Bugbane 'Hillside Black Beauty'

Questions about bugbane 'Hillside Black Beauty'

Does bugbane 'Hillside Black Beauty' need sun or shade?

Bugbane 'Hillside Black Beauty' grows in part sun (4 to 6 hours of sun, including some afternoon sun) and part shade (2 to 4 hours of sun, mostly in the morning).

It wants soil that stays evenly moist, rich in organic matter, and plenty of water.

What zones does bugbane 'Hillside Black Beauty' grow in?

USDA zones 4 to 8. It is hardy to zone 4, which means it survives winter nights down to about −20 °F (−29 °C).

Above zone 8 it struggles: the zones measure winter cold, but a plant's top zone usually means the summers are too hot or the winters too mild for it to rest.

Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.

When does bugbane 'Hillside Black Beauty' flower in my zone?

In zone 5 it flowers late August to early October. As a summer flower it moves about half a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer.

Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.

How far apart should bugbane 'Hillside Black Beauty' be planted?

24 in (60 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 2½ ft (75 cm), so a group knits into one patch.

It grows 5 ft (150 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.

How many bugbane 'Hillside Black Beauty' plants do I need?

At 24 in apart, set out in staggered rows:

• 3 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
• 6 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
• 10 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own

In a mixed border, plant it as one, with clear ground around it: a feature plant is seen as an object, and a group of them is a thicket.

In the bed above, the planner used one in one group.

Is bugbane 'Hillside Black Beauty' poisonous to dogs and cats?

Yes: severe toxicity to people, dogs, cats and horses. All parts are highly poisonous if eaten, the roots most of all.

Rated from NC State Extension. Where references disagree, the more cautious rating is used.

Is there a pet-safe plant like bugbane 'Hillside Black Beauty'?

These come closest to doing what bugbane 'Hillside Black Beauty' does, and no toxicity is recorded for them:

• Canadian burnet: the same size, the same flowering time and the same colour; a drift, not a specimen, wants wet soil.
• Flat-topped aster: the same colour; a drift, not a specimen, 6 in wider.
• Garden phlox: the same colour; a drift, not a specimen, 20 in shorter.

Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.

Do deer eat bugbane 'Hillside Black Beauty'?

Mostly not. NC State lists it as resistant to deer and rabbits. No plant is proof against a hungry deer in a hard winter, but this one is low on the menu.

What flowers after bugbane 'Hillside Black Beauty'?

Bugbane 'Hillside Black Beauty' is over by early October. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:

• Japanese onion 'Ozawa': from early October to early November, 10 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
• Bodnant viburnum 'Dawn': from early November to late December, 10 ft tall.
• Common witch hazel: from mid October to late November, 15 ft tall.

What does bugbane 'Hillside Black Beauty' look like in winter?

Bugbane 'Hillside Black Beauty' dies down to the ground and there is nothing to see until spring. The old stems can be cut in autumn, or left until spring as shelter for overwintering insects.

Is bugbane 'Hillside Black Beauty' good for bees and butterflies?

Bugbane 'Hillside Black Beauty' is visited by pollinators.