Red Baneberry For Shade Gardens
Photo:
Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz, CC BY-SA 4.0
Red Baneberry (Actaea rubra) is a good choice for cool shade gardens due to its lovely leaves, blooms, and vivid red berries. Find it in nature in the woods and clearings.
The stalk of this perennial plant is 30 to 40 cm long (up to about 18 inches). It differs from white baneberry by having a rounder cluster of terminal blooms that are tiny and white. It has red berries on a thin green stem.
Caring for Red Baneberry
The preference is light to moderate shade, moist to mesic conditions, and a somewhat acidic soil consisting of sandy loam, loam, or clay-loam with decaying organic matter. Cut back after flowering or fruiting. The seeds are slow to germinate, typically taking 2 years or more under natural conditions.
Companion Plants
Companion plant suggestions include Sugar maple, white pine, white ash, red oak and basswood for the upper story. Plant this with other spring ephemerals such as spring beauty, toothwort, wild geranium, hepatica, bloodroot, zig-‐zag goldenrod. If the site is quite moist, add pagoda dogwood, starry Solomon’s plume, and skunk cabbage.
Toxicity to Humans and Pets
Like white baneberry, be aware that the plant is extremely toxic, including the leaves, stalk, rhizomes and especially the berries. This is not a good choice of plant for gardens where children or animals may roam. It can cause cardiac arrest in humans and dogs, and major discomfort for cats. However, because the berries are quite bitter, ingestion is unlikely to occur.
Comments
More From Gardening Calendar
Eastern White Pine Uses
Experience the warmth, comfort, and stimulation of white pine uses, including clearing airways, boosting immunity, and treating common ailments with its rich vitamin C content.
Blackberry is Easy to Grow
Feed them 1 pound of 10-10-10 per 100 sq ft. of garden s Reward yourself with luscious blackberries – plant a Blackberry bush! Perfect for limited space, 1 bush can produce 20 white flowers and a large crop of juicy, sweet-tasting blackberries in zones 5-8 with bright sun and well-drained soil. Care & feeding instructions included.
Top 10 North American Gardens Worth Traveling For
Explore the Top 10 North American Gardens Worth Traveling For on a unique armchair tour with the OOSGC! Discover the history and design of the Chicago Botanic Garden, Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden, and Reford Gardens, or explore other noteworthy gardens from Las Ponzas to the Tucson Botanical Gardens.
In the Garden, I Never Rush Spring
Take the time to enjoy the slower side of gardening with native lupine seeds, over-wintered coleus and rediscovering the creativity and joy of listening to the birds chirping and the warmth bringing new life to our gardens.
What is Square Foot Gardening?
A Square Foot Gardening chart provides guidance on a raised garden bed into a grid in which crops are planted according to their mature size.
Veggie Bites – Peonies
Peonies are very particular about their depth of planting. If you cover up the base of the peonies with soil, you will not get blooms.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.