No, I don't but I think it's gorgeous. Have you seen the cultivar "black negligee"? Just wow.

(And you also need to search for Actaea. Cimcifuga has been reclassified, weirdly enough.)

I've had a 'Hillside Black Beauty' in one of my shady beds for a couple of years now and am very happy with it. Growing in the dappled shade of tall, limbed-up oaks, the foliage is somewhat greener than shown in most photos, but still very nice and an interesting contrast in the garden. The foliage may turn blacker if given more morning sun; I wouldn't recommend afternoon sun for this plant.

It has required no special care and is healthy, spreading slightly without being invasive. I really appreciate the fragrant, tall stalks of late-summer/early fall bloom, especially in the shade. In my experience, those flower stalks grow the way they want, often quite willy-nilly, which is fine for my casual woodland-type spot, but would probably be a problem in a garden where everything must be "just so."

FYI, I'm in coastal New Jersey, USDA zone 7, with very sandy soil (that I keep amending and amending and...); rhe gardens well mulched each autumn with shredded oak leaves.

One of my favorite plants in my shade garden. It is in quite a bit of shade, no direct sun, leaves are left on the bed in the fall and it does really well. Mary

The reason I wanted some input is because I bought one over the weekend without knowing much about it other than the info from the tag on the pot. The girl at the nursery couldn't offer any knowledge about it either.
I love the look of the foliage, but after doing some research on it, I'm not sure it's the right plant for the area I wanted to put it.
It was to be in the front of my house which faces north, but it does get some late afternoon sun. In the picture, it would be planted at the far right corner of the new bed I made. In front of the downspout, next to the porch steps.

{{gwi:227331}}

Culture-wise it could be OK in that spot, but...
-it's hardly a plant for the front of the house, rather for a natural setting,
-it's highly fragrant and at the time of the bloom all kind of insects will be all over it. I don't think you want to invite them to your front door.

I grow it in a 2 hours of late westerly sun and color is satisfactory dark.

Mine (a different dark-leaved variety, Brunette) grows happily in a spot with a bit of morning sun and a bit of late afternoon sun, and relatively bright shade between. It's not a formal plant, but is quite nice - I wouldn't say only for a natural setting. The flowers are long bottle brushes, and come at a time when not a lot else is blooming in late summer. I find the foliage quite striking, rather like a larger, dark astilbe.

The foliage is a tiny bit fuzzy and has a slightly unpleasant odor to my nose when brushed against, so I wouldn't put it right next to a door or pathway where people would come in contact with it, but a couple of feet away would be fine. I put mine in a bed where I knew some utility work would be happening down the road and I'd need to move it at some point. I thought perenials would be easier to move than shrubs after a couple of years . . . Well, the moving time arrived last fall, and the Cimicifuga had a large, dense, HEAVY rootball after just three years, so I would advise putting it where you won't have to move it.

How about placing it just to the right or left of your cellar window?

I planted mine near my front door in a very similar spot to yours. I never had any problems with bugs in the house (there were always ants on the flowers) or the foliage smell. When it bloomed I got to enjoy the wonderful grape scent of the flowers.

Yep, plant it where you will be able to enjoy the fragrance, and as I see it, your suggestion is next to a walkway? Nice spot! It will do well there, and you will be able to enjoy it.

I have both Brunette and Hillside and they are wonderful plants. Disease and pest free, the foliage is wonderful. The flowers will attract any other insect any other garden plant would attract. No issues. Nothing prettier than a plant covered in American Painted Lady Butterflies! They love the Cimicifuga flowers.

I have one in a north garden shaded by a maple, and two more plants in a northeast garden at the front of the house where they get morning sun until 11 am and then shade from the house the rest of the day.

I grow all of mine, the Actaeas (Cimicifuga 'Hillside Black Beauty', 'Brunette', 'Pink Spike' and atropurpureum) in moisture retentive soil, mulched, in part shade borders in the garden. They get some morning sun, and I don't let these plants dry out. If they do, the leaves will crisp up, just like an Astilbe in too much sun. They may even die back some, but should reappear the next year. They also don't like to be moved once established, but just keep getting better looking with age. They are great plants! Use contrasting foliage, like a blue or yellow leaved hosta, or a chartreuse foliage plant for a great combination in your border.

I grow mine in morning shade and 4 hours of brutal afternoon sun and as long as I keep it hydrated, it looks fantastic.

Thanks everyone for all the information.

I'm still deciding, but I think the dark foliage would look nice against our cream color siding. I would plant it a little to the left of the downspout and I was planning to put a couple hostas in front of it.

We don't use our front door much as our drive is in the back and that's where everyone comes. Only the mailman would walk by it everyday.

We do get a bit of wind as it's an open field across the street, would that be a problem for it? Would it tend to fall over?
I'm wondering if a smaller variety like 'Brunette' or 'Pink Spike' would work better? I know I could return this one to the nursery in exchange for one of those.

I really appreciate all the suggestions :-)

In regards to the wind, I have a stake 'growing' with mine, but it's not a tall stake. I tie it a bit when the plant gets to half it's height and in the end, you don't see it. We had the remnants of Hurricane Noel pass by last year which took down trees but not the Hillside. :O)