Grand Goatsbeards

I was at work today for a couple hours as we had a scheduled work day and tour for potential volunteers on the calendar. It sprinkled over night and continued this morning with some miserable drizzle and cold winds. We initially didn't think we'd see many volunteers. Larry, Big John and Janice were in to help out. Larry and John worked on a couple projects first while John moved on to a needed gas run and potting up some annuals in to larger containers. Larry staked some trees in the main parking lot and continued making concrete bases for our woody plant labels. While we didn't end up having an official "work day" out in the gardens due to the weather, we had seven new and potential volunteers show up for the tour. Janice gave them the initial tour around the Horticulture Center and then I took them for a 2 hour tour around the gardens. The weather, while brisk and slightly damp, was bearable. It was a nice group of volunteers and we hope to see all of them often. Janice also worked on other projects. Also this morning was the continuation of the Compost Sale (staffed by Dennis, Gena and Pat M.). Gena and Pat helped John with his planting duties and Dennis also kept busy "between customers." While the compost sale seemed to be going well, the last clearance day of our Spring Tree Sale was fairly slow. Maury and some other Golden Kiwanis members ran that sale. We also saw Dr. Gredler, his son Richard, Patrick M. and many others.

I'd like to promote the use of goatsbeards with this blog posting. I should mention that none of the pictures shown in this blog are recent as we are still weeks away from seeing goatsbeards (Aruncus sp.) blooming out in the gardens. However, I wanted to mention the merits of these great garden perennials. The two top pictures and three pictures beneath them are all of the standard goatsbeard (Aruncus dioicus) which usually blooms in late May or early June for us in the garden. Native to the temperate portions of the Northern hemisphere in Europe, North America and Asia, this perennial is also known as bride's feathers for the wispy appearance of the flowers. Few would argue the merit of the impact of this perennial as seen in the pictures. While it can be a little floppy at time, this plant benefits occasionally from staking and "supportive neighbors." This species prefers moist, organic soils and does well in partially shaded ocations. I would never include any goatsbeard in deep shade though as they need some degree of sunlight. However, some of our best clumps at RBG are in full sun although the soils are very damp in these locations. Traditional goatsbeard (Aruncus dioicus) can top out easily at 4-5' in height although there are some shorter options that should not be overlooked. The two photos below show the dwarf goatsbeard (Aruncus aethusifolius) which forms a short, textural mound (15" or so) with very fine foliage. Small, white flower sprays following in late spring / early summer. This selection is great for the front of the border or as a textural edger along a path. The flowers on all goatsbeards are also showy as they age to a brown and some species/varieties will ge a decent yellow (or even reddish) fall color in October.Another more compact selection of goatsbeard is Aruncus sinensis 'Child of Two Worlds' which hovers around 3' or so in height. Also called 'Zweiweltenkind', this variety (not pictured in this blog) is nice in the mid-border and offers that same flower impact as seen above. Also not pictured is the hybrid variety 'Horatio' which is a cross between the dwarf species seen above (aethusifolius) and A. dioicus. Topping out at 40", 'Horatio' has shorter, but no less showy, white flower sprays and gets a nice reddish fall color tinting. Another nice dwarf variety (with the same parentage as 'Horatio') featured to the immediate right and left here is 'Misty Lace'. Selected by Dr. Allan Armitage of the University of Georgia for heat tolerance, this hybrid is also bone hardy to zone 3 (30" tall). As with all the previously mentioned species and varieties, moisture is absolutely vital for the success of all goatsbeards so position them accordingly and consider moisture-retentive soil amendments like compost and/or peat moss to encourage plant health and strong flowering. To the lower right are the blooms of the variety 'Guinea Fowl' which has cutleaf foliage and strong, compact blooms. This variety, introduced from Europe, only gets 24" tall and wide. One of my favorite goatsbeards is 'Kneiffii' which is sometimes indicated as a variety or form of the standard Aruncus dioicus. This selection has very fine, cutleaf, filagreed foliage that offers interest before, during and after peak blooms (48" tall). The variety 'Whirlwind' is a cutleaf variety as well (also 48" tall). The bottom photo shows 'Kneiffii' at my in-laws house where it is happy in lots of sun but gets pampered with decent soil and supplemental watering as needed. Considering the durability and availability of a wide range of goatsbeards for the home garden, why not include them in your planting palette.