Black Cohosh
Actaea racemosa
Tall white flower wands rise 4 to 6 feet over dark cut foliage in July and August, like candles in the shade garden. Deer ignore it.
Typically 1 pint–1 gal · $9–$30 · final price at pickup
- Thu, Sep 248 AM – 4 PM
- Fri, Sep 258 AM – 4 PM
- Sat, Sep 268 AM – 2 PM
The most dramatic flowering native for the shade garden. tall white wands rising above bold foliage in midsummer.
Black Cohosh is the great architectural native for the shade garden. In July and August the tall wands of white flowers rise 4 to 6 feet above deeply cut, compound leaves, catching light in the dim woodland understory like candles lit in a forest. The blooms carry a faint, slightly musky sweetness that some find pleasant and others find challenging. Either way, it's distinctive and unmistakable. Insects find it irresistible. The deeply cut, dark green foliage is handsome all season, and in fall the persistent seed pods rattle in the breeze and bring visual interest when most woodland perennials have gone quiet. This is a slow-establishing plant that rewards patience. Give it a few years to settle and it will become a permanent structural element in the shade garden. It's virtually ignored by deer.
A nursery-grown plant, ready for the ground.
Healthy, container-grown black cohosh propagated on-site at Hill House from regional genetics. Includes a one-page care card. We make every effort to supply plants as listed; occasionally we substitute a similar species of equal value.
- Sun
- Part shade
- Water
- Average
- Mature size
- 3–6 ft · 24–36 in wide
- Bloom time
- Midsummer
- Bloom color
- White
- USDA zones
- 3–8
- Family
- Ranunculaceae
- Native range
- Eastern North America, from Massachusetts south to Georgia, west to Missouri and Ontario
Care notes for black cohosh.
Plant in part to full shade in moist, rich, well-drained soil with good organic matter. This is not a drought-tolerant plant. consistent moisture is key, especially in the first two years. Mulch well. Do not divide unless absolutely necessary as it resents disturbance. Slow to establish from small divisions or young plants.
Pairs well with these.
Same light, same soil, same wildlife. Janet's picks to plant alongside black cohosh.
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