Filipendula

This group of hardy perennials is found in various parts of the world including North America, Japan, Europe and northwest China. Filipendula are commonly called Meadowsweet. F. palmata variety rubra is a pretty plant that grows 6 to 8 feet high with a spread of 4 feet. Its large, dark green leaves have 7 to 9, irregularly cut lobes. The tiny, hot pink flowers are produced in feathery plumes on long, branched stems, in mid-summer. F. purpurea also has deeply divided leaves into 5 to 7 hairy, serrated lobes. The tiny, reddish-purple flowers are borne in thick, branched heads on thin, purple-tinted stems, in the summer. This plant grows up to 4 feet high. F. ulmaria variety aurea is a pretty variety that grows up to a foot high. It has fragrant leaves divided into 3 to 5 pairs of oval/oblong leaflets. They are golden turning into pale creamy-green. The minute, creamy-white flowers grow in feathery plumes on branched stems, in mid-summer.

Pot Cultivation

These plants will flourish in moist, humus-rich soil in partial shade. The foliage of F. ulmaria 'aurea' will burn if they are exposed to full sun. F. palmata can be grown in wet ground. It is great for a boggy garden and will grow quickly.

Propagation

These plants can be increased by sowing seeds in the fall or by division in the fall or winter.

VARIETIES

• F. palmata & var. rubra;
• F. purpurea;
• F. ulmaria (Queen of the Meadow) & var. aurea, plena;
• F. hexapetala (Dropwort) & var. flore-pleno;
• F. rubra (Queen of the Prairie) & var. venusta;