Even by tissue culture, propagation is a slow process; hence the higher prices. BUT you should be able to pick up gallons anywhere from $12-$20 depending on variety and nursery. Of course, dark-leaved varieties are slower growing. General info: The plants formerly known as Cimicifuga are typically later bloomers, get huge, and have seed pods as opposed to berries. They like some afternoon shade, but should be in a bright location with some direct morning or evening sun. They are typically woodland edge/savana plants. They don't want to be dry, but I don't find them to be water hogs once they're established either. Treat them like most plants and the'll be fine. They can tolerate full sun with extra water. I highly recommend A. 'Black Negligee' as it has been the fastest growing dark-leaved variety I've tried. Actaea pachypoda, rubra, and a few others are the baneberries. I often see 'Misty Blue' being listed without its species name; it is a form of A. pachypoda. A. pachypoda gets white berries in summer. A rubra gets red berries, though there are white-berried populations. A. nigra is european and gets black berries. They are spring blooming woodland plants and tolerate shade very well. They all have white flowers followed by berries, either red, white, or black. All berries are poisonous. I find them growing here in maple/beech forests, which tend to be very dark. They get 2-3' tall depending on species and variety. A. pachypoda tends to be taller and more upright @ 2'-3', A. rubra is more bushy and shorter and closer to 18"-24". Best bet for success is rich soil with lots of organic matter and even moisture. Some morning sun is good for vigor, especially with A. rubra, but afternoon sun should be avoided. Currently the only one I'm aware of being vegetatively produced with any regularity is 'Misty Blue'. The rest are either seed grown (and fairly expensive- it takes up to 2 year to germinate the seed and another 5-7 years to be a salable plant) or wild collected. Wild collected material should be avoided unless you can certify it came from a construction site rescue. Plant to pay $10 or more for 4.5" quart pots for A. rubra, somewhat less for A. pachypoda as it's a bit faster growing. Both groups are easy to grow, but require some patience. The Plant Geek www.confessionsofaplantgeek.com www.botanophilia.com www.facebook.com/botanophilia

Echinaceamaniac, I've had the 'Hillside Black Beauty' cultivar growing happily in half-day sun (morning sun) here in zone 7 for years. Do what you think best, but I think yours should be fine, especially if you can give it some shade from the hot afternoon sun. Our temperatures here in coastal NJ were up in the mid to high 90's for a spell and the snakeroot took it all in stride with no signs of stress. In addition, our sandy soil drains fairly quickly, despite my amending with organic matter. Mine are growing in a bed with hydrangeas, daylilies, fernleaf bleeding heart and hosta, and, honestly, I see the other plants showing signs of drought stress before the cimicifuga even seems to notice. In the shade, the leaves don't get as dark as they would with more sun, but I'm very happy with this plant - it provides vertical interest, brightening the shade with its creamy-white, late-season flowers. That's a lovely plant, Aachenelf!

I searched for Cimifuga and found this thread. Oh, Wendy, that is just wrong! Six years and you get one little bloom before frost. Seems this plant, like some others, want a very particular place as similar to their natural growing situation as possible to perform well. It's not as easy as it might seem to replicate a good woodland setting above and below ground...and we can't change the atmospheric conditions where we live/garden. I'm going to have to accept that I can't have so many of the plants I'd like because I just can't give them the situation they need. I'm not there yet as I still search and drool over these gorgeous plants. I was investigating this plant again because I had a couple native plant nurseries tell me it wouldn't mind pretty deep shade with only flickers of filtered light all day except early Spring and late Fall. If it didn't bloom it wouldn't be worth it to me. The conditions I have aren't even near optimal and don't want to knowingly invite more plant unhappiness...theirs and mine. Hope you got a few more blooms to enjoy, Wendy.

Thanks ianna. That's very helpful. So being completely new to perennials I'm a bit confused as to how to mulch them. Do I just mulch the ground around them and then when it snows pile the snow up over top of the plant itself? The Bugbane is about 14 inches tall. Is the idea to have all the stems and leaves covered with snow eventually? Also, I've been reading alot in these forums and I'm confused on leaf mulching. Sometimes people write to mulch with leaves and others write to remove any dead leaves from your flowerbeds to prevent mold or fungus issues. Is leaf mulching over winter okay but not great during the summer? If I do mulch with leaves over winter then will I have to be sure to remove them all in the spring? I'm still a little confused but working hard to catch up with the rest of you. :-) Crystal