Marvelous Meadow Rues

It was nice to see a "warm-up" today with temperatures finally getting in the low 20 degrees F on a nice, sunny day. We had some welcome and appreciated volunteer assistance today with Dr. Gredler continuing to repaint obelisks with his recent color range being red and blue. Pat also helped with some painting and then headed out in the gardens to bring in more lights where they weren't frozen down. It's going to be a "longer than usual" process for bringing in additional Holiday Lights Show (HLS) elements if we don't get some warmer weather for thawing (and for our volunteers!). Patrea worked on a top secret painting project that will be a portion of our "Jungle Garden" this year. Chuck was in for recycling and Maury came in to run some errands for us. Bill O. tidied up the Horticulture Center and we also saw Kay, Cindy and many others today.

I love meadow rues (Thalictrum sp.) and have never seen them do poorly in the damper, partly shaded areas where we plant them at RBG. Above is a bloom cluster of the columbine meadow rue (Thalictrum aquilegifolium). Note the "columbine-like" foliage as well. A member of the Ranunculaceae (buttercup) family, this perennial has been a real workhorse in the garden with a long bloom period (varies by species) and ornamental foliage. There are 22 species native to North America although many of our best selections are from Europe, Russia and Asia. Meadow rues can thrive in full sun if they have ample moisture although the best specimens I've seen have had some degree of shading (wet soils are a must). They universally despise dry soils so don't even insult meadow rues with that situation. Local garden centers will usually carry a couple species and varieties and it's nice to see a wide range of heights available from 1' tall to 10' tall! The foliage, very "columbine-like" in appearance typically has a bluish-green tinge and rarely exhibits any insect or disease damage. Some selections also feature deep purple or near-black stems. I love the lacy flowers and the bloom window is quite long as the flowers also "fade out" nicely and maintain some decent color during that process. Most bloom from late June well in to the summer. There are lots of options out there and I encourage you to do more research as this blog doesn't begin to do this stalwart perennial justice. Here are some of my favorite shots (and selections) below.

yellow meadow rue (Thalictrum flavum subsp. glaucum) - 36"+

close-up of yellow meadow rue (Thalictrum flavum subsp. glaucum) - 36"+

columbine meadow rue (Thalictrum aquilegifolium) - 36"

'Thundercloud' columbine meadow rue (Thalictrum aquilegifolium) - 36" (Royal Horticultural Society Award of Garden Merit) - it has faded a bit here with early color like the photo above of the straight species