Thalictrum, pigamon: 8 beautiful pairing ideas

Brighten up a shady corner

Large Thalictrum plants find their place in slightly neglected corners to create contrasts and gradients. Planted in the dappled light of a woodland, at the centre or back of a border, mixed with broad foliage like that of Hostas and linear foliage like that of Ferns, Pigamon delavayi will bring nuances and light to a rather dull border.

Its constellations of small dancing flowers provide a beautiful luminosity to these often overlooked areas and help to lighten a border that is too dense. To subtly brighten this environment of foliage, favour white varieties such as Thalictrum delavayi ‘Splendide Album’, which resembles a giant gypsophila with its airy pure white flowers tinged with green. Pair it with beautiful perennials for partial shade such as Japanese Anemones, lavender, pink or white Virginia Veronicas, and a Selinum wallichianum that bears large white umbels in summer.

Thalictrum delavayi ‘Splendide Album’ brightens shaded corners

Give life to an English mixed border

Thalictrum is a must-have for 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, Astrantias, hardy geraniums, Astilbes, and Digitalis, the Thalictrum delavayi ‘Hewitt’s Double’ with its mini lilac-pink pom-poms is a great asset for flowering much of the summer in this vibrant, well-populated border. The shorter varieties will be better suited to narrow beds.

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

Make it expressive with roses

Emphasise monochromy by mixing roses: soft pink or pink-violet. They will harmonise without a false note, providing a backdrop imbued with poetry. Thalictrum are the ideal companion plants for old or climbing roses, with which they create delicate and romantic scenes. Opt for white or pale pink varieties for added simplicity and freshness. Planted in groups of three or six, you can play with an infinite array of harmonies in shades of white, pink, or lilac. This is also a solution for dressing and concealing the somewhat bare base of a climbing rose. The upright and bushy habit and the lush foliage of Pigamon will soften the somewhat strict appearance of the roses.

Create an aerial apotheosis by pairing the pink-lilac flowers of Thalictrum aquilegifolium with the soft pink bouquets of a rose

Compose a symphony of acid greens

Similar to the mimosa, the pale yellow inflorescences of the Thalictrum flavum glaucum or Yellow Pigamon and its light, finely cut leaves with silver reflections will weave between the foliage of Alchemillas, and will be enhanced in the company of a Yellow-flowered Corydalis, a Hosta ‘August Moon’ with green-yellow leaves, and climbing roses with yellow flowers.

The pale yellow inflorescences of Thalictrum flavum glaucum and its light leaves[/caption>

Create a cheerful pink mist

On a background composed of a Fuchsia magellanica Versicolor, with pink and purple flowers and beautiful grey-green foliage veined with red, and hydrangeas in saturated pink hues, we dare a bold combination of strong tones by bringing together the large lilac-pink misty panicles of a Thalictrum delavayi ‘Hewitt’s Double’, with the dark purple XXL inflorescences of a Angelica gigas, the purplish flowers of an Astrance major ‘rubra’, a magenta pink Chinese Astilbe, a Meadowsweet with candy pink fluffy flowers, or even a Heuchère ‘Georgia Plum’ with purple-pink foliage. Placed at the edge of the flowerbed, the imposing grey foliage of a Hosta ‘Krossa Regal’, an Actaea, or the more discreet foliage of ground-cover perennials like Brunnera macrophylla provide a softness of tones that harmonises well with the entire range of pink colours.

Thalictrum aquilegifolium with feathery flowers

For an exotic and lush scene

In summer, large Thalictrum such as Thalictrum ‘Elin’ reach for the sky at over 2.5 m like a burst of purple fireworks. With its lush foliage, it adds a very exotic charm to the garden against a backdrop composed of bamboos, small Japanese maples, and grasses like Carex, Japanese Grass, or Diamond Grass with their stunning spikes.

For a lush and contrasting atmosphere, in partial shade and in cool to moist soil, surround it with robust perennials such as ferns: their boldly upright leaves like those of Matteuccia orientalis with an almost tropical appearance, Clayton’s Osmunda, or the glossy Scolopendrium Fern with its surprisingly flat foliage. They dress the base of the Pigamons. The clouds of mauve and airy flowers of Thalictrum delavayi ‘Ankum’ will also provide a remarkable contrast alongside giant Hostas: a way to unite two colossi in an oversized yet exotic union!

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

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

In a cool rockery

The Thalictrum kiusianum, a very floriferous ground-cover species, will quickly form a delicate dense cushion of blue-green fern-like leaves under trees or along the edges of borders or paths. It will weave its way into the damp crevices of mossy stones or low walls for a very bright effect throughout the summer. It can be paired with delicate and ground-covering Anemonella thalictroides, dwarf Hostas, luminous Epimediums, or capillary plants with very graphic, finely cut leaves.

The Thalictrum kiusianum is perfect for woodland settings in shady rockeries

In a poetic bouquet

Tall stems of Pigamon structure countryside-style bouquets by adding verticality, their finely cut and light foliage, and a certain opulence. Mixed with roses, Lilies, sweet peas, Echinaceas, bright pink spikes of sanguisorbas, and blue-mauve Kalimeris, they will create an airy, fresh, and romantic bouquet.

The misty inflorescences of Thalictrum reveal themselves in simple and delicate floral compositions