Cimicifuga japonica Cheju-Do

Actaea or Cimicifuga japonica 'Cheju-Do' is named after the South Korean island where it was discovered. This silver candle is a particularly compact variety and resistant to leaf spots that is not lacking in charm. It first seduces with its lovely spring foliage, made of purple young shoots unfolding into lobed leaves that appear silver-glazed. Then it chooses the end of summer to offer its generous flowering, in long, slightly fragrant white-cream spikes. Robust, hardy, and beautifully airy, this perennial with sleek design is one of those plants that are self-sufficient and uniquely structure shaded areas.

Actaea japonica, also known as Cimicifuga acerina, is a plant of the buttercup family native to wooded regions of Japan, Korea, and China. 'Cheju-Do' is a sturdy and majestic perennial that develops from a blackish rhizome with fibrous roots arranged in compact masses; this plant slowly forms bushy clumps not exceeding 80cm (32in) in height when flowering, 30cm (12in) for the foliage, with a minimum spread of 50cm (20in). Its basal foliage consists of large, long-petioled, generally rounded leaves, divided into 3 toothed lobes. Their colour in spring is a light green with a hint of grey, shiny, with a tin-like sheen, slightly fading during the season. Flowering occurs in September-October, in the form of 12 to 15 large terminal inflorescences bearing pink buds that open into tiny white-cream flowers. These spikes take the form of slender upright or arched spikes, with an indescribable fragrance. This flowering is very honey-producing and nectar-rich, and its scent does not appeal to everyone.

Actaea 'Cheju-Do' will thrive in partial shade, in the dappled light of a clear understory or on the edge of a forest. This plant appreciates humus-rich, moist soils, and even on the very humid banks of a pond. In flower beds, its highly graphic silhouette and truly luminous flowers will emerge from the faded perennials at the end of summer. Its foliage pairs well with that of hostas and Heucheras, and its flowering with that of Japanese anemones. This majestic plant will make a beautiful specimen, planted in a large pot on the terrace.