Actaea Simplex Atropurpurea Group | Bugbane

Elegant spikes late in the year. Formerly known as a Cimicifuga, this bugbane is a dramatic, stately perennial, with its slender, bottlebrush-like, pale pinkish-white flowers, which appear in September and October above clumps of lobed, purple-flushed leaves. The foliage colouring of these seed-raised plants will vary somewhat from plant to plant, but also external factors such as the time of the year and the available light will play a part. It's also a useful plant because it comes into its own late in the season (when many flowers have finished), as well as being able to thrive in damp shade. It can get quite tall, so try it towards the back of a border, and avoid removing the faded flowerheads as they provide an interesting silhouette in the winter garden. In a recent article in the The Daily Telegraph, Dr James Compton (the man responsible for their classification), thought that this plant needed atmospheric moisture to thrive. 'Think of trillium country', he said, 'on the acid side of neutral, light and leaf-mouldy but able to retain moisture'.