So many plants scorn nearby association with others because of color, size, or general incompatibility that some more amiable subject must be found to maintain harmony and subtle balance of foliage and flower.
Thalictrums
For this purpose, nothing can be better than the thalictrums. Related as they are to the well-known families of columbine and delphinium, their garden trustworthiness is already substantiated.
They are plants for the middle of the border where their wealth of foliage and flower gives substance in early spring and hides the unimpressive new growth of such plants as the bite veronicas, phlox, and Lythrum.
Thalictrum seems to go “all out” at once, for their blossoming is complete from the first, but they retain an amazing freshness of appearance for weeks.
The leaves of some species closely resemble those of the maiden-hair fern, and so the name Thatictram adiantifoliuni was given to one of the family.
All-Around Thalictrum
The beautiful species, T. aquitegifoliunt, is the best all-around thalictrum for the border.
It is entirely deciduous, and when in very early spring, the large, succulent shoots push out of the ground, the buds are already forming within them and soon open into loose, open panicles of feat cry bloom.
All of the family are noted for their lovely display of stamens, but this plant outdoes them all.
Lavender Rose
The lavender-rose form is the earliest to open, and with white, creamy-yellow, or pastel-Me columbines is lovely beyond words.
Some of the late tulips can be planted with the rose thalictrum, which would do much to soften the severity of their carriage.
The white Thalictrum is of such heavenly softness and fluffiness in appearance that it reminds feet one of the soft, woolly summer clouds. This is gorgeous with a pale blue iris, especially if pale pink or salmon pink columbines complete the picture.
Somewhat later to bloom and entirely different in appearance is T. forum. The leaves are not. Ferny and are so gray that the writer thinks the plant may be another species, T. glaucoma.
From it, one gets more of an impression of a thistle than of columbine or maiden-hair fern. It reaches a 4’ foot height and is not as low-growing as the other species described.
The inflorescence is also plume-like, not billowy, and a soft yellow. It is a complete complement to the delphinium, which blooms simultaneously, and if some blue and white peach-leaved bellflowers are planted nearby.
The picture is very lovely. It also combines well with the blue spikes of Nepefa Six Hills Giant and white delphinium.
Lavender Mist
Thalictrum dipterocarp, called Lavender-Mist, is a beautiful plant but not easy to keep. It particularly likes good drainage and often dies in winter from being waterlogged.
However, it needs always be noticed. An even lovelier member of this generous family blooms in August and is very hardy and reliable.
This is Thalictrum rochbrunianum from Japan, a comparatively new plant. The stems are slight and 4’ feet tall; the leaves are very finely cut and dark green; the delightful individual flowers are a ½” inch across, each on its curving pedicel.
The sepals are a lovely violet, and the soft-yellow cup within them is centered with yellow stamens.
The flowers look like tiny, spurless columbines. No garden picture is more pleasing than when this plant is growing behind Shasta daisies, soft-pink, or lavender phlox massed to hide its legginess.
44659 by Clare W. Regan