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[SG] Cimicifuga

I finally had a chance to read the article on these plants that Gene Bush
kindly posted on his website, and wondered what conclusions others had
drawn from it. I printed it out, read it, and unfortunately left it at
work, but think I remember pretty well what it said. Did you notice where
it said the flowers of ramosa and simplex are "flagrant"? Don't we wish.

The bottom line is that the expert (forget his name) says (A) simplex and
ramosa are one and the same and (B) in this part of the world (Lower
Midwest and South) we shouldn't even try growing C.  ramosa/simplex unless
we can plant it next to a pond where it stays really moist, as it hates
our hot summers. Europe, New England, and the Pacific Northwest will have
more success with it. I believe several SGers in Indianapolis successfully
grow ramosa/simplex--I take that to mean that it blooms every fall and
comes up every spring, year after year, but Ipls is a tad cooler than we
are down here. Are any SGers south of Ipls having any success with it? How
about in the Far North--MN, MI, WI etc., or are the winters there too cold
for it?

I am going to have to ask the nursery where I bought it if they are still
as enthusiastic as they were a few years ago. I'll also ask them whether
they are aware that ramosa might be simplex. Meanwhile, mine is alive,
with two stems or stalks, and I'm trying to remember to throw extra H20 on
it. We shall see if it shows any signs of wanting to bloom this fall.

Meanwhile, I am learning to love our plain old native C. racemosa, which
looks darn good in bloom and you don't notice the smell all that
much--plus I guess it DOES repel bugs, hence Bugbane, one of its common
names.

Bobbi Diehl
Bloomington, IN
zone 5/6
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