Great move...it’s beautiful!

Thanks GH.

(We have another "Splendide" that is probably 6 years old. It has always done enough for us to keep it around but this past spring it looked like it had bit the dust...I was a bit surprised given its 6 year history. But I see it now it is alive but barely 18" tall...one 'sprig' only. It is in a location that is probably 30 feet from the one above....who can figure.)

I know isn’t it strange?

I have had (too) many trios of plants much closer together, and only 2 return/survive.....Frustrating.

Mine had begun to pine away and so I dug the thing up and removed and replanted the few vigorous growths that had remained and got these going in new location ... that was last spring and now my plant pretty much mirrors the look of yours Rouge.

FrozeBudd, when you have time can you post pictures of your gardens? (I have visited many residential gardens in my time and yours is tops).

What a spectacular plant! I can think of another new location where I would like to see this beauty. I have one more section of lawn to get rid of so maybe in a couple of years....

Sure can do Rouge, I've been snapping plenty of photos, though been having troubles downloading them onto my computer, probably need to go in and delete a whack of photos!

Whoa: what do you feed that baby?

Very nice ckerr.

I wintersowed these 2 seasons ago. Unforunately only 4 survived and are still quite small....

I have one more section of lawn to get rid of

A true gardener's mantra :).

I hope it achieves its former glory in the new spot, the first couple years it was over 5 feet tall.

ckerr007, for sure let us know how it does next season. I kind of wonder about the differences between "Splendide" and rochebrunianum. For example is "Splendide" thought to be more 'floriferous'?

(There is no doubt that rochebrunianum is more readily available for purchase.)

rouge, my dear, I am going to send you a round-trip first class ticket to come here and "talk" to my 'Splendide'. I love it so much, but it is turning up its nose to me and my efforts to establish it.

You were the one who posted a photo some years ago of yours, so gorgeous, which led me to purchase one. It grew beautifully, topped out at 6 feet and bloomed extravagantly for two years. So I bought 5 more. The first spring after planting, just three came back, including the original one... SO SAD!

This year, only two are back, one tall but not too vigorous, and the other a measly foot-and-a-half tall with a handful of blossoms. I am so discouraged.

Don't know what I am doing wrong... (le sigh)

Here’s my little wintersown guy (the only one blooming). I planted five here but only three (barely) survived. Also planted six out front and I think only one or two survived :(

Its kind of hard to make out at this size.

After all the coddling I sure hope they continue to grow and not wither away like the others....

rouge, my dear, I am going to send you a round-trip first class ticket to come here and "talk" to my 'Splendide'.

Here's hoping you live in Hawaii ;) (or California or Arizona or.....)

This year, only two are back, one tall but not too vigorous, and the other a measly foot-and-a-half tall with a handful of blossoms.

roxanna, my previously "gorgeous" one also went for a bit of hiatus re floriferousness and it seems that a transplant has helped. It does appear that "Splendide" is plant that is a bit unpredictable year to year re height and flowers.

I have to say that your plant looks a lot like t.delavayii var. decorum (those relatively large flowers,), Gardenhouse.

Thank goodness that mine did their stuff before the endless drought...yours look gorgeous as always, Rouge (jealous).

I think it may be due to the close up shot camp. Googled your suspect and the blooms appear to be oval shaped?

I have come to the conclusion that Thalictrum and I live best apart. I absolutely love them, and years ago had seed grown rochebrunnianum, several flavum glaucum and ichangense ‘Evening Star’, but they all petered out after a few years. Three years ago I tried again with rochebrunnianum and flavum glaucum, but both are hardly alive this summer. Maybe the spot is too sunny, but I cannot offer them better. I am officially ending the relationship and returning the ring.

Beautiful plant Rouge!

This is my thalictrum 'splendide' in full sun. I think I'll copy you though and try mine in a location with morning sun only, not sure I'm happy with its performance in this location.

April

Now close to 3 weeks since I first posted the original picture.

The blooms have continued to expand.

Wow, wow and wow!!!

I never learn i.e. I post a picture of this plant thinking it is in full bloom and yet I am always close to a month premature :(.

I need to grow this. I see it Longwood Gardens and the bees are all over it. Thank you for the updated picture. Just lovely!

And the first site that popped up had this as a description. Such a racy plant...

