Queen of Sheba Bugbane

The dramatic, deep dark purple ferny foliage of the Queen of Sheba Bugbane (Actaea x 'Queen of Sheba') sets off the shade garden with exotic flair! This is an incredible perennial with gorgeous lacy leaves with a dark green undertone, adding depth and unique color to your landscape!

Queen of Sheba features white bottlebrush racemes of tall and fragrant, fluffy spikes of white blossoms that contrast with the dark ferny foliage. Popping out from equally dark purple buds, this shade-loving plant blooms later in the season and attract bees and butterflies! The slender blooms look truly unique in the vase when paired with its lovely dark foliage. Sometimes the flower spikes display small fruit that birds will peck at.

Also known as Cohosh and Black Cohosh, Queen of Sheba is a hardy hybrid cross between A. racemosa and A. simplex. Growing throughout USDA growing zones 5 to 8 these herbaceous perennials grow 3-4 feet in height when in flower and spread to an 18-24 inch wide mound. Bugbane naturalizes into thickets by way of underground rhizomes and creates polite banks of dark foliage.

Planting and Application:

Perfect for an updated woodland garden, a modern courtyard, or formal shade gardens, Queen of Sheba is fantastic for naturalizing in dappled shade wildflower gardens! Nearly as dark as the shade they thrive in. In full shade, the flowers will bend toward the sun's direction! Bugbane also thrives in partial shade and looks fantastic as edging, border plants, and underplantings around larger shrubs and trees where they won't mind the shade. Acting as facer shrubs, they hide larger shrubs with bare leggy stems!

Pot up Queen of Sheba in large planters and shady porch containers. Either dug below ground or above to stop their penchant for naturalizing in areas you don't want them to spread - ensure the pots have good drainage either way. You'll gain a fancy thriller and spiller with dramatic dark leaves and late-season arching blooms.

You can create contrast by pairing these dark foliage perennials with brighter foliage colors like variegated Hosta, Lemon Supreme Coral Bells, bright green Brunnera, and silvery Lamb's Ears or Pink Chablis Lamium. The foliage pairs beautifully with equally lacy Ferns and Astilbe too! Try matching the mood with Burgundy Lace Painted Fern or Spellbound Coral Bells for the opposite of a Moon Garden.

• White Arching Bottlebrushes With Purple-Black Stems
• Dark Purple Lacy Ferny Foliage
• Late-Season Bloom & Pollinator Friendly
• Shade Gardens & Cut Flowers
• Specimens, Naturalizing, Edging & Borders

#ProPlantTips for Care:

Bugbane thrives in highly organically enriched, well-drained soil and loves regular moisture. Plant in either full shade or partial shade and baby them along as they work to get established. Afterward, Cohosh has no pest or disease issues. Mulch with 3-4 inches of arborist bark chips to keep the roots cool and moist.

• Full Shade & Partial Shade
• Moist Rich Well-Drained Soil
• Disease and Pest Resistant
• Clean Mounds in Early Spring & Divide Every 3-5 Years
• Easy Care & Low Maintenance

The Queen of Sheba Bugbane's dark purple, fragrance and unique lacy form will add considerable drama to your shade gardens with their curious bottlebrush blooms! Buy hardy perennials today at NatureHills.com!