Goatsbeard or Aruncus

Family Rosaceae. Name: for the appearance of the inflorescences. Dolinée botanists called it 'barba caprae' - goat's beard, renamed by Carl Linnaeus to 'aruncus', from the Greek 'arynkos' - of similar meaning.

Includes about 12 species of herbaceous perennial plants distributed in the temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Large plants with beautiful twice- or thrice-pinnate compound leaves. Flowers are small, white or yellowish, gathered in large, loose panicle inflorescences.

Location: aruncus achieve the greatest effect in light shade and with sufficient soil moisture. They also develop well in open sites. In strong sun the plants scorch and their leaves acquire a yellowish tint.

Soil: Not demanding, they can be either heavy or light, but must be moist, deeply cultivated, and contain sufficient organic matter.

Care: Very responsive to the application of organic fertilizers. Inflorescences are cut immediately after flowering, and the plants themselves in autumn, leaving stumps 3-5 cm high. They can remain in the same place for 6 years or more. Additional moisture is essential during prolonged dry weather. Aruncus should be watered abundantly. A mature plant requires 3-4 buckets of water. Such a large perennial needs regular feeding. In spring apply a nitrogen fertilizer, later 2-3 times at intervals of 10-15 days apply a fermented infusion of mown grass and weeds, diluted tenfold with water. Immediately after flowering, together with watering, feed the bush with a phosphorus-potassium fertilizer, after which mulch the soil around it with semi-rotted conifer litter, sawdust, or peat to a depth of 5 cm.

Propagation: By dividing large clumps, and this method has almost displaced seed propagation. Clumps are divided in autumn (September) or early spring (early April). A mature 4-5-year-old plant is dug up and divided with a knife into parts so that each division has at least two buds. Old clumps sometimes have to be split with an axe. Divisions are best planted immediately. When planting they require planting pits well filled with humus, sized 30 x 30 x 40 cm. The spacing between plants should be at least 50 cm. After planting they need abundant watering. Newly planted divisions should be shaded from direct sunlight for a while. Goatsbeards bloom in the year of planting and reach full decorative effect by the following summer.

Seeds are very small; sowings are made in boxes that require shading. Seedlings are pricked out into beds at a spacing of 10-15 cm between plants, with subsequent transplantation the following spring to a greater spacing. After two years the seedlings are planted in their permanent location. They flower in the third year.

Use: Goatsbeards are recommended for solitary and group plantings among trees and shrubs against a lawn background or in mixed plantings in combination with other perennials, as background plantings. The dioecious goatsbeard is often used to dress the edge of a pond.

In water cut inflorescences do not last long (2-3 days), but they are excellent in dried bouquets. For these purposes they are harvested when the flowers are fully open. The panicles can be dried either upright or gracefully drooping. In the first case the cut inflorescences are hung "head down" in a dry, ventilated room; in the second they are simply placed in a vase without water. After half a month they are completely dry and successfully complement any winter bouquet arrangement, giving it romance and lightness.

Companions: In the garden faded panicles are cut from the bush, while the lush, lacy greenery of the leaves continues to please the eye. Astilbe looks excellent against this background. It blooms later but still makes a good companion for the goatsbeard. If white-flowered varieties are planted nearby, it seems that the flowering of aruncus continues a tier below.