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, Aug 138 AM – 4 PM
- Fri, Aug 148 AM – 4 PM
- Sat, Aug 158 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.
Or skip the guesswork.
Curated packages bundle complementary species for an instant habitat. One reservation, one pickup day, a printed layout map.
Short on Space Package
For gardeners who have an abundance of passion but are short on space, this package features tidy, upright, clump-forming natives that behave and function well in small spaces.
Shade Bed Package
Ferns, sedges, and woodland natives that thrive under existing trees.
Birder’s Paradise Package
For the avid bird watchers and budding ornithologists in our community, the Birder’s Paradise Package consists of species that Hill House Nursery staff and longtime native plant advocates such as Doug Tallamy consider ‘premier bird garden plants’.