Thalictrum ichangense Evening Star - Meadow-rue

Thalictrum 'Evening Star' is a new variety of meadow rue derived from a small Chinese species.  It stands out for its remarkably coloured foliage, which serves as a backdrop for a very long lavender flowering, in infinitely light and frothy panicles. Apart from its spring to summer flowering, 'Evening Star' exhibits foliage like marbled epimedium in shades of olive green, Havana, silver, and copper. In the garden, this Thalictrum is a plant of precious and poetic appearance, deserving a prominent place in a semi-shaded bed, in damp, non-calcareous soil.

Thalictrum ichangense, from the Ranunculaceae family, is native to the moist forests of northern and eastern China. The cultivar 'Evening Star', from which it originates, was recently selected in the United States. It is a small herbaceous perennial with tubers that forms a small bushy clump from spring onwards. At maturity, this meadow rue will measure approximately 30 cm (12in) in height by 25 cm (10in) in width. Its foliage consists of leaves divided into small, generally triangular leaflets with serrated edges, more coppery when young, turning light brown and then olive green. Each leaf displays an irregular silver zone along the main veins. From this clump of leaves, flexible stems, coppery-purple in colour, emerge from May to September-October, surpassing the foliage. They bear loose panicle inflorescences, adorned with very thin petals in mauve-pink, giving them a fluffy and velvety appearance. The meadow rues, which establish themselves rather slowly, become more beautiful over time. They are quite hardy but do not appreciate competition from nearby roots. Their above-ground growth disappears in winter.

Remarkably coloured, delicately flowered in a lavender mist, this meadow rue undoubtedly brings a touch of poetry to the shaded areas of the garden or even to a pot on the patio. It will find its place in the garden of a collector or with a natural style, between shade and sun.  It will have a beautiful effect in contrast with less delicate perennials such as hostas, as well as on the edge of shrub beds, with bluebells, woodland geraniums (Geranium phaeum), small ferns, Siberian bugloss, or dead nettles, for example. It can also be planted near hydrangeas, fuchsias, astilbes, heucheras, foxgloves, and many others. Just make sure not to associate it with overly exuberant plants that could suffocate it.