.

Its constellations of small, dancing flowers bring a lovely luminosity to these often overlooked areas and help to lighten an overly dense planting. To subtly brighten this leafy environment, opt for white varieties like the Thalictrum delavayi ‘Splendide Album’, resembling a giant gypsophila with its airy pure white flowers tinged with green. Pair it with beautiful shade-loving perennials such as Japanese Anemones, lavender, pink or white Veronicastrum virginicum, or a Selinum wallichianum, which bears large white umbels in summer.

The Thalictrum delavayi ‘Splendide Album’ brightens up shady corners

Breathe life into an English-style mixed border

The Thalictrum is a staple of English cottage mixed borders. They create a misty haze of pink, lilac or white at the edge of climbing roses or Hydrangeas. Combined with Japanese Anemones, Masterworts, perennial Geraniums, Astilbes and Foxgloves, the Thalictrum delavayi ‘Hewitt’s Double’ with its tiny lilac-pink pompons is a great asset for flowering this lively, bustling border for much of the summer. The shorter varieties will be better suited to narrow flower beds.

Spectacular, the feathery, creamy-yellow flowering of the Thalictrum flavum glaucum brings a poetic touch

Make it expressive with roses

Go for a monochromatic look by mixing roses: soft pink or pink-purple. They will harmonise effortlessly, creating a poetic backdrop. Thalictrums are the ideal companion plants for old-fashioned or climbing roses, with which they create delicate and romantic scenes. Opt for white or pale pink varieties for simplicity and freshness. Planted in groups of three or six, you can play with endless harmonies in shades of white, pink or lilac. It’s also a great solution to dress and conceal the slightly bare base of a climbing rose. The upright, bushy habit and lush foliage of the Meadow Rue will soften the somewhat rigid appearance of roses.

Create an ethereal spectacle by pairing the pink-lilac flowers of Thalictrum aquilegifolium with the soft pink clusters of a rose

Create a symphony of acid greens

Similar to mimosa, the pale yellow flower clusters of Thalictrum flavum glaucum or Yellow Meadow Rue and its delicate, finely-cut silver-tinged leaves will weave beautifully between the foliage of Lady’s Mantle. They’ll be perfectly complemented by neighbouring Yellow Corydalis, a Hosta ‘August Moon’ with green-yellow leaves, and yellow-flowered climbing roses.

The pale yellow flower clusters of Thalictrum flavum glaucum and its delicate leaves

Create a joyful pink haze

Against a backdrop of the Fuchsia magellanica Versicolor, with its pink and purple flowers and striking grey-green foliage veined in red, alongside hydrangeas in saturated pink tones, we dare to create a bold colour combination by pairing the large, misty lilac-pink panicles of Thalictrum delavayi ‘Hewitt’s Double’ with the XXL deep purple inflorescences of Angelica gigas, the crimson flowers of Astrantia major ‘Rubra’, a Chinese Astilbe in magenta-pink, a Queen of the Meadow with its candy-pink airy flowers, or even a Heuchera ‘Georgia Plum’ with its violet-rose foliage. Placed at the border of the flowerbed, the imposing grey foliage of a Hosta ‘Krossa Regal’, an Actaea, or the more subtle ground-covering habit of perennials like Brunnera macrophylla, adds a softness of tone that harmonises beautifully with the entire range of pink hues.

Thalictrum aquilegifolium with feathery flowers

For an exotic and lush scene

In summer, tall Thalictrums like Thalictrum ‘Elin’ soar skywards to over 2.5m like a spray of mauve fireworks. With its abundant foliage, it lends a very exotic charm to the garden against a backdrop of bamboos, small Japanese maples, and grasses like Carex, Japanese forest grass or Diamond grass with their superb spikes.

For a lush and contrasting atmosphere, in partial shade and in fresh to moist soil, surround it with vigorously growing perennials like ferns: their boldly upright leaves, such as those of Matteuccia orientalis with its almost tropical appearance, the Clayton’s Osmunda, or the glossy, remarkably flat foliage of the Hart’s Tongue Fern. They clothe the base of the Meadow Rues. The clouds of mauve, airy inflorescences of Thalictrum delavayi ‘Ankum’ will also create a striking contrast alongside giant Hostas: a perfect union of two colossal plants, oversized yet infused with exoticism!

To complete these opulent foliage scenes, a Rodgersia, this beautiful woodland perennial with its broad bronze leaves turning mahogany, and a bushy Amsonia hubrichtii with its feathery foliage and blue flowering, will perfectly highlight their Thalictrum neighbour.

Thalictrum ‘Ankum’-Clayton’s Osmunda-Rodgersia pinnata Chocolate wings-

In a cool rock garden

The Thalictrum kiusianum, a highly floriferous tapetum species, will quickly form a delicate, dense cushion of blue-green fern-like leaves beneath trees or along borders and pathways. It will weave its way into the damp crevices of mossy stones or low walls, creating a luminous effect throughout summer. Pair it with delicate, ground-covering Anemonella thalictroides, dwarf Hostas, bright Epimedium, or Capillary plants with finely cut, highly graphic leaves.

Thalictrum kiusianum is perfect for woodland settings and shady rockeries

In a poetic bouquet

The tall stems of Meadow Rue add structure to rustic-style bouquets, bringing verticality, while its finely cut and airy foliage lends a certain opulence. Combined with roses, Lilies, sweet peas, Coneflowers, the bright pink spikes of Burnets, and the blue-mauve Kalimeris, they create an ethereal, fresh, and romantic bouquet.

The misty inflorescences of Thalictrum shine in simple and delicate floral compositions