LIVING Lavender mist: When less is more
Pam Baxter explains how lavender mist thrives in either full sun or part shade, in rich, welldrained, moist soils.
In the garden, big, bold, and dramatic gets our attention. It’s just the way it is. Knowing this, plant breeders are always working on coming up with the next “eyepopping” varieties. Bigger blooms. Double flowers. Variegated combinations. Colors that visually leap out of background foliage. We all love seeing these bursts of color; I think we’re wired to notice striking and unusual things in our environment. But there is beauty and visual interest in smaller, less vibrant flowers, too.
I have some lavender mist (Thalictrum rochebruneanum) growing at the edge of the back patio. Lavender mist is also known as meadow rue and giant meadow rue. The plants have leaves that look much like the medicinal herb, rue—sort of gray-green in color and delicately pinnate. Tiny, delicate, fivepetaled lavender flowers with bright yellow stamens grow in loose umbels at the tops of stems three to four feet tall.
The original plant was a gift that a friend gave me from her own garden. Over the years, that one plant has flourished and self-seeded so that I now have a cluster of these understated beauties. On summer mornings, while the sun is still behind the tall trees on the edge of the property, our patio is a great place to read. It’s lovely to be surrounded by the border plants and those in containers. But more, when I’m sitting down, the flower heads of the lavender mist are right at eye level and it’s a perfect opportunity to take a close look. I especially love watching the tiny, almost iridescent hoverflies that visit the fairy-like blossoms.
This plant is proof that less striking specimens are not only beautiful, but that they can also have a lot of versatility. Lavender mist is a lovely addition to perennial beds, wildflower gardens, meadow gardens, woodland areas, naturalized plantings, and as a background plant. I’ve seen photos of it growing against a brick wall, the solidity of the wall making a beautiful foil for the open laciness of the plants. While it has more impact when grouped together, it can also be woven in among other plants; because of the it’s open structure, you can see what’s growing behind it.
Lavender mist thrives in either full sun or part shade, in rich, well-drained, moist soils. It also seems to do fine in heavier soil, like in my garden. It’s easy to grow, selfseeding, and is both deer and rabbit resistant. I’ve heard that—like medicinal rue— the leaves may cause skin irritation in sensitive people.
Lavender mist (Thalictrum rochebruneanum) is native to Japan. Another plant also called meadow rue (Thalictrum dioicum) is native to central and eastern North America. The herb rue is Ruta graveloens, not related botanically to either of the plants that have been dubbed with its name. While there are some similarities in the overall look of the plants, a clear identifying difference is in the number of petals: the flowers of the Thalictrum have five petals; the flowers of the Ruta have four.
Note: Final call for submitting your entry in our Gardening Contest. The subject is pollinators and what you do to support them on your property— what you plant and why, and what insects or other pollinators you’ve seen feeding off of those plants. Send your entry to pamelacbaxter@ gmail.com or send your printed/handwritten piece to Pam Baxter, P.O. Box 80, Kimberton, PA. 19442, by June 30. Pam Baxter is an avid organic vegetable gardener who lives in Kimberton. Direct e-mail to pamelacbaxter@gmail.com, or send mail to P.O. Box 80, Kimberton, PA 19442. Share your gardening stories on Facebook at “Chester County Roots.”