Aruncus Chantilly Lace

The 'Aruncus 'Chantilly Lace' is a hybrid variety of Goat's Beard with a compact and spreading habit. Its summer flowering is airy, with slender and graceful cream-white to cream-yellow panicles carried on purple stems. This cultivar combines the qualities of its two parents: it is of modest size very hardy, and its superb astilbe-like foliage turns to bronze copper in autumn. It is slightly taller than the Aruncus 'Misty Lace' and has wider panicles. It is a beautiful perennial for woodland areas, ideal in shaded areas of gardens, and particularly attractive near water features. This cultivar tolerates hot and humid summers well.

The Goat's Beard 'Chantilly Lace' is a rhizomatous, stoloniferous perennial plant forming a bushy clump from spring onwards. It belongs to the rose family. This hybrid was selected in 2003 by Dr. Allan Armitage at the University of Georgia in the United States. It is a cross between the compact and small-sized Aruncus aethusifolius, native to Korea, and the majestic Aruncus dioicus (sylvestris), a common plant in temperate and subarctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere. 'Chantilly Lace' reaches a height of 80 cm (32in) when in flower and spreads up to 100 cm (39in). It grows rapidly and has a good lifespan. The flowering period is from June to August, with thin feathery panicles measuring 15 cm (6in) long, upright and attached to reddish-brown peduncles. They are composed of tiny cream flowers, both soft and bright. Its foliage is deciduous, as delicate as that of a fern. The arching leaves are compound, highly divided, with finely toothed leaflets. The leaf-bearing stems are tall and have long petioles. Light green in spring and summer, the foliage takes on magnificent hues in September-October, just like the flower heads.

The Aruncus is a plant that thrives in cool conditions; it only tolerates sun if the soil is not too dry, especially in summer. It adapts well to clay soils if they are healthy and well-amended. The Goat's Beard 'Chantilly Lace' is particularly suitable for cottage gardens, natural gardens, woodland gardens, and near water features. It can easily be grown in pots or troughs with Astilbes to which it bears a strong resemblance. Its combination with the grey foliage and coppery ribbons of Carex comans 'Bronze' is superb. It creates beautiful scenes with Aconite, Foxgloves, ferns, and other shade-loving perennials and streamside plants. In large borders, it forms stunning combinations with rhododendrons, azaleas, and hydrangeas. It is also a lovely flower for summer bouquets.