Meadow rue is a relative of the buttercup. It is no relative of the european plant called rue, which is grown by herbalists for medicinal properties. Do you know for sure which one you have?

Oops! I do have the herbal plant Rue. Dont know where I got meadow Rue from! I liked the look of Rue, very fern looking. Thanks,

Jen

This is why Latin names are so important. Ruta graveolens prefers full sun, MODERATE water... some places this would be drought tolerant.... and it stinks to high heaven! :o) Jen, I wouldn't water it too much. Here in very dry Sacramento, it did well.

Jen, you can expect a whole lot of baby rue plants once your plant flowers, unless you remove all the flower parts before the seeds drop.

Some people are sensitive to rue rubbing their skin, so be careful when working around it.

It does look pretty though.

Very pretty yellow flowers, and it's a butterfly magnet!
I actually like the smell of the leaves, but watch out for the skin sensitivity problem. I don't know anybody personally that's affected by it, but it can be a headache for some people.

Thank you everyone! Luckily I have no reaction from this plant, I've been picking off the yellowing leaves lately (too much rain.) Its in a well drained spot though, I'll see how it does next year. I love the blue foliage.

Jen

I had a friend that had a horrible reaction to rue. Blistering sores, worse than poison ivy or oak. It's actually caused by a combination of exposure to the plant oils and the sun at the same time, so may not occur in cloudy or rainy weather even for a susceptible person. I don't think that susceptibility is very common, tho, since I know lots of people that have grown rue with no problems.

I grow Rue for the butterflies, the yellow swallowtails lay on it ( and the larvae devour it ). The Rue leaf was the inspiration for the shape of the club design in a deck of cards.

Here is a link that might be useful: The Herb Garden

My rue changed very little from year to year until last summer, it finally bloomed. Maybe it's just my yard/soil, but it developed very slowly

I also get a lot of butterfly larvae on the rue. And I like that it multiplies itself.
I've never had skin sensitivity. I have also heard, not to plant rue near other plants because it can inhibit growth, but I've never had a problem with planting plants close by.

ellen

I have had rue growing here in zone 7a for years & never a problem with spreading x seed. Each year a few come back in sevaral places & an occasional new one from seed but never a problem. I assume it is an herb rue that I have... small, round green leaves & yellow flowers on a 2 ft. bushy plant?

I am glad to hear of possible skin sensitivities ... I'll be careful!

I found this thread while looking for info on Rue. I bought a small pot in the herb section of a local nursery, thinking I'd put it in a BIG hanging basket along with basil, oregano and thyme. However, the little stick in the pot got me thinking I needed to know some more about this plant. Now I don't think it should be in the basket at all. (One source says it does not like basil at all!) I'm in Phoenix and we're days away from searing heat (right now, we're being blessed with a cool spell - only mid-90's). Do you think I could put it in a large pot all by itself with some loose, sandy soil? All the sites I've found say 'full sun' but I don't think that means here. It was under some shade at the nursery. All advice welcome.

I live in Oklahoma and I grow it in full sun. It seems to like it. We get hot days over 100.

It is ten years old now and it looks like a gnarly little tree.

Oh, I hope I can keep this alive that long! Over 100 degrees doesn't sound too bad, but out here we can get to 115 and have long stretches when the nighttime temps don't drop below 100. Do you think I could start it in a container and slowly introduce it to sun as it grows? Sorry to sound so cautious but you have no idea how many plants I've 'rented' - my term for a plant that lives a few days and dies. :(

I found rue likes lean, well-drained soil and sun. Of course "sun" in Western NY State is different than the SUN of the American southwest.

While rue is pretty with it's blue-green foliage, I do not expect it to do well mixed in a pot with culinary herbs. In fact, I'd probably let each of these herbs have their own pot, individual amounts of water needed, and space for best results.

FataMorgana