I don't have any more info for you, but I just picked up a couple "James Compton" variety from Meijer. I'd like to get more information also!

I think (I think!) it's pronounced "sim-ee-see-foo-gah" but maybe someone will know better. I'm just guessing. :)

But I do have Fairy Candles in a shade bed and it's pretty happy. It is is almost like a taller dicentra but with bigger leaves, but on a stalk. It's very delicate but getting bigger in p shade, moist (but not wet) soil. They bloom LATE in summer - thru September so right now I'm just enjoying it's pretty leaves.

BUSSE GARDENS has a great MO selection and some good advice on how to keep them happy. Hope i helped a bit. :))

Cimicifuga is a great background plant for heavy shade. It can get about 6 feet tall. It will fill out some, but does not get bushy. It might need staking as the tall flower spikes can flop around some. I find it very aromatic, but some people do not like the scent. I find that mine self sow and watch for seedlings in the spring in the general area of the original plant. The above pronounciation is correct except that I would say "few" instead of "foo"

It is a great plant and will seed around when happy. I would estimate I probably have of the order of fifty plants. Some spikes are starting to form so it should start blooming in the next few weeks.Another great plant iws Caulophyllum thalictroides - blue cohosh.

I have had one for four years and it grows 5' tall and about 3 1/2' wide. Blooms towards the end of summer. Mine is in rich, moist soil and only gets early am sun.

I'm glad someone brought this up because I keep forgetting to post re: cimicifuga (simmi-SIF-you-guh). I bought one about 5 years ago and planted it in the shadiest corner of my yard. It still gets limited filtered light. However, over those 5 years, it still only gets about 2' tall max, and has never bloomed. By the end of summer in Oklahoma, it is looking kind of ratty. It's the species racemosa, not one of the cultivars.

Do you think it just gets too hot in Oklahoma? Last year, we had our "dream" summer, not too hot, lots of rain, everything this plant should like. It did send up one or two spires that looked like it might be going to bloom, but they just turned brown and flopped over. Not root rot, because the rest of the plant was fine.

I'm thinking about removing it to use the space for something else. It is planted in a bed with my oakleaf hydrangea, some hostas, a petasites on the far end, lamium 'Hermann's Pride'. Everything else grows quite well in that corner.

Thanks,

Susan

They grow slowly, particularly the purple leaved varieties, which also need a bit of sun to look their best.

I purchased small plants online last year, ans was dissapointed. I'll give them some time to settle and grow. I want to like this plant.

I find them a little hard to place but they are one of the only purple leaved shade perennials around, and one of the few tall perennials one can add to a shade garden.

They look good with Dixie wood fern.

Here's a cool website where you can listen to the pronunciation.

Here is a link that might be useful: Pronunciation

Mine is the original species, green foliage, which is very pretty, but it just hasn't done much in the several years I have had it in the ground. I think it is environmental in my case, because it gets so darn hot here. Today is almost 100 degrees.

Susan

I've had cimicifugas in pretty heavy shade, but I have found them to bloom better and in the case of the purple ones to colour up better, in a bit more sun as long as there is adequate moisture. The flowers will lean toward the sun if they don't get any directly.

mine are very prone to sunburn. they used to be in the shade until a tree was cut down. now, they don't bloom b/c of too much sun they dry up.