Black Cohosh

Actaea racemosa

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.