Deciduous Perennial Mounded, Compact in the Rosaceae Family
Buy Dwarf Goat's Beard
Size
Notes
Price
Availability
A compact, mounded goatsbeard from Korea with ferny green foliage and creamy plumes of early-summer flowers -- shrinks the genus down to rock-garden scale.
Aruncus aethusifolius, or Dwarf Goat's Beard, is a compact, mounded perennial native to Korea, prized for its finely divided, fern-like green foliage and its miniature scale -- a fraction the size of the much larger Aruncus dioicus. In early to midsummer, feathery plumes of tiny creamy-white flowers rise just above the foliage, followed by decorative seed plumes that persist into winter. In autumn the foliage turns a bright patchwork of yellow and orange. Like several of its relatives, this species is gynodioecious: individual plants are either female or hermaphroditic, with female plants typically setting more seed. Easy-care and slow to spread, it forms a tidy low mound well suited to rock gardens, border edges, and shaded spots too small for its larger cousins.
Pros
Compact, tidy mounded habit -- far smaller than the species type
Fine, fern-like foliage with colorful fall color
Long-lasting decorative seedheads
Deer resistant and low-maintenance
Cons
Needs consistently moist soil; dries out and browns quickly
Blooms sparsely in deep shade
Slow to establish
Why Like
In its native Korea, Aruncus aethusifolius grows on rocky slopes and stream banks, where its compact size and tolerance for both sun and shade let it thrive in conditions too demanding for the larger, woodland-floor Aruncus dioicus. Its gynodioecious breeding system -- female and hermaphroditic plants growing side by side -- is an unusual and well-studied example of sexual dimorphism in the Rosaceae.
Highlights
A rock-garden-scale version of Goat's Beard, with fine ferny foliage, creamy summer plumes, and colorful fall color in a tidy 10-16 inch package.
Plant Data
Mature Size
10 - 12 inches
tall. 12 - 16 inches
wide.
Growth Rate
Medium
Sun Exposure
Full Shade - Full Sun
Moisture Tolerance
Medium - Wet: Needs consistently moist soil; does not tolerate drought. Tolerates occasional wet or poorly-drained conditions better than dry ones.
Zones
3a - 9b
(Usually hardy to -40° F)
Tags
Attracts Butterflies, Container, Deciduous, Deer Resistant, Edging, Fall Color, Full Shade, Full Sun, Good for Butterfly Garden, Good for Cut Flowers, Good for Mass Planting, Groundcover, Medium, Native to Asia, Normal Soil, Partial Shade, Partial Sun, Perennial, Rabbit Resistant, Showy Flowers, Tolerant of Clay Soil, Tolerant of Moist Soil, Tolerant of Sandy Soil, Wet, Woodland Garden
We try very hard to source exactly what you’d like, but sometimes growers run out of plants! While this variety is a great deal at the price shown, we know that it has limited availability. If you want the plant even if it might be more expensive, or in a different size or quantity -- after you place your order, just send us a quick note at help@northshoreplantclub.com. Then, we’ll try to get you some version of this from one of our growers. And if we can’t get it from anywhere, of course, we’ll send a refund!
Field-Grown vs. Greenhouse-Grown Plants
Plants which are well-adapted to our local climate are most often field-grown (outside). Field-grown plants are generally cheaper and have the advantage of already somewhat acclimated to our cold winters, but that means they’re not artificially far along in the spring and tend to bloom at the normal time in our area.
Spring annuals and tender perennials are typically grown in Greenhouses so they can be ready and luxurious exactly when customers want them. Some perennials are also “forced” into early bloom in greenhouses. In May, there can be a very big difference between field-grown and greenhouse-grown plants of the same type. The latter typically look good right away (so they’re a great choice where that’s important), but we typically pay a premium for it.
Estimated Recipe Cost
The cost of this recipe's ingredients will vary depending on the season and the sizes and varieties you select.
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To secure the best prices for club members and make sure we know the current plants available from each nursery, we take orders only a couple of times a month.
Shoot us an email at help@northshoreplantclub.com, and we'll be happy to talk about plants or let you know when it's time to buy them!
No Pricing or Availability Right Now
We order from a rotating cast of the best nurseries in the Great Lakes region.
It looks like we've offered this plant in the past, but the nurseries we're working with this week don't appear to have it in stock at the moment.
Our goal is to bring as many plants together under "one roof" as possible, so we'll try hard to make it available again in the future!
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