DESCRIPTION: Black Negligee Bugbane features bold spikes of fragrant white flowers with shell pink overtones rising above the foliage from mid to late summer. The flowers are excellent for cutting. Its attractive deeply cut ferny compound leaves emerge dark green in spring, turning deep purple in colour throughout the season. The brown fruits are carried on spikes from late summer to late winter. The deep purple stems are very colourful and add to the overall interest of the plant.

BOTANICAL NAME: Actaea simplex 'Black Negligee'
OTHER NAMES: Baneberry, Fairy Candle, Black Snakeroot, Black Cohosh
AVERAGE MATURE HEIGHT: 130 cm
AVERAGE MATURE SPREAD: 60 cm
SUN EXPOSURE: Full Sun to Full Shade
FLOWER COLOUR: Light pink to white
FLOWERING TIME: Fall
FOLIAGE COLOUR: Purple black
COLD HARDINESS: Zone 4 ( Should survive up to -34.4° Celsius )
WATER NEEDS: Average - Requires moist soil but not wet
OTHER FEATURES: Attractive Foliage, Border, Cut Flower, Deer Resistant, Fragrant, Rabbit Resistant

Landscape Attributes

Black Negligee Bugbane is an herbaceous perennial with tall flower stalks held atop a low mound of foliage. It brings an extremely fine and delicate texture to the garden composition and should be used to full effect.

This is a relatively low maintenance plant, and should be cut back in late fall in preparation for winter. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Black Negligee Bugbane is recommended for the following landscape applications:

• Mass Planting
• General Garden Use
• Naturalizing And Woodland Gardens
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Black Negligee Bugbane will grow to be about 3 feet tall at maturity extending to 5 feet tall with the flowers, with a spread of 3 feet. It tends to be leggy, with a typical clearance of 1 foot from the ground, and should be underplanted with lower-growing perennials. It grows at a slow rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 10 years.

This plant performs well in both full sun and full shade. It prefers to grow in moist to wet soil, and will even tolerate some standing water. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This is a selection of a native North American species. It can be propagated by division; however, as a cultivated variety, be aware that it may be subject to certain restrictions or prohibitions on propagation.

Black Negligee Bugbane is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor pots and containers. With its upright habit of growth, it is best suited for use as a 'thriller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the center of the pot, surrounded by smaller plants and those that spill over the edges. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden. Be aware that in our climate, most plants cannot be expected to survive the winter if left in containers outdoors, and this plant is no exception.