Sanguisorba Proud Mary

The Sanguisorba 'Proud Mary' is a burnet with a sturdy and compact habit, which carries delightful raspberry red pompoms throughout the summer on aerial stems. Its bluish-green foliage is divided into dentate leaflets. Easy to grow and naturalize, this perennial with a rustic appearance will bring life to borders in cool and fairly rich soil, not too chalky, in full sun or partial shade. It will also have a beautiful effect as a pond edge.

The 'Proud Mary' burnet is the result of cross-breeding between several species of the Sanguisorba genus. These plants all originate from the Northern Hemisphere, and belong to the vast family of Rosaceae (even if their appearance does not easily give it away). With the exception of the small burnet (Poterium sanguisorba), which prefers dry soils, burnets appreciate cool to wet or even waterlogged areas, such as wet meadows or sunny edges. They have large leaves divided into ovate leaflets of a lovely bluish-green colour, adorned with large teeth.

The Sanguisorba 'Proud Mary' stands out for its sturdy habit, not exceeding 60 cm (24in) in height when in flower and about 30 cm (12in) wide. Throughout the summer, between June and August, or even September, it produces a multitude of raspberry red 'spikes' that sway in the wind on long flexible peduncles.

Very hardy, 'Proud Mary' can be planted in any reasonably moist to wet soil, preferably rich and acidic to neutral, in any case not too chalky. The soil should not dry out in summer, otherwise it may compromise flowering. Therefore, this plant prefers a location in a clayey and deep soil. It is a plant that nevertheless requires the sun to thrive. It will bring a nice naturalistic touch to your borders, and will slowly spread through its short rhizomes, allowing the clump to multiply after a few years. Its small size makes it easy to plant in various spots. It is also possible that the plant occasionally self-seeds, although data is lacking for this variety. Furthermore, the dry inflorescences remain decorative for a long time during autumn and winter, which extends the plant's season of interest.

Combine this plant with other plants that thrive in similar conditions, such as 'Lemon Drops' avens, 'Ogon' grassy-leaved sweet flag, 'Little Doll' Virginia spiderwort, or even on a carpet of 'Black Scallop' bugleweed or 'Superba' knotweed.