"Holy S...! Thalictrum 'Splendide' is a giant meadow rue from French heuchera breeder Thierry Delabroye that popped up as a garden seedling resulting from a midnight rendezvous between the Chinese Thalictrum delavayi and Thalictrum elegans...oh, those hot French liaisons! The result is a 9' tall stalk, composed of lacy, deer-resistant foliage, with the top 3' a massive 4' wide cloud-like cluster of lavender-pink dangling flowers starting in late June (NC) and continuing until late summer. Because of the immense floral weight, the stems are more slanted than the politics on MSNBC or FOX, so a support structure of strong neighbors is suggested. Thalictrum 'Splendide' also had its tubes snipped (legal in France), so don't worry about having unwanted meadow rues to support. Rich soils, like relatives, are highly recommended."

That was a fun read and definitely makes me want one even more.

Rouge, I can’t believe the bloom time you’re getting with your ‘Splendide’. My roche bloomed for maybe a few weeks tops.

cker007, for sure this plant is no "shrinking violet"!

I am just floored.

Thanks for posting this, I've been debating getting a thalictrum for a part-shade spot. Don't want anything quite that big, though -- I'm not sure which variety the nursery has.

UPDATE (2019)

This plant takes so long from the time it shows blooms till the time they are fully open....almost 4 weeks.

As of today:

This is the most delicious plant! I just love it. Now thinking of other thalictrums possibly for next year. And I might move one of my 'Splendide' plants that isn't doing too well. Thanks for posting -- your photos are always enjoyed by me!

I think I recognize Tony Advent from Plant Delight's writing when I see it. He always has sex on his mind (as do most plant breeders)

Just a thought but could these particular thalictrum (and maybe others because all mine fade away) be heavy feeders and over a few years exhaust whatever they need from the soil? Why does relocating them re-invigorate them?

I like them a lot but they fade away after a few years in the same spot.

I am green with envy, just plant me ;-).

I promised you pictures of my Thalictrums. Here is my T. rochebrunianum in 2016, a year after I bought it:

This is it today:

I should have known: years ago I bought seeds from Th&M. I got a lot of plants, they bloomed once and then just melted away.

To clinch it, here is my four years old T. flavum glaucum. A second try, I had some in the nineties, and after a few years I put those out of their misery.

This is the last year of the last of my Thalictrums.

Grrr, I hate it when the pictures come out sideways!

roxanna and gdinie thanks as always for your kind words. Of course I admit to always bragging about this plant. My partner gets tired of me saying "Look at it again".

This just might be my favourite plant… I love mine so much. I seem to have 2 varieities, one with an almost double tighly packed flower and the other is more open with less tightly packed petals (see last pic). Love them both! I did divide them about 2 years ago, but the display is about the same. I had hoped to have a larger showing and extra plants for insurance, but it has ideas of its own. I‘m still very happy with it.

Oh my word…that is gorgeous! Where did you get it?

This just might be my favourite plant.

@Barbara Hayes, when Splendide has a good year I agree.

I have had our specimen for over 10 years and from what I have seen this plant benefits from either a division or a transplant every 4 years or so. And I will do just that this Fall.

(Your pics are wonderful. I am curious as to how tall yours are. And what sun/shade situation do they experience?)

I finally bought a couple (purple and white) last year, I was so overjoyed I decided to spread the love around and hedge my bets by giving my D-i-L one. She is also mad keen on purple, so I kept the white. Anyhow, I didn't risk planting it at the allotment but stuffed it in my home garden, next to an indigofera. Even this horrible summer, it looked pretty good and bloomed for freaking weeks - not my usual experience of thalictrums tbh - I grow t. flavum for the gorgeous foliage

However, Splendide looked ridiculous, growing in a riot of salvias, dahlias and alstroemerias, so I am dithering about moving it (although I am dithering about a whole lot of things,

Unlike apparently everyone else on here, I don't really do much moving around of plants. I do a heap of removing (usually by death) and tons of planting but it is all a bit ...random. I am trying to cross over from being a person who likes to grow a lot of different plants on the vaguest whim, to someone who can show a shred of evidence that some actual, planning and (crikey) design is being carried out.

Quite often, someone will mention a plant and I think, Oh yeah, I used to have that...however, I have not the foggiest idea what happened to it...so many plants just.fade.away. So I am always extra nervous about plants which have required special effort (or £££). I may have to offload my woes at great (tedious length) so I apologise in advance. I have, so far, avoided making any decisions by endlessly faffing with niminy=piminy, mindless 'jobs' such as poking bits of limnanthes or armeria or into awkward corners or pulling tiny weeds, inch by inch, nose to the soil, avoiding the bigger picture. I am going to have to get forks and spades out soon.

D-i-L loved her thalictrum and it also looked a lot more comfortable than mine did.