I've always wanted to try this, but saw it in and English garden and it was enormous so it scared me off! How much room have you given them? And it sounds like you're giving it more sun than shade? How much sun?

Is that actea behind it? Will the Angelica still be in bloom when it gets its "eyes"? That would be cool!

Good "eyes" T2d!

I have given them way too little room. I planted then cheek to jowl and close to other perennials also eg "monkshood" right behind, some Ligularia to the right and the 2 actea that you noticed right up against...crazy squashing.

There is almost no direct sun...it would for sure be considered full shade...or I guess dappled shade at best?

I love this plant, and so do the bees! Can't for the life of me get a good picture of it, but it's so architectural. I remember seeing it for the first time growing in the Arrowhead Alpines garden.

A nice gardenweb-er (thanks, Cynthia if you're still around) shared seeds with me years ago, and so far I get enough reseeding to keep a patch going every year.

I also love this plant. Mine are in a dry, sunny spot which I think is not ideal, so it took three years from seed, but worth the wait. It's so dark I don't think it shows up well mixed with other plants so I much prefer the way rouge and ruth have it growing (more on its own as a statement).

It just started blooming yesterday!

'ruth', that is a great picture.

katob, what a coincidence that both yours and my AG began to bloom on the same day...that is spooky.

Maybe it's just me but this plant seems to 'pop' into bloom. Big fat buds come up, they're awkwardly bent and look like they're caught up and need a c-section, and then suddenly a fat bloom head is there with wasps Galore.

yeah don't plant it if you have something against feeding the wasps and bees...

Hmmmm.......I'll have to rethink this one. I didn't realize it could take that much shade. I have an area at the edge of woods where I could just let it take over. Especially if it's such a magnet for bees and wasps. I'm afraid it won't "show up" at the edge of woods without something lighter in color planted behind it, so I'll have to give that some thought.

How tall is the foliage for all of you?

thyme,

I have seedlings from a plant from two years ago. Enough so you can plant a few for fun without thinking about whether it is the perfect spot. Mine showed up as mysteriously as the mother: dry shade near driveway

Nice! I'll pick those up with the other stuff! Thank you!

With flowers, mine range from 4 - 6 ft or so. The foliage is probably 2.5 - 3.4 or 4 feet. Mine are in pretty much full shade, but it's not a super-deep shade.

Thanks for that extra info, Ruth. You all really have me thinking the this could be a very interesting plant for me to try. I just had no idea it would do well in a shadier site.

UPDATE:

I see this variety called Ebony:

dark foliage on a giga

The dark leaved angelica is a.sylvestris and a better investment as it is perennial whereas the gigas is monocarpic and will die after blooming and setting seeds. I can't recall without checking whether the gigas needs to stratify over winter so you will see the first, very recognisable seedlings, next spring which will then bloom the following year. As with all biennials, there will always be a gap year while the new seedlings make a rosette to flower the following year but once that pattern is established, you can look forward to blooms every year.

Do think about Ebony, Rouge (or Vicar's Mead) as they are beautiful plants which are stately and architectural - I love them (and all the umbellifers) beyond reason. My woodland is in apiaceae country - out of 33 native or naturalised species (listed in my Keble-Martin), I grow around 20 or so...from the dainty meum and torilis to the romping hogweeds. The angelica sylvestris is the last to flower (while alexanders - smyrnium perfoliatum- are the first harbingers of spring.

Campanula, how long have you had the Ebony? One site I looked at said it would act as a perennial (but still last just 3 - 4 years) only if you cut off the flowers before seeding. I've done that with my Gigas and had it come back the next year, although not reliably.

Might see if I can find Ebony or some of its seeds and give it a go.

Campanula, I put in a couple of "Gigas" 2 years ago, never having any experience with them previoulsy. And last year when they bloomed for the first time I was blown away...hence this thread. (So far I don't think I see offspring from the seeds of last years plants :( ).

I do so want to visit England again.....last time was about 35 years ago! If this does transpire I hope you can find time to show me your allotment.

None of the angelicas are long lived apart from a.arguta which has been reliably perennial for over a decade. Cutting off the heads before the seeds develop can prolong their lives but I don't bother since they are such prolific seeders. I do, however, have something of an obsession with the umbellifers...although I have been soundly defeated in my desperate attempts to source peucedanum palustre - the seeds themselves are only viable for a short period...and only set seeds in around 1 out of 3 summers here in the UK...and is also biennial so has to be raised as plugs for at least 2 years since it also dies after seeding. This is the SOLE food plant for the UK swallowtail which is extinct in the UK apart from a tiny patch of Norfolk (where my wood is). I saw a swallowtail for the first time in my life last year when one flew into the clearing to rest on the red campions (they are attracted to pinkl)- the thrill was exquisite.

The plants raised from Ebony will come true but will quickly revert if green leaved angelica sylvestris is present...a bit like my eternal rogueing of pink/purple foxgloves from my white seedlings...or the very popular anthriscus 'Ravenswing' which also reverts to plain green leaved cow parsley. If pink flowers are your goal, chaerophylum hirsutum or pimpinella major 'rosea' will be more reliable.

I winter sowed a.g. one year and gave away all but one plant. Had it in a holding bed and lost the tag so forgot what it was and no id from my masters gardeners booth at the farmers market. After deciding it wasn't a weed I kept it but second year it was still all foliage. Then looking through my old winter sowing list the third year I thought it must be a. giga so moved it to the garden. It bloomed last fall but very late, probably due to rabbit damage earlier. Not sure if it set seeds but haven't seen any seedlings yet. Definitely a striking plant in bloom even when short, noted rabbit damage, and attractive foliage even when immature.

I am a bit obsessed with this plant after having blooms last year. No sign of any offspring this spring but by coincidence I spied 2 very healthy Giga specimens at a nursery yesterday.

No sign of any offspring this spring

Maybe I spoke too soon. Campanula, is it possible these might be (very) young Angelica G. leaves? (But now seeing them with the more mature plant immediately above I don't see much similarity). (They are within inches of the original AG plant from last year).

Thank you for posting! I'm going to add this to my list of "wants" for my new house.

Yes, Rouge - they do look like little angelica seedlings, The leaves are more rounded in the first leaves, only becoming more slender and defined as the plant grows.