Golden Acre Home & Garden Centre's Plant Library

Description:

A native woodland plant that produces tall clumps with black stems bearing large, double purple-lilac flowers; excellent for cutting; may need to stake tall stems

Ornamental Features

Hewitt's Double Meadow Rue features dainty panicles of purple star-shaped flowers with lilac purple overtones rising above the foliage in early summer. The flowers are excellent for cutting. Its ferny leaves emerge green in spring, turning dark green in colour. As an added bonus, the foliage turns a gorgeous olive green in the fall. The black stems are very colorful and add to the overall interest of the plant.

Landscape Attributes

Hewitt's Double Meadow Rue is an herbaceous perennial with an upright spreading habit of growth. It brings an extremely fine and delicate texture to the garden composition and should be used to full effect.

This is a relatively low maintenance plant, and should be cut back in late fall in preparation for winter. It is a good choice for attracting bees and butterflies to your yard, but is not particularly attractive to deer who tend to leave it alone in favor of tastier treats. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Hewitt's Double Meadow Rue is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Mass Planting
• General Garden Use
• Naturalizing And Woodland Gardens

Planting & Growing

Hewitt's Double Meadow Rue will grow to be about 3 feet tall at maturity extending to 4 feet tall with the flowers, with a spread of 24 inches. When grown in masses or used as a bedding plant, individual plants should be spaced approximately 18 inches apart. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 10 years. As an herbaceous perennial, this plant will usually die back to the crown each winter, and will regrow from the base each spring. Be careful not to disturb the crown in late winter when it may not be readily seen!

This plant does best in partial shade to shade. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. It is particular about its soil conditions, with a strong preference for rich, acidic soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This is a selection of a native North American species. It can be propagated by division; however, as a cultivated variety, be aware that it may be subject to certain restrictions or prohibitions on propagation.