Sanguisorba Pink Brushes

The Sanguisorba 'Pink Brushes' is a new variety of hybrid Burnet that is full of tenderness and poetry. Above a very beautifully cut foliage, sway inflorescences in long, plump and feathery brushes, gracefully trailing and of a fresh powdery pink that is absolutely delicious. This generous summer flowering fades into a silver-white and then beige colour that blends beautifully with wildflowers and grasses. The stump, very vigorous, also proves to be perfectly hardy, even in heavy, waterlogged soils in winter. It will bring a natural and romantic touch to sunny borders. Burnet is a plant that thrives in moist to wet soil and makes a statement near water sources.

The Sanguisorba 'Pink Brushes' is a recent horticultural creation resulting from the hybridization of several wild species, including Sanguisorba hakusanensis, originating from Korea and Japan. This Burnet belongs to the large Rosaceae family. It is a perennial herbaceous and rhizomatous plant, non-invasive, developing from a vigorous stump. The foliage emerges in spring and disappears in winter.

The 'Pink Brushes' cultivar was selected in the Netherlands for its increased floribundity and the beauty of its flowers. Under good conditions (in moist and fertile soil), this plant forms a clump of approximately 1.10 m (4ft) in height, 60 cm (24in) in width, with rapid growth. It slowly spreads to form beautiful, abundantly leafy masses. From July to September, sometimes earlier or later depending on the climate, large floral spikes emerge from the foliage, carrying arched, cylindrical spikes, 8-10 cm (3-4in) long. They are adorned with tiny tightly packed pink flowers. The inflorescences fade almost to white before turning brown. This flowering stands out prominently against the beautifully cut foliage. The basal leaves, 30 to 50 cm (12 to 20in) long, are divided into 7 to 25 leaflets, oblong, elliptical, and regularly toothed along the edges. The foliage colour is a fairly light green, bordered with bronze to brown. The leaves on the stems are smaller and upright.

The Sanguisorba 'Pink Brushes' can be placed in the middle or at the back of borders, in a flowery meadow or by a pond, in soil that will not dry out even in summer, even if it tends to be chalky and clayey. It has the advantage of being resistant to the cold, allowing it to be grown in almost all regions. For a wild and refined effect, it can be planted in masses, combined with Lychnis Jenny, Cirsium Atropurpureum, Miscanthus sinensis 'Ghana' or Pennisetum orientale 'Karley Rose'. It will accompany, with lightness, other beautiful foliage plants, such as the Alchemilla mollis or the tall Angelica gigas.